Newcastle United's Under-21s secured their first back-to-back wins of the season with a 2-1 victory at Hartlepool United on Tuesday night. Teenage forward Kyran Thompson, aged 17, scored both goals for the young Magpies at Victoria Park.
Thompson opened the scoring in the ninth minute, finishing a low cross from Johnny Emerson after a diagonal ball from Logan Watts. Hartlepool levelled before the half-hour mark through a Jack Nolan header, but Thompson restored Newcastle's lead ten minutes later. His 35th-minute shot took a deflection off Hartlepool captain Reiss McNally before finding the net.
Head coach Pete Wild had stated he would treat the National League Cup tie as a first-team game for his Hartlepool side, fresh from a weekend win over Forest Green Rovers. The result, however, eliminated the hosts from the competition and left them 20th in the National League.
For Newcastle's development squad, the win builds positive momentum. The senior side, currently 11th in the Premier League with eight points from six games, faces Aston Villa at home this Saturday.
The Under-21s' next outing is a Premier League 2 fixture at Sunderland’s St James’ Park on Monday 26 October.
The original report is at Hartlepool Mail
