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" I think there were loads of positives, I think it was a nearly performance wasn't it, in terms of we've some great balls into the final third but didn't quite capitalise on that. We've competed against an excellent Middlesbrough side, I know there are a lot of squad players that they have got there and younger players. They play the right way, they knock it about, they made life hard for us, we thought that the shape was good, we got done by some really quick play for the goals.
" We thought we maybe should have had a penalty, in a league game we maybe would have been screaming a bit louder than we were. I think the encouraging signs were that we passed the ball well, we got into some really dangerous areas, and possibly tonight our final ball just wasn't quite good enough from the wide areas and obviously the shots on goal. They have had a bit of luck as well on the way, I think we have hit the bar a couple of times and had a couple knocked off the line along with a couple of last-ditch blocks so we're really pleased to be honest.
" Gareth Southgate their manager and Steve Agnew have said how well we have played, how well we passed the ball and how we try to play the right way. We were encouraged by Danny Carlton's performance as well, Rogvi (Jacobsen) the lad from the Faroe Islands who we only just met yesterday. I thought Danny who was playing Conference football last year has come in and looked really sharp, he got in behind and held the ball up well. Rogvi has got a bit of pace and mobility, he is decent in the air and put himself about.
" Then we passed the ball well at times, especially in the first-half, I thought we had a lot of the ball in the first-half and played some really nice stuff. I'm not sure what the situation is with him (Jacobsen), he has just come over recommended. We got him in as quick as we could, I know he is here for the rest of the week but I am not sure that he is here for Saturday. Possibly on that we would probably like to see him again, see a bit more of him because his 45 minutes was quite encouraging.
" He (Martin Brittain) only joined us yesterday, obviously we've got to look at players. We've got to think about, as it is fast approaching the start of the season, giving some of the players 90 minutes, needing 90 minutes. Obviously he won't start at Walsall at the moment as he is just a trialist so it's important that we give our players as much match practice, or pitch time, as we can. Hopefully we'll be able to have a look at Martin, he's a local lad, he's only from Newcastle so we can have a look at him in due course. "
" I won't tell you what our starting eleven is because I don't know what it is. I think we have got to be pushing now and thinking about Walsall, that is the big one and that is what all the pre-season has been aimed at. I think you'll see a strong side out on Saturday and certainly the players will be near the gaffer's (Neil McDonald's) mind-thought for the following week.
" We've got to have people in all the areas of the pitch pushing others, that's why we probably need to bring a couple more new faces in before the deadline. So that we've got competition, healthy competition all over the field. I think that upfront now with the performance of Danny Carlton - he has proved that if Kevin Gall and Danny Graham take their foot off the gas then there is three for two places and it could be any two from three for me at the minute.
" Simon (Hackney) is going to be a little bit behind in terms of match practice and his fitness. Even though he has done all the pre-season, he lost six or seven months possibly last year. To be fair he is quite tough, people think he is so slight but he does like a tackle and he is quite tough when he gets in there.
" That side of his game is a bonus for us because the side of his game we want to see is him getting the ball and being really positive, and hurting defences and creating things for other players. The manager will be really pleased that he has got 90 minutes out of Simon, and again, that puts him right in a position to contest for a first-team place at Walsall.
" It's always difficult for trialists to come into a squad. Players have got to come in, sometimes they have got less than a week to impress and they have got to be better than what you have got to take them. So it's a difficult thing with trialists, obviously we're searching for players all the time, I think we had 16 games covered last week, 12 the week before and 16 games are going to be covered this week. "
" So if anybody wants to know what we are up to they just need to look at the whiteboard in there, all the games and miles that everybody is covering. We'll find the players we need, it's just about being patient and hunting out the right players to improve the squad.
" The Blackpool game is not important at all in terms of the result, it's important in terms of performing again like we have done tonight in getting the thing right for when we go to Walsall. Which will be totally different to anything we have come up against in pre-season, it will be a proper tough League One game. They have just come up from promotion, like we did against Doncaster last year, so it'll be fast and feisty, the adrenaline will be pumping and the passion and aggression will be involved.
" So it's totally different to Blackpool, Blackpool is a nice friendly where we will compete against something, near as damn it, that we will come up against at Walsall. This is what pre-season is about, it's about getting them fit, none of the players enjoy pre-season, I don't particularly enjoy watching them running and the work they have got through. It's all about getting them right, mentally prepared and physically prepared for Walsall.
" If we are coming away from the stadium a week on Saturday with three points then it is everything that we have worked for. Then we can set ourselves up to have, hopefully, another successful season. I don't think they looked any stronger than us tonight, I didn't think that Newcastle looked any stronger than us, we were miles stronger than Morecambe and Barrow and possibly even Queen of the South after a tough week.
" Our fitness levels are excellent, the training has been good. The players have been magnificent in their attitude, and that is the whole lot, nobody out of that. Every one of them has given themselves a chance for selection and their fitness levels have been excellent, we are really pleased with that. "