Archive
Watson: "We Got Our Reward"
Written by Newcastle Utd
Under-18s coach Dave Watson believes United's victory over Brighton on Saturday was a deserved three points
By Dominic Scurr
Under-18s coach Dave Watson saw his Newcastle United side end a run of eight games without a win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
The Magpies won 2-1 thanks to a brace from 17-year-old forward Mackenzie Heaney and Watson was relieved to pick up a first victory of the calender year.
"It was a good, well deserved win for us," Watson told nufc.co.uk.
"Brighton are a good side and you could see that by the way they played in the first half. They controlled the game early on but we defended really well to withstand the pressure and then we managed to create a couple of chances of our own.
"We could have had a penalty inside the first minute when Owen Gallacher was brought down by the keeper but we stayed focused and kept things tight defensively.
"In the second half things started to open up and we look a lot more comfortable.
"We grabbed two very good goals through Mackenzie - he demonstrated his quality running with the ball for the first and the second he showed how well he can strike it as well.
"We had a friendly in the middle of the week where Mackenzie scored four goals, which I think gave him confidence going into today's game."
Heaney's second, a wonderful effort from distance, came less than a minute after Sam Golan's equaliser for Albion, and Watson felt the timing was crucial in helping them see out the game.
"They scored a free header with 20 minutes to go and at that point we could have let our heads drop slightly," the under-18s coach continued.
"It was a poor goal to concede but we haven't got the biggest team in the world so we can sometimes be susceptible from set-plays.
"But then for Mackenzie to put us back ahead with a stunning strike just after we'd kicked-off was just what we needed to give us the confidence to hold on for the win.
"The work from the entire team was fantastic, the desire and determination was there from everybody and we got our reward.
"It's great for the lads' confidence as well because, at this level, you can play well and get beat and it isn't too bad, but at the end of the day you always want to win.
"It's a special feeling when you win and today the lads have played really well. They deserved come away with the three points."