Top show from Harker but he can’t save Toon

NEWCASTLE United Under-23s continued their poor form in Premier League 2 as Stoke City grabbed a win at Whitley Park.

The Magpies have not won in the league since December and now find themselves cut adrift in second bottom place in the table.

Hopes were high before the game that Ben Dawson’s side could end their bad run with the Potters just a place above them in the table.

But Newcastle lacked quality in the final third and Stoke’s persistence resulted in two goals in the latter stages to earn three points on a wet and windy night on Tyneside.

It had taken United 12 minutes to test Stoke goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai after a break from Yasin Ben El-Mahnni but he could only hit a low shot straight at his chest.

On 20 minutes, Tyrese Campbell fired in a shot at goal but Nathan Harker coped well with the effort and clutched it to his chest.

Harker then pulled off a magnificent save six minutes later as he recovered to claw away Jacob Twyford’s shot at the back post, Oliver Shenton slotted the ball into the net seconds later but was flagged offside.

An El-Mahnni free-kick flew just wide before the break and Luke Charman also fired in an effort across the face of goal, but the two sides went in level at the break.

Stoke made a lively start to the second half and Newcastle had Harker to thank again as he somehow pushed Twyford’s swerving effort around the post with 53 minutes gone.

After 64 minutes Victor Fernandez was fouled on the lefthand side to hand United a freekick. But El-Mahnni’s set-piece came to nothing as Stoke cleared their lines.

Moments later, Stoke grabbed the lead after Krisztofer Szerto’s run and shot down the left had been saved by the feet of Harker.

Newcastle couldn’t get the ball away and 18-year-old sub Jordan Greenidge rolled home to hand the visitors the lead.

United pushed on in the late stages but Greenidge latched on to a poor clearance from Harker before tucking the ball into the bottom corner of the net.