Newcastle U21s face York on Sky tonight as Pivaš eyes first-team chance

Miodrag Pivaš wants to turn his pre-season opportunities into a competitive Newcastle debut, with our Under-21s beginning their EFL Trophy campaign at York City tonight.

Kick-off at the LNER Community Stadium is 7pm BST, with the game live on Sky Sports+.

For supporters interested in the players trying to force their way into Matthias Jaissle’s plans, it’s a chance to see how our youngsters handle senior opposition away from home.

Pivaš sets his sights on competitive Newcastle minutes

Pivaš has already had a taste of first-team football this summer, starting against Valencia at the Mestalla before making substitute appearances against Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg at St James’ Park.

Now the 21-year-old defender wants to earn his place when the competitive opportunities come around.

“The main goal is to try and gain more minutes in competitive games for Newcastle this season,” he told the club’s official website.

In the same interview, Pivaš highlighted the physical demands of the EFL Trophy and the challenge of playing in front of bigger crowds than the youngsters usually encounter in Premier League 2.

We were surprised not to see Pivaš go out on loan this summer, particularly with other young Newcastle players already making encouraging starts in men’s football.

His comments get to the heart of why a move would have made sense. He recognises the value of facing senior opponents, dealing with the physical demands and playing in front of bigger crowds. At 21, getting that experience every week feels like a logical next step in his development.

For now, hopefully he can make the most of opportunities like tonight.

Last season’s EFL Trophy campaign ended in the group stage. Newcastle lost 6-2 at Huddersfield and 3-1 at Harrogate, with our two points coming from a 2-2 draw at Mansfield and the subsequent penalty shoot-out win.

Hopefully we can improve on that this time around, starting at York tonight. Howay the young lads!