Young guns look to end season with silverware
NEWCASTLE United’s under-23 side concludes its season tonight at St James’ Park against Blyth Spartans in the Northumberland FA Techflow Marine Senior Cup.
In a season which started with a concerning 3-0 defeat at Blyth’s Croft Park on a balmy August night, it is fair to say there has been a marked improvement from the second string in terms of results.
Under former Sunderland coach Elliott Dickman fortunes improved gradually as United managed to mount a play-off push in Premier League Two before finishing eighth.
Early on, Dickman made his views clear on results.
Down the years the importance of winning has been downplayed by some reserve team bosses or Academy coaches – but not Dickman, who told The Journal early in his tenure: “Sometimes in youth football people say winning is a dirty word but I am a very competitive individual. I want to win every game we play but I would not sacrifice that to the detriment of somebody’s development.
“It is a balance but I would expect every player to be committed, fully into the game and want to win.
“If you are not that way inclined – if you are a young player and you are thinking ‘I’m not bothered if we win or lose’ then you are going to find it difficult to become a professional footballer.”
Since that pre-season defeat against Blyth, Newcastle have gone through four different coaches in Chris Hogg, Gary Caldwell, Kevin Richardson and Dickman.
Perhaps it was a surprise Newcastle’s reserves managed to make a fist of a promotion push at all this term.
Dickman had led something of a revival in the second half of the campaign but there remains work to do at the Academy.
However, for now Dickman and his players will look to sign the season off on a high against Blyth Spartans.
Newcastle have won the Senior Cup just three times in the last decade and it is a record which has room for improvement – and Dickman has already made his views on mentality crystal clear.