Academy. Scott targeting Toffees triumph

josh-scott-everton
Published
28 Oct 23

Josh Scott is hopeful Newcastle United Under-21s can record maximum points in the Premier League 2 ahead of Sunday's visit of Everton (kick-off 1pm GMT).

The young Magpies return to league action when hosting their Toffees counterparts, who lie one place below Newcastle’s second-string on five points, at United’s Little Benton Academy (kick-off 1pm GMT).

Scott, who opened his goalscoring account for the 2023/24 campaign during last week's 5-0 win against Newcastle Blue Star in the Northumberland Senior Cup, believes the squad can build on their previous fixture ahead of facing the Blues’ youngsters.

The Gateshead-born youngster, who signed his professional contract with his boyhood club in the summer of 2021, told nufc.co.uk: “Preparations have been good. We’ve been studying the way Everton have been playing and their formation and we’re feeling confident going into Sunday's game.

“We’ve had four draws so we’re trying to turn them into wins in the league. We’ve shown we can do after beating (Newcastle) Blue Star, scoring a lot of goals so we’re now looking for another victory in the next game.

"That win also gives some of the attacking players a lot of confidence going into the next game, which is important.

“We’ve been dominating a number of games and we need to make sure we keep our leads to ultimately get over the line. Everton are just below us in the table and we are going into it full of confidence, as we should be.”

Scott recorded five goals and one assist in nine Premier League 2 fixtures for Newcastle’s second-string during the 2022/23 campaign before sustaining a back injury which, ultimately, ruled the 21-year-old out for the remainder of the season.

Following a lengthy recovery to full fitness, making his first competitive outing since January in a 1-0 EFL Trophy defeat against Wrexham, the Gateshead-born youngster is determined to make up for lost time with United’s under-21 side this term.

“I’ve been doing what the gaffer tells me, doing a job for the team. I was playing on the right wing against Blue Star, the first time I’ve done that this season and getting a goal was really good.

“I had quite a difficult period out injured for around six to seven months in total. It was a stress fracture in my back, a tough injury, but it’s good to be back and get a run of games under my belt.

“It’s always a bad time when you’re injured but you’ve just got the make the best of it. I think the time out has benefited me mentally and made me stronger. If I were to get more setbacks, I know I can overcome them because I’ve been through it before."

Supporters can gain free entry to watch Newcastle United Under-21s' Premier League 2 clash against Everton at the Magpies' Little Benton Academy on Sunday, 29th October.

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