Newcastle United signed off for pre-season with a victory over La Liga side Athletic Bilbao at St James' Park with a performance that leaves Eddie Howe with plenty of food for thought.
Goals from Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin put the Magpies in good spirits ahead of that opening game against Nottingham Forest next weekend. The only cause for concern for Howe will be the last half an hour when his team allowed Bilbao back into the game but a combination of luck and frantic defending helped earn a second triumph in 24 hours after Newcastle beat Atalanta on Friday night.
The real stuff is now almost upon us and while pre-season has given us a glimpse of the options Howe has at this disposal there is no clear indication of his exact starting line-up against Forest, something I suspect that the head coach will be pleased about.
