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?

1961 Aarhus (Denmark) (h) 6-0 (3-0) Friendly  Allchurch(1), Leek(12,18,70), Tuohy(60), Neale(80)  13,667  Ken Leek gained instant hero status on his first outing for the Magpies after signing from Leicester City. Team: Hollins, McKinney (Keith), McMichael (Ferguson), Neale, McGrath (Thompson), Dalton, Hughes, Allchurch, McGuigan, Leek, Tuohy.   1969 West Ham United (a) 0-1 (0-0) Division One P1, 0pts, 21st/22 Hurst(66) 33,323 Newcastle lost their season opener at a sun-soaked Upton Park following an enforced substitution before the hosts took a corner kick. David Craig was led from the field with a hamstring pull and as Alan Duffy replaced him for only his second senior outing, Harry Redknapp's flag kick was thumped home by Geoff Hurst for the game's only goal. 1975 Middlesbrough (h) 2-2 (0-1) Anglo-Scottish Cup  Hibbitt(53), Gowling(55)  Willey(41), Armstrong(67) 11,624 Jack Charlton's side came to SJP and took the point that made them group winners. A 48th minute streaker seemed to have inspired the hosts but David Armstrong's equaliser was enough to end United's involvement in the competition. The smoggies went on to lift the trophy after winning a two legged semi against Mansfield and a two-legged final against Fulham. 1979 Blyth Spartans (a) 1-1 (1-1) Friendly  Shoulder(16) L.Mutrie(25)  2,398  Newcastle provided the opposition at Croft Park in a testimonial game for Spartan stalwarts Eddie Alder and Ronnie Scott, but only Alder was in action, with Scott having cartilage surgery in hospital. Former Spartan Alan Shoulder scored, but Les Mutrie equalised.  Local youngster Robin Armstrong played for the full game for United as a centre back, but was never to feature for the senior team. 1980 Leeds United (h) 2-2 (1-1) Friendly  Davies(20pen) Rafferty(75) Graham(32,60) 7,448 Sulky South American Alex Sabella strutted his funky stuff for the visitors while United's Dutch trialist Frans Koenen did enough to earn a permanent transfer from NEC Nijmegen. Manager Bill McGarry wasn't present though, having gone to watch Peterborough United against Fulham before making a failed bid for Posh midfielder Billy Kellock. Team: Carr, Kelly, Davies, Cartwright, Boam, Carney, Walker, Shinton, Clarke, Wharton (Rafferty 70), Koenen. Subs n/u: Hardwick, Mitchell, Hibbitt, Nicholson. 1982 Kilmarnock (Scotland) (a) 0-0 (0-0) Friendly 1,500 Newcastle's pre-season tour of Scotland continued with a Monday night stalemate at Rugby Park. Trialist midfielder Steve Doyle featured once again for Arthur Cox's side. Team: Carr (Hardwick), Craggs, Saunders, Trewick (Wharton), Clarke, Haddock, Todd (Ferris), Doyle (Martin), Varadi, Cartwright (Anderson), Waddle. 1992 Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) (h) 3-5 (3-0) Friendly  Clark(21), Peacock(44,45) Balakov(62,90), Filipe(67,71), Cadete(80) 7,764 When Gavin Peacock scored twice just before half time to make it 3-0, United's victory in the final of the four team Exhibition Super Challenge Trophy at Gallowgate looked beyond doubt.  However, a second half revival from Sporting - aided by laughable defending from Brian Kilcine - saw Balakov and Filipe braces plus one from Celtic-bound Jorge Cadete confirm silverware for Bobby Robson's side. Team: Wright, Ranson, Stimson, Howey, Kilcline, Scott (McDonough 67), Carr, Peacock, Quinn, Clark, Sheedy. Subs n/u: Srnicek, Kristensen, Neilson, Brock. Youtube footage is online here 1993 Liverpool (a) 0-1 (0-1) "Friendly" Ruddock(21) 21.757 The Magpies were victims of their own generosity again, going to Anfield for Ronnie Whelan's benefit match on the eve of the season and losing a crucial player in the process. £1.5m signing from Everton, Peter Beardsley was disgracefully assaulted by Neil Ruddock after just two minutes, sustaining a triple fracture of his cheekbone.  The injury was of such seriousness that for a time the United man considered lodging assault charges against his assailant.  To complete a poor night, Beresford missed a 48th minute penalty when confronted with the might of substitute 'keeper Mike Hooper. Team: Srnicek, Watson, Beresford, Bracewell, Scott, Howey, Lee, Beardsley (Neilson 5), Cole, Clark, Papavasiliou. 1995 Hearts (Scotland) (a) 1-0 (0-0) Friendly  Beardsley(65) 13,337 A rare headed goal from Peter Beardsley won it for United on a glorious sunny evening at Tynecastle.  Among the interested onlookers was 'keeper Shaka Hislop, who had joined the Magpies earlier that day and journeyed North to meet his new colleagues for the first time. SJP old boy John Robertson was in the home side, as he had been for our previous visits here in August 1987 and July 1992 (his time in Toon came between). Team: Srnicek, Hottiger (Clark 72), Beresford, Barton (Fox 75), D.Peacock, Elliott, Lee, Beardsley, Kitson (Sellars 64), Gillespie (Watson 75), Ginola. Sub n/u: Harper.  1996 Lincoln City (a) 2-0 (1-0) Friendly  Shearer(33pen), Albert(60) 10,069 Following a three game tour of South East Asia, Kevin Keegan brought his side to Sincil Bank for a match arranged as part of the deal which took Darren Huckerby to Newcastle. Injury prevented Huckerby from playing, but the headlines were grabbed by Alan Shearer, who scored on his Magpies debut. That goal came when a handball in the area was punished by referee Neale Barry with the award of a first half penalty. Shearer stepped up to send Imps 'keeper Barry Richardson the wrong way, both players having previously been with Cramlington Juniors. Les Ferdinand missed out with flu, while Robbie Elliott was omitted as he looked set to join Blackburn Rovers. However he elected to remain at Gallowgate. Team: Srnicek (Hislop 46), Watson, Beresford (Barton 46), Batty, Howey (Holland 68), Albert, Lee (Clark 46), Beardsley (Asprilla 46), Shearer, Gillespie (Kitson 74), Ginola. First of many... Match footage & Al's goal online here 1997 Sheffield Wednesday (h) 2-1 (1-1) Premier League P1, 3pts, 2nd/20  Asprilla(2,72) Carbone(8) 36,711  Shay Given, Alessandro Pistone, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Stuart Pearce and Temuri Ketsbaia all debuted for United in this season opener, with Alan Shearer sidelined after a serious ankle injury days earlier. Tomasson had the chance to make a dream start to his SJP career when one on one with Owls 'keeper Kevin Pressman in the opening seconds - only to shoot weakly. Tino Asprilla hammered home the opener seconds later and would later whip the ball of Tomasson's toes to scorer his second goal. In between, Benito Carbone had acrobatically equalised for Wednesday (clad in a rotten orange kit) and Tomasson had two more efforts chalked off. Match footage online here 1999 Tottenham Hotspur (a) 1-3 (1-2) Premier League P2, 0pts, 19th/20 Solano(16) Iversen(29), Ferdinand(45), Sherwood(61) 28,701 After kicking off with a 0-1 home loss to Aston Villa that saw Alan Shearer dismissed, things got no better for Ruud's boys,  despite taking the lead at White Hart Lane. Former Magpie Les Ferdinand injured himself in scoring and failed to reappear for the second half, but fellow Toon old boy David Ginola dominated midfield proceedings.  NUFC.com match report 2002 Gateshead (a) 8-0 (5-0) Friendly Shearer(13,20) Ameobi(23), og(Morgan)(28), Cort(43pen), Griffin(48), Jenas(56,84) 4,650 Al only played the first 20 minutes at the International Stadium, but that was time enough for him to score twice, with a free kick and a header. Chris Waddle made a guest appearance for Gateshead, who wore an all red kit. NUFC.com match report 2004 It was Carr Toon Time at St. James' as Stephen Carr joined from Spurs for £2m. Sir Bobby Robson filled the vacancy at right back in his side by agreeing a deal to bring the defender to Tyneside.  The 27 year-old from the north side of Dublin had refused a contract extension at White Hart Lane beyond June 2005. 2005 Bray Wanderers (Ireland) (a) 7-1 (2-0) Friendly Ameobi(37,45), Dyer(47), Milner(49), N'Zogbia(66,83), Chopra(75) Georgescu(53) 3,500 Newcastle concluded their pre-season programme at the County Wicklow town of Bray, to the south of Dublin. And after Ameobi made amends for an earlier penalty miss by scoring twice, United pulled away from their Eirecom league hosts in the second half to make it a dozen strikes in four days - albeit against inferior opposition. NUFC.com match report  2008 Valencia (Spain)  (h) 2-1 (0-1) Friendly Duff(77), Milner(90+1) Joaquín(38) 31,494 A problem with the visitors' plane caused the kick-off to be delayed by two hours, but when things got underway, United - clad in their new silver third kit - recorded a first win in five friendly outings. An unmarked Damien Duff headed in a corner to equalise before Steven Taylor's header came back off the post for James Milner to lash in the added time winner. NUFC.com match report 2011 Manchester United winger Gabriel Obertan joined Newcastle on a five year contract for an estimated £3m fee. 2015 Southampton (h) 2-2 (1-1) Premier League P1, 1pt, 9th/20 Cisse(42), Wijnaldum(48) Pelle(24), Long(79) 49,019 Incoming head coach Steve McClaren say his side come from behind to lead the saints before Shane Long's late leveller. Georginio Wijnaldum marked his debut with a fine goal, while Aleksander Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba also made Toon bows. NUFC.com match report 2018 Transfer deadline day saw United sign central defender Federico Fernandez from Swansea City - having played for Rafa Benitez previously at Napoli. Making a permanent move to Peterborough United meanwhile was striker Ivan Toney. 2024 Girona (Spain) (h) 4-0 (4-0) Friendly Longstaff(4,38), J.Murphy(14), Gordon(16) 31,958 The first of two home friendlies in as many days for United saw a devastating opening salvo derail the Champions-league bound visitors. Shipping four goals inside 40 minutes, the Primera League side also survived a failed penalty conversion by Alexander Isak. NUFC.com match report 2025 Atletico Madrid (Spain) 0-2 (0-0) Friendly Alvarez(50), Griezmann(63) 51,584 United concluded a pretty miserable pre-season with defeat; two second half goals seeing the Spaniards lift the Sela Cup at a sun-soaked Gallowgate. Rather than that meaningless trinket however, of greater concern for the Magpies boss was the sight of Anthony Gordon limping off. NUFC.com match report