If the kids are United then we’ll never be divided – Teen Army take apart Brighton, future’s bright

I had began to regret staying up to watch the Brighton match.

I’d made sure I was there in the early hours watching the enjoyable 3-3 with Aston Villa.

Making do with fast forwarding through the Chelsea 1-1 on Thursday morning, as staying up past 3am with work the next day (that day!), wouldn’t have been the sensible move.

Anyway, with Brighton on a Saturday morning UK time and no work, I looked forward to this final game of the USA trip, watching from afar and envious of those who had been able to get over there to watch in the flesh.

As I say though, I had started to regret it.

A poor first half saw Brighton dominate the ball but not force Nick Pope to make a save, whilst the only big Newcastle United positive was Harvey Barnes. His lightning quick direct runs towards goal are electric and going to pay massive dividends this coming season.

Having got through that opening half and not headed to bed at half-time, despite Brighton fluking (pope’s fingertips diverted the cross enough for Dummett to miss his intended clearance, leaving a tap in) an opening goal four minutes into the second half, I thought I might as well persevere with only 40 minutes left.

Brighton threatened a second and if Pope hadn’t produced a superb save low to his left after a swift break following a Newcastle corner, that would very likely have finished me off, even though only 35 minutes or so left at that point.

However, as often happens in matches, suddenly it was Newcastle United in the ascendancy, despite having a much weakened team with a far stronger one having faced Chelsea less than 48 hours earlier, the NUFC character and resilience really kicked in, the Eddie Howe effect.

United got stronger as Brighton went the other way.

It was Newcastle now getting on the ball, creating chances, getting the ball into dangerous places, the high press really starting to ramp up the pressure on Brighton.

That pressure only gaining and gaining as we got ever closer to the very final stages.

You all know the rest, Newcastle United finally got what they deserved, an amazing fightback completed when Elliot Anderson produced two superb finishes on 86 and 90+2 minutes. However, it wasn’t just him, it was the whole team now taking Brighton apart and bossing the game.

Thoroughly enjoyable and very much worth staying up until 2.30am… eventually!

Later on I started looking at the Newcastle United team that had ended the match, dominating it so impressively in those final stages.

17 year old Lewis Miley

19 year old Jamie Miley

20 year old Elliot Anderson

19 year old Jay Turner-Cooke

19 year old Alex Murphy

21 year old Remi Savage

18 year old Ben Parkinson

That was seven of the ten outfield players who ended the match, turned it around against Brighton and in the end, were deserved winners.

The other outfield players to complete the team that ended the match were 25 year old Bruno and 27 year old Matt Targett.

With then 28 year old Jacob Murphy the tenth and oldest! Between seven and ten years older than seven of the players who also were on the pitch at the final whistle.

It is funny how you still think of some players as young, when reality is something different.

Fans used to refer to ‘young Sammy’ even when the younger Ameobi was 25 or so, probably largely due to the Shola presence for so long at the club.

Not sure what it is with Jacob Murphy but as I say, I still think of him as one of the younger players, even though he will trun 29 during the coming season.

As the anthem sang out back in the seventies – ‘If the kids are United then we’ll never be divided’

Geordies Lewis Miley and Elliot Anderson have of course been the massive stand outs in pre-season but great to see other younger players also rising to the occasion when getting opportunities, such as Alex Murphy against Chelsea, Eddie Howe instilling in them the confidence to have a real go.

Long may it continue.

Newcastle 2 Brighton 1 – Friday 28 July 2023 7.30pm (UK time 12.30am Saturday)

Goals:

Newcastle: Anderson 86, 90+2

Brighton: Welbeck 49

Newcastle team v Brighton:

Pope, Ashby (L.Miley 59), Lascelles (Savage 79), Dummett (A.Murphy), Targett, Bruno, Anderson, Ritchie (Turner-Cooke 79), J.Murphy, Barnes (J.Miley 90), Wilson (Parkinson 75)

Unused sub:

Dubravka

The full seven game pre-season programme of Newcastle United friendlies:

Saturday 15 July 2023

Gateshead 2 Newcastle 3

Tuesday 18 July 2023

Rangers 1 Newcastle 2

Sunday 23 July 2023 / Monday 24 July 2023

Newcastle 3 Aston Villa 3 – Played at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)

Wednesday 26 July 2023 / Thursday 27 July 2023

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1 – Played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Friday 28 July 2023 / Saturday 29 July 2023