Beardsley’s side welcome West Ham United to St. James’ Park on Saturday (kick-off 1pm), looking to oust the competition’s current holders.
It will be the second clash between the two sides this week, the pair having met in the Premier League 2 Division Two on Tyneside on Monday, an encounter which ended all-square.
United played with an extra man for an hour after the Hammers’ Arthur Masuaku saw red 30 minutes in, but the visitors held out for a point.
Tomorrow, however, someone must emerge victorious – with extra-time and penalties a possibility.
And, with Rafa Benitez’s first team in the West Midlands for a Sky Bet Championship showdown at Birmingham City, Beardsley is hopeful that those supporters staying at home can rally behind the youngsters’ cause tomorrow.
“If the fans do turn out, it would be massive,” he told nufc.co.uk. “To be fair, it’s not easy. Saturday is a big day, and I understand that a lot of them go and watch a non-league team play while the first team are away. But, in an ideal world, we’d love them to come along, and hopefully we will give them some entertainment.
“For these kids, it’s a brilliant thing to play at St. James’ Park. It’s really special for them. And when I found out the other day that we’d be back at St. James’ on Saturday, well that gave me a buzz, too. For me to stand on the touchline as a manager, or as a coach, it’s a pleasure, and I absolutely love it. It’s a very, very special place for me, as you can imagine.”
Visitors West Ham saw off Hull City to lift the trophy last year, and currently sit just a point shy of the fourth-placed Magpies in the Premier League 2’s second tier.
“It’ll be tough – they played some good football on Monday night, and they were probably more disappointed (with a draw) than we were,” Beardsley said. “It’ll be interesting to see whether they start off with a couple of their more senior players. Their No. 9 (Ashley Fletcher) and No. 10 (Marcus Browne) were a real handful on Monday night, but whether they come back again on Saturday, I don’t know.”
Admission at St. James' Park is free to season ticket holders and members, otherwise it is £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
