The Magpies’ youngsters have struck 14 times in their last four games and continued their upward trajectory in the Premier League 2 Division Two with a thumping 5-2 victory over Aston Villa on Monday night.
They can take another step closer to the play-off mix by overcoming Middlesbrough at St. James’ Park on Friday (7pm kick-off), their first run-out at the ground since August’s memorable Tyne-Wear derby win over Sunderland.
After a stop-start beginning to the campaign, the Magpies are now bidding for a fifth victory on the bounce, something Dawson attributes – by and large – to the rediscovery of their clinical edge.
“You look back at the games against Southampton and Norwich (in September), and we had chances but we just didn’t take them, and we ended up losing both. But, more recently, we’ve taken chances when they’ve come, and they’ve been at good times,” he told nufc.co.uk. “We’ve now scored five times in three league games, and I don’t think we’d ever have foreseen that! We’re managing to score home and away, and that always gives you the opportunity to get a positive result.
“One of the big things we asked for at the start of the season was consistency, and for the most part we’ve had that – both in games, and in training. I’m a big believer that what you produce on a day-to-day basis becomes a habit, so that when you turn up for a game you get what you’ve practiced. And to be fair, the majority of the time, standards have been really high, and that’s translated into the games. Then, when you start to take your chances and get your noses in front, teams have to open up a little bit more. We’ve found that getting our noses in front has been really important.”
At the heart of United’s ruthless streak in front of goal has been young Dane Elias Sørensen, who took his tally for the season to 12 with a hat-trick at the Banks’ Stadium on Monday.
While the teenager has quickly risen to prominence, the Magpies’ first-team forwards have struck just four times between them this term. Dawson, though, is keen for Sørensen to keep his feet on the ground for the time being.
“The manager has spoken about how they need experience at a time like this, and I agree. The last thing we want to do, when someone is on a real high, is put them in a situation that could make or break him,” he said. “We’re erring more on the side that he’s doing really well for us at the moment. He’s scoring a lot of goals, but he’s still got a lot to learn, and it might be just too big of a jump for him at the moment. I think there are some logical steps we need to go through to try and get him to that level so he can compete and produce the same type of performances that he is for us.
“He’s going the right way about it – he’s working hard, he’s coming in asking questions, and he’s listening to the information. We’re also having to manage him a little bit, as well, just to make sure we keep him on the pitch and keep him fresh, because he’s getting chances and scoring goals, and the last thing we want to do is overcook him because he’s still only young.
“We talk about taking an opportunity when it comes, and Sean Longstaff is a great example of that – he got an opportunity in pre-season, and he’s up at the first team training ground on a permanent basis now. Elias got an opportunity because Luke Charman went out on loan, and he’s took it. It’s not difficult to work out – if you get a chance, just make sure you’re ready. And that’s the thing at the moment – if we did send him (to the first team training ground), I don’t think he’s quite ready yet. He’s shown signs that, in the future, he could potentially get there, but we just need to keep the reins on, keep him grounded, and make sure he’s working hard every day. He’ll be fine – he’s a really lovely kid, and he doesn’t get too carried away with it all.”
