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Watson Delighted With Attacking Threat
Written by Newcastle Utd
Dave Watson hopes his United Under-18 side have finally put their goalscoring troubles behind them after Saturday's win over Derby
By Tom Easterby
Dave Watson hopes his Newcastle United Under-18 side have finally put their goalscoring troubles behind them after Saturday's 5-2 win over Derby County at Little Benton.
Winless in the Barclays Under-18 Premier League before the weekend, the young Magpies had registered just six strikes in as many games before the barrage of goals against a Rams side who had Jared Bird sent off late on.
And Watson, who had rued his team's lack of a clinical touch in the final third in recent weeks, had nothing but praise for a hard-working display, lauding the return from injury of forward Louis Johnson.
"That's what was very pleasing about it," he told nufc.co.uk of the five goals.
"There was some really good play in the last third of the pitch and that's where we've been sort of struggling really, and on Saturday we had one or two players back from injury.
"We had Louis Johnson back, Mackenzie Heaney played again - that was his second or third game for us - and the link-up play between them was great. We had Joe Kerridge back in the team too and I think they combined really well. They're our forward players and we've been missing one or two for a while."
Johnson played the first half of the win before being replaced by Jordan Storey as he is gradually eased back into competitive action.
The former Everton centre-half hopes Middlesbrough-born Johnson's return will provide his side with more of a physical threat in the final third, as well as easing the attacking burden which has been shouldered by 15-year-old Heaney in the last few weeks.
"Louis is still young, he's only a first year, but he's got a physical presence and good ability," said Watson.
"That really matters when the ball goes forward - it tends to stick a bit more and we can build from there, rather than it going forward and then coming straight back. It just gives us that little bit more hold-up play and brings other people in to it.
"It helps him (Heaney), but he's also an under-16 playing in under-18 football and he's competing well physically. He's giving as good as he gets and he's chipping in with goals along the way, so there's lots of good things.
"We've had a few defeats along the way but there's still four or five individuals in the team who are doing really well."