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Watson Praises His City Slickers
Written by Newcastle Utd
Under-18s Coach Dave Watson liked what he saw at Platt Lane as his side gained a 1-1 draw against Manchester City
By Paul Reece
Under-18s Coach Dave Watson had no complaints as his side earned a valiant point against Manchester City at Platt Lane on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies youngsters led through Jonathyn Quinn's first-half strike before City levelled with a superb Jose Angelino Tasende equaliser.
Under pressure for much of the second-half, it was a superb defensive performance from United with goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in particularly sensational form.
And Watson said: "It was a good first half for us and we did well. We had a few chances and took the lead and I was happy with the performance.
"Second half, City came at us a bit more and we were under pressure as a team but we defended well and showed excellent team spirit to come away with a deserved point."
England youth international Woodman produced a string of superb saves to thwart the Citizens and earn praise from former Everton defender Watson.
"He made some really good saves and had a good game today," he said. "He's still only 16 and he is doing really well.
"Alex Gilliead also put in a great performance in midfield along with Adam Armstrong, while Macaulay Gillesphey and Ryan McKinnon were excellent playing under a lot of pressure at the back.
"We've had a lot of games called off recently and a lot of the lads who played haven't played many games and might not have played today but we had no-one from the Development Squad in the side.
"They had a chance to show us what they were capable of today and I was happy with their performance and contribution."
The point means United have taken four points from six against City this season, with Watson's side next in action against Aston Villa at Little Benton next Saturday.