The young Magpies conceded twice inside the opening seven minutes following Dominic Ballard’s brace at the Little Benton Academy before the hosts turned the contest in their favour, leading at half-time following Amadou Diallo’s penalty and strikes from Ben Parkinson and Charlie McArthur.
Turner-Cooke made an instant impact from the substitutes’ bench, netting a brace in the closing stages and despite Nathan Carlyon’s red card, reducing United’s youngsters to ten men, and Ballard completing his hat-trick in stoppage-time, Newcastle’s youngsters saw off the Saints to record maximum points in their opening league fixture of the 2023/24 campaign.
The 19-yer-old attacking midfielder, who scored his first senior goal during Newcastle’s 3-2 pre-season victory against Gateshead last month, told nufc.co.uk: “It’s big to win the first game. Southampton won our league last season so to beat them, score five and win on the opening day is massive for the lads.
“It was encouraging (the fightback). We were very disappointed to concede two so early on, which gave us a bit of a mountain to climb, but we have got a lot of quality in the side. To score three goals in the first-half and then go on to win the game was a big boost.
“I was told to go on and make an impact. I was disappointed not to start but that happens. When I did, I just wanted to make a good impact. I think I’ve had a good pre-season, feeling fit and ready, and I believe in myself to score goals in this league.
“I believe in my ability and I know what I can do. I was disappointed not to score a couple more but that’s just the player I am. I always want more but I’ll take two and we’ll move onto the next game.”
Turner-Cooke, along with a number of Newcastle's Academy products, travelled with the Magpies’ first-team to the United States for their Premier League Summer Series matches against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, with the South Shields-born teenager featuring against the latter two clubs in Atlanta and New Jersey respectively.
The promising youngster, who spent the second-half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at League Two outfit Tranmere Rovers, admitted working alongside his senior peers during the 11-day trip to the US has helped improve his own game further.
“Being with the first-team has definitely benefited me. Being around the lads, seeing how they work everyday and being amongst it, coming off the bench for the games in the US was huge.
"It helps us young players, being able to watch the likes of Bruno (Guimarães) and (Sandro) Tonali. It’s massive for us so hopefully it continues."
