McEntee targeting victory at Villa

Neil Redfearn's side face the Villans at Villa Park on Monday night (kick-off 7pm GMT) aiming to pick up further points in division two.

Newcastle's youngsters defeated Sunderland in a 2-0 triumph at Eppleton a fortnight ago before completing a spirited fightback against their Middlesbrough counterparts on Monday, coming from 2-0 down to register a 2-2 draw in which McEntee netted the equaliser in stoppage time.

"I thought it was great to get the comeback after coming from two-nil down at half time," the 18-year-old told nufc.co.uk. "It would have been a different kind of outlook on the next game if we had lost. The mood might have been down in the camp but we showed a lot of character to get the 2-2 draw.

"We worked very hard for it and we managed to get it. If we didn't, we would have been very unlucky to lose that game. We're all looking forward to the game against Villa.

"I was buzzing to score. I didn't start the game so I had to come on and just try my best. I got the goal right at the end so I was buzzing with that. I felt we turned it on in the second half. Everyone was pressing together, playing good football without giving the ball away and it felt like we really dominated the game.

"It's a massive game because we want to get as high as we can in the table before Christmas. We're going to have to be at our best and work well as a team.

"They're going to be a good team if they haven't lost in three games but we have a good team too so I think if we all play like we did in the second half against Boro, we should have no problems. 

McEntee, who has captained Republic of Ireland at under-19 level, is relishing the opportunity in playing at Aston Villa's home ground, which has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-final and numerous England internationals at senior level.

And, with the young Magpies in a confident mood, McEntee is hopeful of continuing a positive run of form to elevate Newcastle from their current position of eighth, five points adrift of the play-off spots.

The Irishman added: "When you're playing for the under-23s, you will want to play at all the stadiums. It should make the game a lot better with more fans coming along. The pitch will be good and there should be no complaints. It's been a Premier League ground for years so we'll just want to get out there and play on it.

"If we got a good winning streak before Christmas, it would bring us into a really strong position. Everyone has been training really well and the mood is up in the camp so I do feel like we can."