Dawson’s side welcome Fulham to Whitley Park on Monday night (7pm kick-off), having slipped to tenth in the division after four successive defeats – the latest a 2-1 reverse against Norwich City ten days ago.
Despite a thumping Tyne-Wear derby victory over Sunderland – and a similarly eye-catching result against Doncaster Rovers in the Checkatrade Trophy – United have yet to string together back-to-back wins this season, and are already six points shy of a play-off place in the Premier League 2’s second tier.
Though encouraged by their displays “in patches”, Dawson acknowledged that the Magpies’ youngsters are under a degree of pressure when they take on the Cottagers – a side perched just a point and a place above them in the table.
“I thought we should have got something out of the Norwich game, and we deserved something out of the Southampton game before that. It’s the odd goal. We haven’t been outplayed in any game,” he told nufc.co.uk. “We’re well aware that, in football, you’re going to get games like that, and it’s about how you respond. The players work their socks off every day in training and in every game we play, and it’s those fine margins in decision-making, and those little bits of quality, that ultimately make the difference.
“We’re getting there. The level of performance is there in patches – the consistency that we speak about is that they have to do it for 90 minutes, three times in eight days, because that’s the world they’re going to step into. If you step into the Football League, you’ll be playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday and you have to perform. One of the realities after the Norwich game was that, stepping into the real world, if you’ve lost four on the bounce in the league – like we have – then either you’re out of the team, or myself and the rest of the coaching staff are out of the door. That’s what you have to start getting through. It has to matter more. It’s all well and good putting on a decent performance in patches, but what you’re going to be judged on – when you get to that next level – is whether you got the three points, and that’s the bit you’re trying to add into their game. At our level, results don’t matter as much as getting someone up to the next level, but you have to start drip-feeding it in. Otherwise, if they do make the step up, they’ll fall straight off the edge.”
Newcastle have played in the second tier of reserve football since a restructuring of the pyramid in 2014, though they did come close to promotion two seasons ago, losing a closely-fought play-off final to West Ham United at St. James’ Park.
And, having taken in a game at a higher level just recently, Dawson is desperate for the Magpies to put themselves in the mix once more.
“It’s not so much winning the league, but if you do get promoted you get to play against other teams. I watched Arsenal play Liverpool (in the Premier League 2 Division One) after the Norwich game, and it was terrific. I’d love us to get the opportunity to play against them,” he said. “Then there’s the Premier League International Cup, which we took part in last year. That was a great addition to the games programme and gave the lads a different experience. But, the only way we can add that is by being promoted or finishing near the top. The league’s your bread and butter and we need to do it week in, week out.”
Admission for tonight's game is priced at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions. Season ticket holders can attend for free.
