Newcastle United: Match Report - FC Halifax Town

FC Halifax Town experienced a close defeat, falling 2-1 to the Newcastle United U21 team in their first match of the National League Cup.

Only four players from Saturday’s 2-2 match against Wealdstone remained in tonight’s lineup. Jo Cummings, Ryan Galvin, Owen Bray, and Andrew Oluwabori all kept their spots as they prepared to take on Newcastle U21s in the opening match of the new National League Cup.

In the early moments of the match, Newcastle dominated possession but posed little threat. This changed in the 13th minute when Alfie Harrison sent a pass into the box for Jay Turner-Cooke. However, Nathaniel Ford, making his debut, reacted quickly to make the save.

Turner-Cooke got the chance to take a risky free kick towards the goal, but his shot went over the bar.

Halifax took the lead with a goal just before the twenty-minute mark. Aidan Harris attempted to clear the ball, but it deflected off Andrew Oluwabori and ended up rolling into the unguarded net.

The Shaymen came close to increasing their lead only a few minutes after their initial goal. Aaron Cosgrave delivered a low pass to Adan George, but he ended up shooting just past the post.

Tom Pugh entered the game in the 26th minute after committing a couple of deliberate fouls.

Cosgrave had the next opportunity in the match with a well-placed shot that was expertly stopped by Aidan Harris in the Newcastle goal. George then tried his luck from a similar range, but his attempt missed the target.

Just before halftime, the home team received their second yellow card of the match. Ryan Galvin took down Harrison late as the winger attempted to change direction. This incident marked the final play of the half, with the Shaymen leading by a goal as they headed into the break.

At the beginning of the second half, Halifax brought in a substitute, with Angelo Cappello taking the place of Ryan Galvin.

The initial attempt at goal in the second half was taken by Pugh. Bray set him up well by passing the ball to him, but Pugh wasn’t able to strike it with enough power, making it an easy save for the goalkeeper.

A few minutes later, Cooke unleashed a powerful shot that put some pressure on Harris, the goalkeeper for the visiting team. Cooke's attempt ended with a low strike aimed to the right of the keeper, who managed to deflect it.

Shortly before the 60-minute mark, Newcastle equalized. A precise pass from Turner-Cook set up Johnny Emerson, who skillfully found the back of the net with a well-placed shot across the goal.

Shortly after scoring the goal, the young Newcastle team made two substitutions. Alfie Harrison and the seasoned Isaac Hayden were replaced by Anthony Munda and Trevan Sanusi.

Sanusi made an immediate impression with his swift movements, enabling him to take a shot that deflected off a defender and rolled past the goal.

Newcastle soon had another opportunity, thanks to Turner-Cooke. He maneuvered around a defender near the box and fired a shot aimed at Ford's near post, but it only hit the side netting. In the second half, Newcastle began to find their rhythm, generating more chances and putting increased pressure on the Shaymen defense.

Now it was Halifax's chance to apply some pressure. Cappello gained possession deep in the opponent's half and passed the ball to Cooke, but his strong shot was expertly stopped by Harris.

Newcastle scored their first goal in the 70th minute. A corner kick reached Ben Parkinson, who was unmarked inside the box. He headed the ball, which hit the crossbar and then rolled just over the goal line.

The visiting team once more made two substitutions, bringing on Josh Donaldson and James Huntley to replace Travis Hernes and Johnny Emerson.

Festus Arthur received a yellow card with 15 minutes left in the match for tripping a player from Newcastle.

Another replacement for each team brought Ellis Stanton on for Ben Parkinson, while Frankie Sinfield came on instead of Aaron Cosgrave.

In the last five minutes of the match, a bit of chaos led to four players receiving cards. Turner-Cooke, Frankie Sinfield, and Festus Arthur were all cautioned. However, Arthur was sent off due to an earlier foul. Additionally, a member of the Newcastle coaching staff was shown a yellow card for disputing the referee's decisions.

An extra five minutes were added at the conclusion of the match, but Newcastle clinched the victory in their first game of the National League Cup.

The team will play against Tamworth at home next, with the match scheduled to start at 3 PM on Saturday.

Here’s a rephrased version of the blog section: 12 Nathaniel Ford, 14 Harvey Sutcliffe, 2 Jo Cummings, 4 Festus Arthur, 3 Ryan Galvin (substituted by 11 Angelo Cappello at the 46-minute mark / replaced by Will Smith at the 90-minute mark), 23 Tom Pugh, 26 Owen Bray, 22 Andrew Oluwabori, 9 Aaron Cosgrave (substituted by 24 Frankie Sinfield at the 80-minute mark), 19 Adan George, and 10 Jamie Cooke.

Substitutes: 1 Sam Johnson, 17 Jimiel Chikukwa, 18 Florent Hoti, 25 Ted Lavelle

Here is a rephrased version of the player list: 1. Aidan Harris 2. Leo Shahar 3. Dylan Charlton 4. Isaac Hayden (replaced by Anthony Munda in the 60th minute) 5. Cathal Heffernan 6. Charlie McArthur 7. Alfie Harrison (substituted by Trevan Sanusi at the 60-minute mark) 8. Travis Hernes (replaced by James Huntley in the 71st minute) 9. Ben Parkinson (substituted by Ellis Stanton in the 80th minute) 10. Jay Turner-Cooke 11. Johnny Emerson (replaced by Josh Donaldson in the 71st minute)

Substitutes: 12 Ciaran Thompson, 13 Adrian Janusz

Goals Scored: Oluwabori at 17 minutes, Emerson at 59 minutes, and Parkinson at 71 minutes.

Yellow Cards: Pugh at the 25th minute, Galvin in the 44th minute, Arthur at 73 minutes, Sinfield and Turner-Cooke both in the 87th minute.

Red Cards: Arthur received a red card in the 87th minute.

FC Halifax Town lost to Newcastle United's Under-21 team with a score of 1-2.

Check out additional articles by Finley Carter.