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We didn't test the 'keeper - Beardsley
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Peter Beardsley bemoaned his side’s shortcomings in the final third of the pitch as Newcastle United Under-23s’ winless sequence continued on Friday evening.
The Magpies were beaten 2-0 by Blackburn Rovers at Whitley Park, with Connor Thomson and Callum Wright on target for Damien Johnson’s troops.
United’s youngsters have not posted a victory of any kind since August, and now sit tenth in the Premier League 2’s second tier after a fourth defeat in six outings.
Tom Heardman and Lewis McNall both started for Newcastle against Rovers – as well as experienced pair Rolando Aarons and Jack Colback – but the home side failed to really test visiting goalkeeper Charlie Albinson.
And it was for that reason that Beardsley cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, the Magpies’ free-scoring, hugely encouraging start to the campaign fast becoming something of a distant memory.
“It’s disappointing we haven’t had a shot on target all night. That’s really, really frustrating for somebody like me, who obviously was a No. 10, or a No. 9, or whatever you want to call it,” he told nufc.co.uk. “Tom Heardman nearly got on the end of a great Jamie Sterry cross at the end of the first half, but we never really looked like scoring a goal.
“Rolando had a bit of a run in the second half, but I don’t know how far wide (the shot) was. It looked too far, in my opinion. It wasn’t as though it was really close. Kenzie Heaney bent one just past the post, but apart from that, I can’t remember any great moves. For me, and I really mean this, it’s disappointing. I think people know I like to be positive but that was a disappointing night for me.”
The Under-23s now turn their attention to the Premier League International Cup, with Czech outfit Sparta Prague visiting Whitley Park on Tuesday.
With a trip to in-form Aston Villa and a crucial Checkatrade Trophy clash at Oldham Athletic to follow, Beardsley acknowledges a key period lies on the horizon for the Magpies’ young guns, who have no less than eight fixtures to fulfil before the end of November.
“As I keep saying, without being negative, they decide their own future,” he said. “This is really important for them. It’s an important time. It’s a tough time, because they can’t buy a win. In some of their games, they’ve played some lovely football and been unlucky to lose, but when you’re losing and you can’t win, people don’t want to know about that.
“It’s good to have another game on Tuesday – to play Sparta Prague is brilliant and it’s a great thing to be in. But, me for the weekend, what do I do now? Do I make changes? Do I get other people who want to play? I really don’t know. At the moment, it’s just grin and bear it, and move on.”
"It’s disappointing we haven’t had a shot on target all night. That’s really, really frustrating for somebody like me, who obviously was a No. 10, or a No. 9, or whatever you want to call it."