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Watson's Derby Dismay
Written by Newcastle Utd
Under-18s coach Dave Watson was left "disappointed" after his United side suffered a home defeat to Sunderland
By Dominic Scurr
Under-18s coach Dave Watson was left disappointed after his Newcastle United side suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland on Saturday.
Watson was especially critical of the Magpies' first half performance, which saw them trail by two goals, giving them a mountain to climb in the second period.
"We were very poor in the first half," he told nufc.co.uk.
"We hoped to get off on the right foot and press Sunderland but that never materialised and it meant we never got close to them.
"There was no desire in the first half and when you're 2-0 down at half-time, it's difficult to get back into it.
"We got a bit of a reaction in the second half where we could have grabbed a couple of goals, but I was disappointed with the first half performance which was nowhere near the quality of what is required."
Watson also suggested the lack of experience in his squad may have contributed to the result.
"We've got an honest bunch of lads but a lot of them are first years and I think maybe the pressure of today's game to to them," he continued
"It's a derby so you expect the lads to be fierce and competitive but we didn't really see that today. At times we played as though it was a friendly, which was worrying.
"We did show a bit more fight in the second half, we created a few chances and hit the bar but then they killed the game off with the third goal.
"Overall, it was a very disappointing day."