Final outing will be so emotional for McNall
EMOTIONS will run high for former Newcastle United academy striker Lewis McNall when he faces his old club in the Northumberland Senior Cup final tonight.
The 23-year-old has helped Blyth Spartans reach the final for the first time since 2017 and they look to round off a challenging season with silverware against the young Magpies.
After being a prolific scorer in the Magpies academy, McNall saw his hopes of making the stepup into senior football hampered by a series of serious injuries.
After being released in 2018, the striker went on trial with Gateshead, then joining Northern League club Whickham to regain full fitness before stepping up into the National League North with Blyth Spartans last summer.
His first season at Croft Park has been productive, McNall scoring six goals to help Spartans maintain their status in the second tier of the non-league game.
Now he is fully focused on lifting the Senior Cup and racking up a win against his boyhood club and replicating memorable St James Park moments from earlier in his career.
He said: “It was a happy time playing for Newcastle.
“I am a Newcastle fan, I loved every moment, even the difficult times with the injuries.
“There are some great people at the academy and I don’t hold any grudges about how things played out in the end.
“Running out at St James will be emotional. I had some good moments on the pitch, scoring against Swansea City and Spurs in the FA Youth Cup in the year we reached the quarter-final.
“I would like to score again because it is just an honour to play on that pitch – but even if I don’t score, seeing Spartans win is all that matters.”
Despite only confirming their place in next season’s National League North last weekend, Spartans have hit one of their best patches of form in time for their meeting with the Magpies.
McNall netted the only goal of Monday’s 1-0 home win against Curzon Ashton and a 3-0 defeat at Spennymoor Town is the only black spot on their record over the last seven games.