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Mixed Emotions For Impressive Lascelles
Written by Newcastle Utd
Jamaal Lascelles spoke to nufc.co.uk after making his full league bow for United, and scoring his first Magpies' goal
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor
Bloodied and bruised, Saturday's defeat at Watford was a game of mixed emotions for young defender Jamaal Lascelles.
Handed his first Barclays Premier League start, the 22-year-old responded with an impressive performance and a first Newcastle United goal - a thumping header which earned him him a gashed lip and a handful of stitches.
However, the goal was to ultimately prove little more than a consolation as the Magpies went down 2-1 at Vicarage Road, and Lascelles revealed he would have swapped those individual moments for three points.
"It was nice to start a Premier League game for the first time but obviously it would have been better if we had won," the centre-back told nufc.co.uk.
"I'm pleased the head coach felt he could put me in there, and I hope I can get a few more games now. It's nice to know that you are trusted.
"I was fairly pleased with my performance but think I maybe should have done slightly better with the second goal. But it was another great experience for me and hopefully it is the first appearance of many.
"Scoring my first goal for the Club was a great moment, although I didn't see it go in.
"I got clobbered on the way down and ended up with three stitches in my mouth, so I didn't know I had scored straight away.
"It was nice but I would have rathered us win or draw and me not score. It's not much of a consolation to have a goal but still lose the game."
At Vicarage Road, Lascelles stood toe-to-toe with Hornets strikers Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney - a physical pair who have caused problems for opposition defenders throughout the 2015/16 campaign.
But the defender coped well and admitted those are the sort of encounters he relishes.
"The two seasons I played at Nottingham Forest, those type of strikers are the ones I came up against regularly, especially Deeney," continued Lascelles.
"Him and Ighalo are big, physical and will try and knock you about, but I gave as good as I got and I love a battle like that.
"The whole game was a real battle because Watford are a physical side, but I thought we matched them and even over-powered them in some areas of the pitch,
"But we conceded sloppy goals, and had a lot of chances ourselves which we should have scored.
"I thought we were the better team and the only difference was they were clinical with their chances and we weren't."