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I could have scored more, says matchwinner Callum
Written by Tom Easterby
Matchwinner Callum Roberts was delighted to get his name on the scoresheet in style in Newcastle United Under-23s’ 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday – but admitted he could have added a few more to his tally.
United made it seven games without defeat thanks to Roberts’ superb 14th-minute strike, which came courtesy of an unerring low finish following a fine run to the edge of the area.
And the 19-year-old, who was a constant thorn in the Seagulls’ side, reckons his side could have enjoyed a more comfortable victory at their Little Benton Academy – and that he could have come off the pitch with more than the eight goals he has to show for this season so far.
“It’s what I normally do – run inside in and then shoot. This time it came off – it doesn’t come off all the time, but when it does it looks good,” he told nufc.co.uk. “I’m glad to get the goal for the team and win the game.
“I thought they gave me quite a lot of space to come inside so obviously I was taking advantage of that.
“Personally, I should have scored a few more – in the first half I could have had three and in the second half I could’ve had a couple more, but I’ve just got to keep on working on my finishing.”
The Premier League 2 Division Two victory over Brighton followed the 7-0 friendly win over Burnley and the 6-0 Central League Cup rout at Bradford City.
Roberts again combined well with the Magpies’ other forward players to create a host of chances on Saturday, as their eyecatching football paid dividends once more.
And the teenager believes his side’s excellent run could go on for some time yet.
“Some of the players we’ve got, like Dan (Barlaser), Smithy (Liam Smith), Sean (Longstaff), Tom (Heardman), myself, that’s what we work on through the week, the one-touch stuff, and now it’s paying off in games,” he said.
“It was a good game. I thought we controlled it well in the first 45 minutes, and you could see all the lads were tiring out towards the end of the game – I was myself. But I thought we played well, and we defended well too.
“We’re unbeaten in quite a while now, having won 6-0, 7-0 and 1-0 today, and it’s good for the team. Confidence is high. We’re all playing well – it’s not just one individual, it’s the whole team.
“We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, and whoever we come up against, we’ve just got to play our football and I’m sure we’ll keep on winning games.”
“I’m glad to get the goal for the team and win the game. I thought they gave me quite a lot of space to come inside so obviously I was taking advantage of that. Personally, I should have scored a few more – in the first half I could have had three and in the second half I could’ve had a couple more, but I’ve just got to keep on working on my finishing.”