Toon trio fail to impress and Osula's big moment - Five takeaways from Newcastle 3-1 Bromley
Newcastle United eventually cruised into the 4th round of the FA Cup beating Bromley 3-1 on a baltic afternoon on Tyneside. For eight minutes the contest threatened a cup upset but United rallied and ran out comfortable winners in the end.
Bromley’s Cameron Congreve gave the visitors a surprise lead in the eighth minute before goals from Lewis Miley, Anthony Gordon (penalty) and William Osula wrapped up the victory for Newcastle.
Here are our five key takeaways from the game:
- Osula’s First Goal
Take a bow son, that was an excellent addition to the pantheon of aesthetically pleasing debut goals from a new signing in Black and White. The 21-year-old Dane has shown glimpses of ability, and a willingness to put himself about in his previous appearance for United, but one post-striking effort aside he hasn’t really looked like scoring.
The former Sheffield United man banished all that on Sunday with a left-footed effort from the righthand side, just inside the 18-yard box after he’d cut in from the wing and performed a couple of step overs. He was warmly appreciated, and it will do him the world of good to get the monkey off his back in terms of goalscoring.
On a day when our no. 14 was given the afternoon off – it was vitality important his understudy stepped up to fill the void, especially with Callum Wilson continuing to be on the long-term injury list.
- Shocking opening 10 minutes
Cup ties against lower league opposition are never easy, just ask Spurs. The team from the higher division is on a hiding-to-nothing. Bromley could’ve arguably been two nil ahead with Congreve bagging a lovely goal from 20-yards out and Danny Imray millimetres away from adding a second.
United overcame the slow start and ran out comfortable winners in the end but the poor opening led to the gaffer having to call on his senior pros from the bench on an afternoon when he wished they could’ve just sat the game out.
Ultimately, nobody remembers who you beat in the 3rd round if you lift the trophy over your head in May, yet the opening ten minutes on Sunday were a stark reminder of the vastly different levels in this United squad and surely a sign that the club should try to strike in the January transfer market, when momentum is with them, Champions League qualification is a realistic possibility, and they are in the semi-final of the league Cup.
- Squad players’ mixed fortunes
It must be hard to be a squad player sometimes, coming in from the cold to play against League Two opposition, especially when said opposition started the game well and proved they were up for the fight, but it was an incredibly mixed afternoon for the squad’s fringe players.
Lewis Miley played well after a slow start and a sumptuous 25-yard strike will always boost your rating, especially when it arrows into the net as it did. At just 18-years-old he still has so much to develop but it’s obvious there is a player in there (his ball retention was excellent) and the raw building blocks just need to be built over time.
Targett and Kelly were solid (but certainly didn’t advance their claims to be regular starters) and will be pleased to get decent minutes under their belts to maintain/approach match sharpness.
On the other side of the coin, Harvey Barnes was very poor as he struggled to get to grips with the game, struggled to beat his fullback, was wasteful in front of goal, gave the ball away countless times and was hooked at halftime. Rumours are swirling that he wants to leave due to a lack of first team football – well based on Sunday’s display, I’d drive him to the airport myself.
Sean Longstaff appeared to be half-a-yard slower than everyone else on the pitch in the first half, as he was robbed of possession on multiple occasions (often in promising areas) and he was slow to recover too. He did improve in the second half, but he was totally outshone by Miley.
Miguel Almiron once again flattered to deceive as he ran into cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac as he constantly wanted to turn onto his left foot, often contorting his body into weird shapes and positions as he tried to control the ball. Unfortunately for the Paraguayan this team just seems to be leaving him behind.
Lastly, Joe Willock missed the game entirely via injury, in another disappointment for the former Arsenal man. He sadly appears to be struggling to recover from a series of knocks and his form of old appears to be further away from him than it has ever been.
- "Martin Dubravka, we want you to stay!"
There was a heart-warming moment between the crowd and Dubravka on Sunday as we showed our appreciation for the Slovakian as the club, player and Al-Shabab apparently continue to be in some sort of tug-of-war for his signature behind the scenes.
Much maligned for a series of poor performances last season, Dubravka has been pretty much faultless since coming back into the side because of Nick Pope’s injury. He’s more than played his part in this run of eight wins on the spin (only conceding three goals).
It makes absolutely no sense to let him leave at this stage of the season especially with the way the season is set up. Hopefully, it’ll all be sorted out ASAP.
- Birmingham (A)
And so, United will go to Birmingham in the 4th round of the FA Cup in February. A home draw is always preferred but to get a League One side in the next round surely presents an excellent opportunity to continue the cup journey this season.
I have haunting memories of a 1-5 reverse in a reply at St. James’ Park against the Blue Brummies’ but those were from a different time and United were a very different team.
United weren’t perfect on Sunday but it’s now eight wins in a row and the season continues to go from strength to strength.
HWTL.
