News. Redfearn reacts after five-goal thriller against Norwich

neil-redfearn-norwich
Published
17 Sep 19

Newcastle United Under-23s head coach Neil Redfearn was full of praise for his young side following a 3-2 victory against Norwich City in Premier League 2.

The young Magpies took a two-goal lead at Whitley Park through impressive strikes from Rosaire Longelo and Luke Charman before Dan Adshead reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time.

And, despite Isak Thorvasldsson's leveller for the Canaries in the second half, Tom Allan's strike secured three points for United's youngsters during the closing stages of the division two clash.

Redfearn told nufc.co.uk: "I thought it was a great game of football and there was a good tempo to it. We've talked through recent weeks about being more front foot and more aggressive in what we did.

"We pressed higher up the pitch which I thought suited us and I thought the two central midfielders (Jack Young and Mo Sangare) were outstanding because of their energy and aggression. They played off the front foot and the feel good that's came out of it is really good.

"We've got to bottle that up now and take that into the next game and I think how we did it suited the majority. Tom Allan and Rosaire (Longelo) in wide areas gave us a real threat. Luke Charman was a presence down the middle and Yannick (Touré) looked bright.

"The back four did really well as Norwich are a really good side and when they got around our box, they were very bright. However, we were very diligent and stuck with it. When it got to 2-2, they could have got another but we showed resilience which we are looking for so I'm very pleased.

"All the goals were good and the boys can be very proud of themselves tonight."

After conceding in the additional minute of the first half, Redfearn revealed there was a lively dressing room at the half-time break after a disappointing late blow.

However, the 54-year-old was left impressed with his side's second half display in which United's second-string picked up their first home win of the season along with sealing back-to-back league victories.

He said: "For 44 minutes, that was the best I've seen them play but for one minute, we switched off. Football has this habit of kicking you in the teeth if you're not careful.

"The good thing was at half-time, I came into the dressing room and it was noisy. People were saying stuff like 'who's picking him up' and they were all at it. As a coach, that's what you want to hear.

"We showed some real stickability in the second half and we managed the game well. We did that better and we played out if we could, if we didn't we went back to front. It was a good, professional performance.

"It's all about the process and we need to get that right. Tonight, it was right and we talked about pressing high and passing the ball better.

"We passed it greatly tonight with more tempo in it and more penetration. The big match changers in Tom Allan and Rosaire (Longelo) turned up and the front two looked like they were going to create and score so there's lot of positives."

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