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Newcastle U21s 8 Berwick U20s 0
Written by Newcastle Utd
Newcastle United Under-21s recorded an emphatic friendly win over Berwick Rangers Under-20s on Thursday
By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter
At Little Benton
Newcastle United Under-21s 8 (Longstaff 2, Charman 2, Heaney 2, Laidler (penalty), Smith)
Berwick Rangers Under-20s 0
Newcastle United Under-21s recorded an emphatic friendly win over Berwick Rangers Under-20s on Thursday afternoon.
Braces from Sean Longstaff, Luke Charman and Mackenzie Heaney helped Peter Beardsley's youngsters wrap up the comprehensive victory, with Adam Laidler and Callum Smith also getting on the scoresheet against the Scottish side.
Football development manager Beardsley sent out a strong-looking second string team featuring the likes of Dan Barlaser and Liam Gibson at Little Benton, and it was the hosts who applied most of the early pressure. Craig Spooner, cutting in from the right flank, sent a left-footed drive over the bar and saw his shot blocked after Barlaser had crossed into his path.
And it took just 17 minutes for Newcastle to make a breakthrough, when Jamie Cobain fed Sean Longstaff, who squeezed his shot under the Berwick keeper to open the scoring.
Three minutes later, Longstaff had his second, drilling home unerringly after forward Charman had laid the ball off into his path.
Spooner again went close and Charman, arriving at the far post, narrowly failed to connect with a fine Longstaff cross as United looked to make the game safe early on. The 18-year-old frontman then went close with the free kick before making it 3-0 with a thumping effort which the Black and Golds' stopper couldn't keep out.
Barely a minute later, Laidler - who was wearing the captain's armband for the fixture - made it four from the spot. Barlaser played a one-two with Cobain and, after rounding the goalkeeper, the former was upended by a last-ditch challenge from a Berwick defender, allowing left-back Laidler to roll home the penalty.
And further misery was heaped upon the visitors before the break, when Charman lashed his second of the afternoon into the roof of the net after a neatly disguised pass from Jamie Holmes had sent him one-on-one.
Beardsley made a host of changes to his side at the break, and two of those replacements - Heaney and Dan Lowther - combined to present the latter with a chance to add a sixth, but his shot was deflected wide.
Just before the hour though, the Magpies' sixth duly arrived, with substitute Smith arriving in the box and finding full-back Cobain, who in turn found Heaney, who found the bottom right-hand corner at the second attempt.
Smith could have helped himself to a goal a minute later, but he blazed over after Laidler's dangerous cross had been spilled by the Rangers' keeper.
Winger Smith was putting in a lively performance since his introduction on the right flank, and it was the teenager who set up Newcastle's seventh, benefitting from some good work by Cobain before crossing for Heaney to make no mistake with a well-struck volley.
Lowther then missed an opportunity to bag a first goal at under-21 level, firing over the bar from close range, before Smith deservedly netted United's eighth and final goal, slotting into an unguarded net after Heaney had squared it for him to finish.
Newcastle United Under-21s: Nathan Harker, Jamie Cobain, Owen Bailey (Ben Kitchen 46), Liam Gibson, Adam Laidler; Jack Hunter (Ollie Long 46), Dan Barlaser (Stefan Broccoli 38); Craig Spooner (Callum Smith 46) Sean Longstaff (Gideon Adu-Peprah 46), Jamie Holmes (Dan Lowther 46); Luke Charman (Mackenzie Heaney 46)