Bayer / Strasbourg (h) Public sale now
Liverpool (h) ST forwarding/resale now
Spurs (a) SOLD OUT
Bournemouth (h) Member sale Mon 10.08, 10am
Leeds United (a) ST applications Mon 10.08, 2pm

Friendly:
Jaissle off to a
winning start

Valencia  1  Newcastle  2

Match action is online here

Matthias Jaissle's time on Tyneside started with a win and a trophy on Saturday, a rebooted Yoane Wissa netting twice to defeat ten-man Valencia and collect the Orange Cup. 

Debutant goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek was beaten by a fourth minute strike from Filip Ugrinic, before Anthony Elanga was denied an equaliser by a questionable offside flag.

Jaissle's Magpie bow then took a further turn for the worse on 39 minutes, when his Swedish winger was stretchered off following a challenge by Jose Gaya more befitting a bullfight than a football match. 

That assault prompted a fierce reaction from the visitor's bench and Elanga's colleagues, with the former Spanish international defender rightly shown a straight red card. He'd earlier got away with a foul in the area on Elanga.

Valencia reached half-time in front but it only took seven minutes of the second half for substitute Wissa to take advantage of a terrible back pass by Guido Rodriguez and tuck the ball past Stole Dimitrievski in the home goal.

With Sean Steur again looking assured in midfield after the break, fellow substitute Bazoumana Toure had a fine half down the left and put in some excellent crosses.

Wissa headed narrowly over the bar from an offside position before claiming his and United's second of the game in the 76th minute. He and Toure broke from the halfway line and exchanged passes before the number nine tucked the ball into an empty net with the 'keeper stranded.

The Magpies should then have wrapped up victory when Jacob Murphy met a tempting cross from the left, only to balloon his first-time shot into the upper tier of the stand adjacent to the travelling support.

Numerous substitutions saw a senior debut for U21 defender Henry Johnson, while 17 year-old Mason Miley appeared at right back, with elder brother and fellow understudy Lewis back on Tyneside with Fabian Schar and Lewis Hall.

With Tino Livramento not risked and Dan Burn yet to join the group after his World Cup exploits, rookie Leo Shahar began at right back and U21 defender Miodrag Pivas was selected on the opposite flank. We're unsure why Alex Murphy wasn't in the matchday squad.

The circumstances of the win may have been favourable but there were bright spots, notably the willingness of Toure to prowl down the wing and glimpses of the Brentford-era Wissa rather than last season's facsimile.

Less pleasingly, a change of coach didn't look to have increased the effectiveness of Nick Woltemade. 

Ahead of the presentation of the bat-shaped trophy, the Newcastle squad came to applaud the away fans as was the custom under the previous management. 

Murphy pushed Jaissle forward, but the coach was content to remain in the pack of players at the end of his first week.

With two weeks and three games before the real stuff, the scale of the challenge facing Howe's successor and the necessity of adding to a depleted squad remains clear.

Some clues as to replacing the goals and assists that have gone may have come his way in the Mestalla, but in areas of leadership and organisation we remain visibly lacking.

More to follow... 

Team: Hornicek, Shahar (M.Miley 46), Botman, Thiaw (Johnson 72), Pivas (Charlton 67), Ramsey (Willock 67), Bamba (Wissa 46), Woltemade (Joelinton 67), Elanga (J.Murphy 39), Osula (Steur 46), Barnes (Toure 46).
Subs n/u: A.Harris, Gillespie, Finneran, Neave.

Malick Thiaw captained the side on his birthday, while Hornicek wore the 21 shirt vacated by Tino Livramento. 

The Czech stopper was one of four senior debutants for United, along with Aladji Bamba, Toure and Johnson.

Booked: J.Murphy .

Goals: Wissa 52, 76.

VFC: Dimitrievski, De Haas (Mayol 90+2), Duro (Danjuma 60), Gaya, Guerra (Cordoba 79), Pepelu (Blazquez 90+2), Rodriguez (Raba 79), Sato (Otorbi 60), Tarrega (Diakhaby 60), Ugrinic (Dieng 60), Vazquez.
Subs n/u: Abril, Rivero, Almeida, Dura, Gamon, Wanjala.

Sent off: Gaya 36 - violent conduct.

Goal: Ugrinic 4.

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain)

Crowd: 41,383. The initial away allocation of 1,381 was increased to 2,000.

Some discontented home followers called for the resignation of coach Carlos Corberan at full time, with a "Lim go home" banner also spotted - a reference to the Lim family (owner Peter and his son and president Kiat), who aren't universally liked round these parts.

There was minute's silence before kick-off for ex-Valencian Andres Parada aka Suco. He has the dubious distinction of being dismissed in a European Cup Final (Valencia's 1-2 defeat by Real Zaragoza in the 1964 Fairs Cup final). 

After the game Matthias Jaissle said:

"First of all, I'm really happy that there are no serious injuries.

"Anthony (Elanga), we're happy and it seems to be OK, actually. That was the most important thing.

"It was a really tough (tackle) and I didn't expect it. Of course, fouls are also part of the game.

"We will not smash the locker room down and celebrate a lot. We are quite balanced. We know what it is about, it's pre-season, we still have a lot to do.

"We don't want to hang victories higher than they are. But also we don't want to place losses lower than they should be. Next week there are things we need to work on definitely. But we did well in the camp and the friendly win.

"It was a shocking challenge (on Elanga), that’s right. I was in fear, definitely, but now I’m more relaxed because the medical department are almost showing green lights that it’s nothing serious. We are blessed. Hopefully he can be back in the next week.”
 
The Magpies added the Trofeu Taronja (Orange Trophy) to their collection of meaningless trinkets. This was the 54th staging of Valencia's annual curtain-raiser, kicking off their final season at the 1923 vintage Mestalla Stadium.

Although preparation works for the Nou Mestalla, three miles to the north of the current ground, began in 2007, it's only now that construction of the 70,000 capacity arena has advanced to the point that a 2027 opening date is likely.

This was Newcastle's first visit to the Mestalla, having faced Valencia at Gallowgate in pre-season in 2008. Goals from Damien Duff and James Milner secured a 2-1 win.

United's remaining pre-season games are available as paid live streams from NUFC here 

2026/27:
Carabao Cup draw set 

The Carabao Cup First Round sees 35 ties involving teams from the Championship, League One and League Two staged across this weekend.

The draw for the Second Round including Newcastle United will take place on Monday night from 7.20pm, preceding live coverage of the Plymouth v Exeter tie.

The Magpies are one of 11 Premier League clubs that enter what is a regionalised Second Round, to be played during the week commencing Monday 24.08.

That tie will take place between United's opening two Premier League fixtures, at home to Liverpool on Sunday 23.08 and away at Spurs on Saturday 29.08.

Loan lads:
The borrowers

Harrison Ashby (Luton Town):
The full back made a winning start to his Hatters career on Saturday, coming off the bench during a 3-0 victory away to Gillingham in the Carabao Cup.

Antonio Cordero (Cadiz):
Cadiz continued their pre-season preparations with a 1-3 home reverse at the hands of Las Palmas on Saturday. Cordero completed the opening 77 minutes..

Odysseas Vlachodimos (Seville):
Saturday saw the Spaniards beaten by the odd goal in three away to Bayer Leverkusen in their latest kickabout.

Departure:
Bruno a Gooner

Confirmation came on Saturday morning that Bruno Guimaraes completed his move to Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, widely reported to be around £75m.

In a club statement Bruno was quoted as saying:

"This is one of the toughest decisions of my life. When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position and I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together.

"I fell in love with this place. I really mean that. From my first day, the supporters, my teammates, Eddie and the staff, and everyone connected with the club made me and my family feel at home.

"I thank PIF, our chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jamie Reuben for everything they have done for me and for this football club. I also want to say thank you to David and Ross for the huge respect to me throughout this process. They did everything they could to keep me at Newcastle, and I am very grateful for our time together.

"This move is very tough because Newcastle means so much to me, but I wanted to experience something new in my life. I feel ready for a new challenge for myself and my family. I had a very positive conversation with Matthias Jaissle, and I leave knowing the club is in very good hands.

"To the supporters, thank you will never be enough, but I say it with all my heart. I will always be proud to have been part of this club's journey. Thank you for everything."

Earlier: News broke on Monday of a failed first official bid from the Gunners for Bruno Guimaraes, claimed to be in the region of £69m, but their increased offer was accepted - with no other clubs in the running.

A payment structure was agreed to assist NUFC meet their SCR (squad cost ratio) requirements and Bruno's former club Lyon reportedly have a sell-on clause.

The Brazilian international becomes the first player to move from Newcastle to Arsenal since defender Mathieu Debuchy back in 2014; Mikel Merino's journey from Tyneside to North London taking him via Real Sociedad.  

This continues what is already an unprecedented close season during which Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, previous club captain Kieran Trippier and of course manager Eddie Howe have all ended their time in Toon. 

Added to the sad loss of club legend Kevin Keegan, it's been a remarkable Summer, even for Newcastle United.

Listing the alterations to squad and staff since March 2025's Carabao Cup Final success at Wembley is a thankless task and that churn almost inevitably has an adverse effect on our reputation and effectiveness. With Bruno following Trippier down the road, leadership becomes even more of a concern.  

There are parallels with Alexander Isak last year with how Bruno has extricated himself from the club, but his legacy among fans seems less clear than that of the Swede, with something approaching sympathy for wanting a last big contract and an increased chance to win silverware.   

The loss of Howe in some ways makes it more palatable for the Brazilian to go now, although replacing his goals, assists and general talismanic value is another unwanted task for those in charge - and another potential disaster area.  

Like Isak though, if players want to go then there's little point in keeping them. As we've said before, if everything was so wonderful last season on the field, we'd not have endured a bottom half finish. Change was needed.

Rather than bemoaning the loss of players, the emphasis for us at times like this remains on who the next occupants of the black and white shirt are. That lesson was harshly learnt as a teenager when Peter Withe left, but became less and less emotional as it was perpetually repeated.

That's not to say that we'll not be giving our old boys grief when facing Spurs, Arsenal (and Liverpool) - sadly the opportunity of ridiculing the one who went to Barcelona won't present itself anytime soon....    

A reminder of CEO David Hopkinson's quotes shortly after joining the club*:

"By 2030, I see this club being in the debate about being the top club in the world. That's where I see us by 2030 - and that kind of progress doesn't take as long as you might think."

Strap yourself in for what should be an amazing three or four years then....

Meanwhile, Newcastle's relegation odds for the coming season have been slashed further. At this point, quite simply anything could happen.

* The appointment of Matthias Jaissle on Wednesday saw Hopkinson supply what may become equally notorious "Newcastle 2.0" quotes - see below.

Update:
At last, Matthias

Sky Sports interview with Jaissle is online here

Although he'd been overseeing the club's pre-season training in La Manga since the weekend, formal confirmation of Matthias Jaissle's appointment in succession to Eddie Howe finally came from United on Wednesday night.

The 38 year-old German-born coach becomes the third youngest in the club's history, behind Richard Dinnis (34) and Ruud Gullit (35). 

He said:

"It is an incredible honour to become head coach of Newcastle United. This is one of the biggest clubs in European football, with a unique history, identity and supporter base, and I am excited to experience that passion and connection first-hand.

"When Newcastle United comes your way, you take notice. The ambition of the club, the vision for the future and the opportunity ahead made this an incredibly compelling place to be. I have followed the club's journey closely in recent years and the progress that has been made is clear for everyone to see.

"I am incredibly excited about the future. I fully and unreservedly believe in this project, the ambition and the direction the club is taking. There is a clear vision, strong leadership and an exceptional platform to build on.

"My teams are built on togetherness, hard work, intensity and a passion to improve every single day. I will bring full commitment, full energy and a determination to give everything I have to help this club achieve its ambitions.

"I believe there is enormous potential within this squad and throughout the football club. I am excited to work with the players, staff and leadership team to help take the club forward.

"I cannot wait to get started and will attack this opportunity. I give my complete commitment and total energy to bringing further success to Newcastle United."

Jaissle had been in charge of Al-Ahli since 2023. He arrives at Gallowgate with his own support staff of Alexander Hauser (assistant coach), Engin Yanova (assistant coach), Florens Koch (assistant coach), Maximillian Fischer (coach analyst), Steffen Konrad (coach analyst) and Alexander Bade (goalkeeper coach).

Geordie reset:
Land of Hop & glory?

Following belated confirmation of Matthias Jaissle's installation as Newcastle coach, The Athletic ran a piece including in-depth interview with club CEO David Hopkinson, which is now free to read online here

“We have a plan here, we have an ambition and we’re right on track. There’s no Newcastle 2.0 without Newcastle 1.0. It ignited this community and allowed us to dream. It brought us spectacular nights here, it brought us a trophy and a parade and watching those scenes is one of the reasons I decided to uproot my life and come here. It was a great chapter, but we were living beyond our means. And, at some point, you’ve got to pay the credit card bill.

"We’re going forwards, in a way that is built to last. We are pivoting in line with our reality, but we will surge forward from here and get into a position where we can win consistently. This Newcastle 2.0 team will be young, hungry, ambitious, relentless. They want to be here and they will fight for everything. This is exciting. This is transformational. This is intentional. Let’s go.”

"Eddie (Howe) is the architect, the leader, the author of Newcastle 1.0. He did an extraordinary job. There is so much about him I truly admire, including his total commitment. I’ve been in this business more than 30 years and I can’t think of anybody who outworks Eddie, but there’s nothing that gives that doesn’t also take. Eddie has done that at a tremendous cost, with time away from his family and, as his friend, I think it has impacted him.

"He loves this club so much, but when he put his hand up and said ‘I’m not sure I can go on’, we were faced with a choice. Do I talk him into staying or do we need to accept that answer and accept that Eddie knows what’s best for himself? Eddie also made this decision through a lens of what’s best for Newcastle and knowing we need a level of energy, passion, commitment and work that, in his own estimation, he’s unable to deliver right now.

"I’m still checking in on him because I really care about him. I think he’s going through a difficult period because of how much love he has for this club, but he’s made a really admirable decision to recognise that it’s time for a new voice, a new tone and a new leader. The guy is such a professional and he cares about this club so much that he said: ‘Please look for my replacement. But until then I’m here giving 100%’”

"We had a succession plan for Eddie, just as there’s a succession plan for every key role at the club, including mine and Ross’s. That is our duty. We have an incredible data team, we activated the plan and I believe we sifted through something like 178 names. We had a clear set of criteria of what we want from the manager that succeeds Eddie. MJ (Matthias Jiassle) fits every one and exceeds others that we hadn’t even contemplated. This guy’s a born winner.

"I’m not going to tell you what he’s going to do at Newcastle because that story is still to be written, but let me tell you what he’s done. He’s won six pieces of silverware in his young managerial career. He is high-impact. He is high-energy. He has a clear vision of what it takes to win. I have had the privilege of working with some extraordinary managers and coaches, Eddie being one, and this young man has no ceiling on where his career could go.

"This was not an easy conversation (with Jaissle). He was not sitting on the sidelines, figuring out what he’s going to do next for work. He was employed and delivering and he had earned the right already to be very selective about where he wants to go next and he’s chosen Newcastle.

"We have a shared conviction of what this club can be. We’re welcoming his leadership and his passion. The people here are going to fall in love with what he brings to Newcastle. Eddie leaves big shoes to fill. I have every confidence MJ is the right man to lead us into the future and build on everything Eddie has done for this club. This guy is really impressive. This guy is fire. He is a rock star.

“Newcastle 1.0 under Eddie’s leadership, under PIF’s ownership, delivered something that had not been seen here in decades and that was a wonderful outcome. 

"We need more of them. But that means it is also time to look at the lifestyle and make some short-term adjustments in order for us to compete for those trophies again on a consistent basis.”

“I’m not blaming anyone for the decision to overspend. I celebrate everyone who contributed to those transformational moments in the long history of this club. Our job now is to build from here. That means we’ve got to get our lifestyle commensurate to the regulatory environment and in line with our revenues.

"There’s a growth plan and we’re in the middle of executing it. Anchoring that growth plan is raising our revenues, so that we can move on to credibly and consistently compete. 

"It’s great we had a trophy here, but one in 70 years isn’t enough. That’s not consistently competing. Our ambition, our mission, is to deliver them with frequency.

“Ross (Wilson) is a spectacular executive, we work incredibly closely together and in the next chapter it will be him, MJ and I. We are completely aligned. Ross has been bringing in young athletes with high ceilings, huge growth potential, and we want to see that growth unlocked here at Newcastle.

"All successful clubs have some level of trading in their model, and we will going forward.

"Not only is PIF committed to Newcastle 2.0, they demand it, The ambition I’ve articulated has been generated in concert with the owners. I refer to the owners there because it’s not exclusively PIF, but also the Reuben family.

"I talk to our owners multiple times a day. They commit time, energy, people, resources, consulting, advice. They are the most leaned-in owners I’ve ever worked with. All they want to know is how they can help. 

"They challenge our thinking and push us. They’re absolutely extraordinary partners. There’s no one that wants to see Newcastle 2.0 succeed more than they do.”

2026/27:
Lilac time

Newcastle's lilac-coloured third kit for the coming season goes on sale this coming Thursday, August 13th.

2026/27:
Senior Cup draw 

Friday saw the First Round draw of the Northumberland Senior Cup made confirming that Newcastle U21s have opted not to enter for a second successive season:

Blyth Spartans v Newcastle Blue Star
AFC Newbiggin v Newcastle Benfield
Blyth Town v Prudhoe YC
Newcastle University v Ashington
Alnwick Town v North Shields

R2 byes: Heaton Stannington, Morpeth Town, Whitley Bay.

U18s:
Tigers tie

Newcastle U18s  4  Hull City U8s  4

Wednesday saw United's U18 side in pre-season action, sharing eight goals with Hull City at Little Benton.

Home scorers were Alfie Seldon, Alfie Hutchison, Sam Alabi and Charlie Robinson.

Team (tbc): Holland, Patterson, Gilligan, Old (Goodbrand 46), Morgan, Afumuzor (Ghanem 50 [Robinson 70]), Alabi, Ndiweni, Kouossu, Seldon, Benjamin (Hutchison 46).
Sub n/u: Flack

U21s:
PL Cup group draw made

For the first time in three seasons, Newcastle's U21 side have entered the Premier League Cup this season. 

They were drawn in Group D, along with Luton Town, Peterborough United and Nottingham Forest.

Match dates and venues are awaited.

U21s:
U21s learn NLC foes

Newcastle U21s are again participating in the National League Cup, playing four group stage ties at Boreham Wood, Hartlepool United, Solihull Moors and Tamworth.

Three dates have been announced by home clubs so far:

Tue 18.08.2026 Tamworth v NUFC (7.45pm)
Tue 06.10.2026 Solihull v NUFC (7pm)
Tue 13.10.2026 Hartlepool V NUFC (7pm)

??? ??.??.2026 Boreham Wood v NUFC 

Although Boreham Wood and Solihull are new opponents, United have visited their home grounds previously at reserve level against Arsenal and Birmingham City respectively.

Incoming:
Horni is a Geordie

Newcastle confirmed their fifth senior signing of the current transfer window on Monday morning, goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek joining from Portuguese side Sporting Braga.

Although the transfer fee is undisclosed, a £25.7m release clause was claimed for the 24 year-old Czech international custodian who has signed a five year contract.

Pulled out of Braga's Europa Conference tie last Thursday, Hornicek travelled to Spain for his medical before linking up with his new colleagues at their La Manga training camp.

He will be the third player from that country to play for the Magpies, following Pavel Srnicek and David Rozehnal.

Standing 6 foot 6 inches tall, Lukas was on the bench for all three of the Czech Republic's three ties at this summer's World Cup Finals in the USA, having won his first senior cap at the end of last season.

2026/27:
Ticket to ride

2026/27 Magpie Mover tickets are now on sale, allowing public transport use in Tyne & wear on home matchdays from three hours before kick-off until the end of service*

Held at £25 for each of the last four seasons, the price has increased to £35 this time round, with no concessions.

Available to season ticket holders, Magpie+ members are also eligible to purchase them as was the case last season - although pass validity depends on having a match ticket.

* competitive senior games only, no friendlies/U18/U21s.

Update:
Sho goes on

Newcastle have added a new Head of Corporate Affairs to their management team in the form of Shola Ameobi, who vacates his previous role of club loans co-ordinator.

Announcing the news, the club confirmed that Shola was part of the Premier League’s Executive Pathway Scheme in 2023 and graduated with a master’s degree in strategic leadership at Newcastle University in December 2025.

There's no mention of who will take on the "loan arranger" role, or whether the post will be filled at all. 

Update:
Squad updates

Senior players signed (5):
Aladji Bamba, Lukas Hornicek, Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure. 

Development players signed (1):
Afner Ca

Academy players signed (3 - all tbc):
Eli Hall, Kyle Healy, Kryan Thompson

Senior contracts extended (3):
Harvey Barnes, Mark Gillespie, Fabian Schar

Senior players sold (3):
Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Sandro Tonali (Spurs), Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal)

Development squad players sold (2):
Travis Hernes (Groningen), Joe White (Crewe Alexandra)

Senior players loaned (3):
Harrison Ashby (Luton Town), Antonio Cordero (Cadiz), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Seville)

Professional contracts signed (6):
Sam Alabi, Guy Bloomer, Jake Durrant, Henry Johnson, Mason Miley, Kacey Wooster

Scholarship contracts signed (8):
Chukwudi Afumuzor, Theo Benjamin, Roman Dowell, Jayden Kouossu, George Mair, Leon Mukumbira, Alfie Seldon, Lesecond Yeutembip


 

What Else?

1910 Three weeks before their opening league game, Newcastle's players formed a cricket XI and travelled to Haltwhistle. A good crowd saw goalkeeper Jimmy Lawrence take nine wickets for United as the hosts were all out for 132. However the footballers proved to be rather less adept with the bat and lost heavily.  1960 Racing Paris (France) (a) 3-2 (2-1) Friendly  Stokoe(23pen), Allchurch(38), White(84) Brahim(29.65)  3,000 Former Magpies Chairman Alderman William McKeag collapsed in the team hotel and was taken to the British Hospital. He was said to be in good spirits on hearing the match result after what was diagnosed as a mild heart attack. 1965 Middlesbrough (a) 0-2 (0-0) Friendly Irvine(64), Horsfield(89) 13,500 The first of only two warm-up games for the newly-promoted Magpies saw them beaten at Ayresome Park by the second tier hosts. Revenge was quickly gained though as Joe Harvey's side beat Boro by the odd goal in five at Gallowgate four days later. Team: Marshall (Hollins), Craig, Clark, Anderson (Burton), McGrath, Burton (Moncur), Robson (Hockey), Hilley (Bennett), McGarry (Bennett 75), Penman (Hilley), Suddick (Knox). 1966 Carlisle United (h) 2-2 (0-1) Friendly Robson(57), Suddick(60) Carlin(25), Hartle(74)  6,007 Only a linesman's flag denied Willie Carlin his second of the game and a winner for the Cumbrians at Gallowgate. Team: Marshall, Craig, Clark, McGrath (McGarry 46), Thompson, Iley, Robson, Kettleborough, Bennett (Knox 75), Hilley, Suddick. 1968 West Ham United (h) 1-1 (0-0) Division One P1, 1pt, 10th/20  Robson(51) Dear(90) 37,307  The first game of what was to be a momentous season saw the return from injury of forward Albert Bennett.  Unfortunately, he lasted less than 40 minutes and twisted the same knee he had damaged the previous January. Returning to action three months later, Albert managed just three more games before moving on to Norwich City in February 1969. 1968 Meanwhile, the reserves opened up their Central League campaign with a 2-3 loss at Preston. Alan Duffy got both goals.   1971 Aberdeen (Scotland) (a) 2-3 (0-1) Friendly  Tudor(63), Cassidy(84) Robb(30), Graham(66), Murray(78)  17,000 Already without Bob Moncur and Jimmy Smith due to injury, Joe Harvey received a further blow when Ollie Burton limped off during United's final pre-season friendly. Terry Hibbitt made his Magpies bow at Pittodrie after his capture from Leeds United.  1974 Middlesbrough (h) 4-0 (2-0) Texaco Cup  Macdonald(2), Cassidy(67), Tudor(74), Burns(86)  11,571  Featuring a memorable solo strike from Mickey Burns, on his first SJP outing. 1976 Hull City (a) 0-0 (0-0) Anglo Italian Cup 4,715 United drew a blank at Boothferry Park in their second ASC tie of the season, following on from a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United.  1977 Carlisle United (a) 1-1 (0-1) Friendly  og(Carr)(52) Tait(17) 5,413  Newcastle made their way across the A69 for a testimonial honouring Brunton Park stalwart Dick Young, who served the Cumbrians for over 20 years as trainer, coach and manager. Future Magpie scout Mick Tait put the hosts ahead before Peter Carr headed Stewart Barrowclough's centre into his own net under pressure from Alan Gowling. Mick Mahoney had to be replaced due to injury during the second half but was able to take his place in goal for the season opener at home to Leeds 10 days later. Team: Mahoney (Hardwick), D.Craig, Kennedy, Cassidy (Blackhall), McCaffery, Oates, Barrowclough, Cannell (McLean), Burns, Gowling, T.Craig. Subs n/u: none. 1978 Gateshead (a)  1-0 (0-0) Friendly  Callachan(76)  3,000 United's seventh pre-season friendly saw them remain unbeaten - although five Scandinavian minnows, Hull City and the Tynesiders were hardly the toughest opponents. 1981 Reserve striker Gary Nicholson left United in a £25,000 move to Mansfield Town.  1983 Hamburg Altona 93 (Germany) (a) 6-1 (3-1) Friendly  Ryan(7), Anderson(15,50,75), Keegan(43), Wharton(77) Bontaux(11) 4,500 The Newcastle fans in the Adolf Jager Stadium saw an impressive debut from left back John Ryan.  However, fellow full back arrival Malcolm Brown missed out due to a serious injury incurred during pre-season training. Team: Carr (Thomas), Anderson, Ryan, McCreery, Clarke, Carney (Haddock), Keegan, McDonald (Wharton 30), Varadi (Ferris), McDermott (Trewick), Waddle. 1985 Sheffield United (h) 1-1 (0-0) Friendly  Cunningham(79) Kenworthy(85) 4,952 A low profile pre-season home game would mark the end of Jack Charlton in the Manager's chair - resigning his post after 12 months at the club. He claimed that the chanting of a couple hundred half-cut Gallowgate enders convinced him to leave - but it later emerged that he'd been close to quitting at the end of the previous season. Much of the terrace anger was prompted by United's failure to invest in their squad, despite banking £590,000 for the sale of Chris Waddle to Spurs. The last straw was a failure to agree terms with Ipswich Town's Eric Gates - who promptly joined the mackems for a fee of around £175,000 after they met his wage demands. Charlton - who wasn't under contract at SJP - was quoted in the local papers as saying, "as far as I'm concerned, you can stick the Newcastle job". 1987 A pre-season visit by a Magpies XI to the Central Avenue ground of Northern Premier League side Worksop Town ended in a 2-2 draw. All four goals came in the first half with Paul Watson and Kevin Scott on target. 1989 Carlisle United (a) 1-2 (0-1) Friendly  Brazil(77pen) Halpin(14),Hetherington(74)  2,994 United incurred their first pre-season defeat in their seventh public friendly game, beaten at Brunton Park by the Division Four hosts for whom former Magpie Dave McKellar kept goal. Team: Kelly, Anderson, Stimson, Dillon, Thorn, Kristensen (Scott 46), Gallacher (O'Neill 66), Sweeney (Roche 46), Brazil, McGhee (Lormor 46), Fereday (Robinson 46). 1990 Videoton (Hungary) (a) 1-2 (0-2) Friendly  McGhee(48pen) Nemeth(18), Salloi(32) 5,000  Defying the UEFA ban, United were in Budapest to play in a four team tournament with local sides Ferencvaros and Videoton plus Belgians Cercle Bruges.  Videoton were United's first opponents in the Ulloi Uit stadium....and we were two down within 30 minutes. The second half was a little better, as Liam O'Brien was felled in the box and Mark McGhee slotted in the resultant penalty.  The secretive nature of the match meant that only five United fans were present - their story is told here. 1991 Ujpest Dosza (Hungary) (h) 3-0 (2-0) Friendly  Quinn(21,44pen,65pen) 10,000 A pre-season game to mark the opening of the SJP club museum brought United's Fairs Cup Final opponents back to SJP for the first time since 1969.  A reunion of former Magpies also took place, with the players welcomed on to the pitch and enjoying by a slap-up meal.  At least one of the boys of '69 was seen to be in need of assistance at the final whistle, having over-indulged on the hospitality....  Old boys present included: Bobby Mitchell, Jimmy Scoular, Frank Brennan, Charlie Crowe, Duncan Neale, Frank Houghton, Geordie Stobbart, Alf Garnham, Norman Dodgin, Ted Copeland, Andy Graver, Tot Smith, George Luke, Charlie Wayman, Dave Hilley, Gordon Marshall, Jimmy Scott, Alan Foggon, Tommy Gibb, Frank Clark, Keith Dyson, Bob Moncur, Tommy Cassidy, John Tudor, Alan Kennedy, Tony Green, Jeff Clarke, Alex Bruce. Team: Srnicek, Watson, Elliott, O'Brien (Roche 84), Scott, Bradshaw, Clark, Peacock, Quinn (Howey 74), Carr (Makel 74), Brock. Match footage is online here 1993 Annfield Plain (a) 1-1 (?-?) Friendly  Costa(1-0) scorer tbc  3,000  A Magpies XI provided the opposition as the home side celebrated their centenary with a charity match that raised £7,500 for the West Stanley Colliery Disaster Memorial fund. KK at Annfield (Plain) Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan played in the game with the cause especially close to his heart, his grandfather Frank a survivor of the pit shaft explosion in 1909.  Also appearing at Derwent Park was midfielder Costas Costa (a Cypriot colleague of Nicky Papavasilou on trial at United from Apoel) who managed to break his nose in the opening ten minutes before beating former Magpies 'keeper Kevin Carr with a shot from distance. Limited highlights are online here 1994 United Reserves beat Goole Town 10-0 in a pre- season friendly at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds. Alex Mathie notched five, Richie Appleby added two and Mike Jeffrey, Nicky Papavasiliou and Stuart Elliott one apiece. 1994 Philippe Albert signed for United in a £2.65m deal from Anderlecht in his native Belgium. Arriving on his 27th birthday, he selected the vacant squad number 27. 1998 Juventus (Italy) (h) 2-1 (2-0) Friendly  Hamann(25), Pearce(40) Blanchard(88) 32,590 Dietmar Hamann lashed home a fine long-range effort a smart free kick from Stuart Pearce doubled United's lead. The hosts donned their blue away strip to allow the visitors to sport their black and white stripes - only for a baggage failure to see Juve forced to wear their change kit. NUFC.com match report Match footage is online here 1999 United's Reserves came from behind to win their final pre-season friendly. Chris Woodcock, Kris Leighton and Paul Arnison all scored for Tommy Craig's side as Consett were beaten 3-0 at Belle Vue. 2000 A comfortable night  for the Reserves at Durham City's New Ferens Park, as goals from Diego Gavilan (2), Kieron Dyer, Mark Boyd, James Coppinger and Gary Caldwell gave United a 6-0 win. 2005 Sunshine and showers, five goals and incidents-a-plenty as the reserve season got underway at Kingston Park with a welcome 3-2 home win - thanks to Peter Ramage. Paul Huntington gave Newcastle the lead but Einarsson and Ricketts put Leeds in front, before Carl Finnigan and Ramage turning the game round once more. NUFC.com match report 2006 FK Ventspils (a) (Latvia) 1-0 (0-0) UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round 1st Leg Bramble(71) 6,000 Victory in Riga came thanks to a thunderous header from Titus Bramble following Emre's corner. The tie was staged at the National Stadium rather than the coastal town of Ventspils, to make it easier for TV trucks to reach it.  NUFC.com match report 2009 Jonas Gutierrez seemed likely to be on his way out of SJP after one season at the club. The winger was quoted as follows: "My agent told me that the upcoming week is going to be crucial. He is expecting a new contact with Olympiakos on Monday.  I know about Olympiakos and that they are a huge club. They are the Boca Juniors or the River Plate of Greece. "For me is a big challenge to play the Champions League. I have a lot of energy in me and I want to make a fantastic season in order to be with my national team in South Africa for the World Cup. "I want to leave Newcastle and go to a club which will give me the chance to fight for this place in my national team. I believe if I play well in the Champions League then Maradona is going to take a look at me." 2010 A Magpies XI drew 2-2 with SPL side St.Mirren in a behind closed doors game at Darsley Park, Nile Ranger netting twice after the Buddies had taken a 0-2 lead. United included teenage trialist Billy Knott but no deal was concluded and the former Chelsea player joined the mackems, where he impressed enough to earn a deal. 2011 Yohan Cabaye appeared for the final 23 minutes of France's 1-1 friendly draw with Chile in Montpelier - his fifth international cap. Civil unrest cost Tim Krul the chance to win his third senior cap for Holland; their friendly against England at Wembley Stadium cancelled on police advice as riots hit London. 2012 Newcastle's return to European football after a five year absence saw them paired with Greeks Atromitos in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the Europa League. 2013 Sporting Braga (Portugal) (h) 1-1 (0-1) Friendly Coloccini(60) Alan(45pen) 16,187 Clad in a one-off black and white halved shirt, United concluded pre-season with a drab stalemate against Portuguese opposition.  Trailing at the interval to a soft penalty award converted by visiting captain Alan, the Magpies levelled after the break when an unmarked Fabricio Coloccini latched on to Hatem Ben Arfa's corner to emphatically head home in front of the Gallowgate End. NUFC.com match report 2014 Real Sociedad (Spain) (h) 1-0 (0-0) Friendly Sissoko(88) 19,188 United's eighth and final friendly saw them debut an all-white strip inspired by a 1920s change kit. Moussa Sissoko hit a late winner while the only senior outing misfit loan forward Facundo Ferreyra made at SJP saw him manage 15 incident-free minutes. NUFC.com match report 2019 An entertaining start to the U18 Premier League saw Newcastle share six goals with Boro at Little Benton. Elliot Anderson, Joe White and Lucas De Bolle were on target. 2021 Adam Armstrong made a £15m switch from Championship side Blackburn Rovers to Southampton - a transfer which netted his former club Newcastle a claimed £5m+ thanks to a sell-on clause inserted when the striker moved to Ewood Park for £1.8m in 2018. 2024 Stade Brestois 29 (France) (h) 1-0 (1-0) Barnes(15) 33,760 United's second home win in as many days saw them lift the Sela Cup; a revised format making the meeting with Brest a winner-takes-all tie.  Eddie Howe's side just about deserved the silverware that came their way thanks to a well-struck effort from Harvey Barnes - the French visitors having more sights of goal overall but failing to take advantage. NUFC.com match report