Bailey bidding to bounce back against Stoke

The young Magpies suffered their joint-heaviest league defeat of the 2020/21 campaign following a 4-0 loss at the Aggborough Stadium on Monday.

It was a bittersweet afternoon for Bailey who was unable to mark his first competitive start since September 2019, after sustaining a lateral meniscus injury, with a positive result but is now aiming for a strong response against the Potters at Clayton Wood.

"The Wolves game was a bit of a shock to the system," the 22-year-old told nufc.co.uk. "We're all keen to put that behind us and really go out and react.

"We've been working really well for the last few weeks and the lads have been great in training, picking up a couple of decent results, so it was out of the blue.

"We're wanting to put things right on Monday and bounce straight back with a positive performance and result.

"On a personal note, it was great to start the game and get more minutes under my belt but it gets overshadowed by the result and performance. When you beat like that, it goes out of the window and all you can think about is the game.

"You can take personal positives out of it but I think it's more about the team and we all know Monday wasn't good enough which is the overriding feeling." 

Chris Hogg and Peter Ramage's side have won their last four Premier League 2 matches against their Stoke counterparts, gaining a 3-2 win against City at Whitley Park in December.

Despite Monday's opponents sitting in second place of Division Two, Bailey - who made his first-team debut during the Magpies' Premier League Asia Trophy clash against Wolves in July 2019 - believes United's second-string are capable of returning to winning ways.

"We don't really look at the league tables that much and we know the capabilities within the squad," the versatile defender said. "We know what quality we have in the dressing room and we would give anyone a game on our day but we need to make sure we are at it.

"Monday was a blip but before that we had been showing some really positive signs, working well as a group, so we're hoping to put it right against Stoke.

"All the lads who played will see they've scored three goals against them and won the game which is a big boost. We'll want to repeat that and hopefully get a similar result."

Newcastle's youngsters reached the Premier League 2 Division Two play-off final and Premier League Cup final two years ago and remained on course for last season's play-off spots before the season came to a sudden halt following the coronavirus outbreak.

Bailey, who captained United's under-23 side on both occasions back in 2019, admitted it has been a difficult campaign this term but is targeting a strong end to the term with four league fixtures remaining.

He added: "It's not been our best season as a group and we know that but we if can finish in the best way possible and pick up a few results, getting the performance where they need to and should be, that will be great going into the next season.

"I think we have deserved more than we've actually got out of the season so far. We have been a bit hard done by at times, especially since the turn of the year.

"Everyone in the changing room are really focussed on putting it right and having a positive end to the season as possible."