Ticket news:
Cardiff City (a) Public sale now
Man City (a) ST holder sale (0 points)
Chelsea (h) Public sale (online)

Comeuppance:
Not so tricky, Ricky

From the BBC, Tuesday - we always knew he was a wrong 'un.....

The man who scored the winning goal when Hereford United famously knocked Newcastle out of the FA Cup in 1972 has been jailed for money laundering.

Ricky George, 72, was sentenced to two years and his son Adam, 40, has also been jailed, for 15 months.

The fraud involved the sale of a house without the knowledge or consent of the owner, Hertfordshire Constabulary say.

Adam George, 40, of Burleigh Road, St Albans received £120,000 into a business account from his father, Richard George, of Hadley Grove, Barnet who were both found guilty.

The money was then laundered through his own bank account and that of his father and Jogi, his father's friend.

When the buyer of the house found out he had been a victim of fraud and had lost £250,000, he had a heart attack, police say, from which he has "thankfully" recovered.

George will always be known as the man who scored "the other goal" in that famous FA Cup third round replay win for non-league Hereford United over Newcastle United in January 1972.

The goal that lives longest in the memory - and gets far more regularly shown - was Hereford's equaliser, Ronnie Radford's 35-yard rocket.

It was almost half an hour later before George had his own moment of fame, when he turned in the box to angle home a low right-foot shot across Newcastle keeper Willie McFaul.

2018/19:
League Cup stuff

Newcastle enter what remains known as the Carabao Cup at the Second Round stage, when the winners of 35 First Round ties below are joined by 15 Premier League sides not involved in European competition.

The Second Round draw will take place on Thursday evening (live on Sky) and it's anticipated that it will again be divided into Northern and Southern sections, with PL sides seeded so that they avoid each other.

Given the confusion of last season's draw though, anything is possible with this lot.

Should a tie be drawn after 90 minutes, no extra time will be played and a penalty shootout will be staged in order to determine the winning side.

Tue 14.08.2018:
Blackpool 3-1 Barnsley
Carlisle United 1-5 Blackburn Rovers
Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Fleetwood Town (3-4 pens)
Grimsby Town 0-2 Rochdale
Leeds United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Macclesfield Town 1-1 Bradford City (4-2 pens)
Mansfield Town 6-1 Accrington Stanley
Middlesbrough 3-3 Notts County (4-3 pens)
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bury (10-9 pens)
Oldham Athletic 0-2 Derby County
Port Vale 0-4 Lincoln City
Preston North End 3-1 Morecambe
Rotherham United 3-1 Wigan Athletic
Scunthorpe United 1-2 Doncaster Rovers
Sheffield United 1-1 Hull City (4-5 pens)
Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Burton Albion

Bristol City 0-1 Plymouth Argyle
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Crawley Town
Cambridge United 1-4 Newport County
Cheltenham Town 2-2 Colchester United (6-5 pens)
Exeter City 1-1 Ipswich Town (4-2 pens)
Millwall 0-0 Gillingham (3-1 pens)
MK Dons 3-0 Charlton Athletic
Norwich City 3-1 Stevenage
Oxford United 2-0 Coventry City
Portsmouth 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
QPR 2-0 Peterborough United
Reading 2-0 Birmingham City
Southend United 2-4 Brentford
Swindon Town 0-1 Forest Green Rovers
Tranmere Rovers v Walsall
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Luton Town
Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Northampton (7-6 pens)
Yeovil Town 0-1 Aston Villa Sky

Thu 16.08.2018:
mackems v Sheffield Wednesday Sky

U23s:
Honours even

West Brom U23s  1  Newcastle U23s  1

Following the shortest pre-season fixture programme we can recall (one public friendly and another couple of obscure and low-key kickabouts), United's U23s returned to competitive action on Monday.

Ben Dawson's side faced their Albion counterparts behind closed doors at the Baggies Palm training ground on the outskirts of Walsall. 

Falling behind to an eighth minute effort from Nathan Ferguson (although the WBA reporter gave it as an own goal), Newcastle trailed 0-1 at the interval.

Introducing new signing Rosaire Longelo for the second half, the winger took just four minutes to make an impact - feeding the ball to Owen Bailey, whose pass across the box was turned in by Callum Roberts.

The Magpies second string open up their home campaign on Monday week (20th) against the mackems at SJP (7pm).

Team: Woodman, Sterry, Bailey, O’Connor, Gibson (Cass 89), Barlaser, Watts, Roberts, S. Longstaff, Fernandez (Longelo 46), Charman (Sorensen 71).  
Subs n/u: Huuhtanen, M. Longstaff.

WBA: Palmer, Meredith, Harmon (Dyce 86), Wilding, Ferguson, Healy, Soule, Brown, Morton, Azaz, Clayton-Phillips. 
Subs n/u: Hose, Tulloch, Rogers, trialist.

No less than 23 players who featured at this level last season have now left the club but the starting XI still has a familiar look to it.

Freddie Woodman, Sean Longstaff, Victor Fernandez, Callum Roberts and Jamie Sterry all featured for the senior side in pre-season - right back Sterry one of several options available to Rafa Benitez if DeAndre Yedlin's knee injury is as serious as feared. 

Liam Gibson is set for a first competitive outing since May 2017, having endured further treatment for colitis and there's a first U23 start for Kelland Watts, whose last pitch action was for England U19s in July.    

Winger Rosaire Longelo makes the bench following his recent signing but fellow new arrival Yannick Toure isn't included and there's no sign of either Rolando Aarons or Achraf Lazaar.

Newcastle did the double over the Baggies in Premier League 2 Division Two last season, following up an early 4-0 victory in the West Midlands with a 2-0 success at Whitley Park.

The hosts completed last season bottom of the table with just nine points from 21 games (we were second bottom with 20).

2018/19:
Loan lads

Dwight Gayle (West Bromwich Albion)
The striker was an unused substitute on Tuesday, as Albion won 1-0 at home to Luton Town in the League Cup.   

Jack Colback (Nottingham Forest)
Remaining on the bench, midfielder Jack looked on as Forest were held 1-1 by Bury at the City Ground in the League Cup on Tuesday - eventually progressing 10-9 in the penalty shootout that followed.

Josef Yarney (Morecambe)
A second Shrimpers outing for the defender brought a second defeat on Tuesday, Morecambe beaten 1-3 away at Preston North End in the League Cup.

Premier League:
Cardiff City (a)

This Saturday sees United venture to South Wales for a 12.30pm kick-off at Cardiff City Stadium that will be televised live by Sky Sports.

Coral match betting will appear here

NUFC: Florian Lejeune is a long-term absentee while news on the severity of the knee injury suffered by DeAndre Yedlin against Spurs is awaited. 

Premier League:
Heads you lose

Newcastle  1  Tottenham  2

Match report is online here

Departure looms:
Saivet update

News outlets in Turkey reported on Monday that Henri Saivet had now arrived in the country, as the midfielder nears a departure from SJP. 

However earlier claims of a permanent deal for the
27 year-old have disappeared and instead, another loan move is on the cards, this time to Bursaspor.

As an aside, it's also claimed that on Bursaspor's wish list before the Turkish transfer window closes at the end of the month is alleged striker Seydou Doumbia - formerly of this parish.

Saivet spent the second half of last season on loan at fellow Super Lig side Sivasspor, having previously been farmed out to French club St. Etienne. However, neither side showed any inclination to buy him.

The player cost United £5m when signed from Bordeaux during the January 2016 transfer window and has three years remaining on his Magpies contract.

Senegal international Saivet made the last of his eight senior appearances in a black and white shirt during the FA Cup defeat at Chelsea back in January.

His departure leaves Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar as the last two senior players omitted from United's current first team squad but still at the club.

PS: Also heading to the Turkish Super Lig is striker Islam Slimani, who has joined Fenerbahce.

The 30 year-old Algerian spent five months on loan at United from Leicester City earlier this year and has now made a season-long move to the Istanbul side. 

U18s:
U18 Cup draw made

The draw for the U18 Premier League Cup took place on Monday, with Newcastle's youngsters selected in Group F along with Manchester United, Norwich City and reigning champions Chelsea.

Each side faces the other once and details of the fixtures are still awaited, with the following dates set aside for games to be played:

Sat 29.09.2018
Sat 10.11.2018
Sat 08.12.2018

24 teams enter the competition, with the initial stage seeing six group winners and the two best runners-up advance to the knockout section.

Introduced last season, Dave Watson's young Magpies lost 2-3 to Brighton on Tyneside before winning 2-1 away to Blackburn. A 1-2 defeat away to eventual champions Chelsea then ended their involvement. 

U23s:
Reserve duo confirmation

Ahead of Monday's U23 season opener away to West Bromwich Albion, United have confirmed the signing of striker Yannick Toure and winger Rosaire Longelo.

17 year-old Swiss youth international Yannick (above) arrives with a prolific scoring record for former club Young Boys Berne.

Toure was born in Senegal and is now a free agent after his Young Boys contract expired, meaning that United had to pay only an undisclosed compensation figure. 

Longelo meanwhile (above) is an 18 year-old wide player who was free agent following the expiration of his contract at West Ham over the summer.

Longelo - whose younger brother Manny remains with the Hammers - was the un-named trialist who played for Newcastle U23s in their friendly at Barrow last month, showing a good turn of pace when deployed down both wings.

Eligible to play for DR Congo through his parents, Rosaire spent time on trial at both Norwich City and Boro in the closing weeks of last season but has now signed an initial one year contract with the Magpies.

U18s:
City slicker 

Manchester City U18s  6  Newcastle U18s  0

Despite having won 5-2 there last season, United's 
U18 side were massive underdogs in their opening league game of the season at City on Saturday. 

And sadly that's how it worked out, with the hosts taking just eight minutes to ruin any hopes that Magpies 'keeper Dan Langley had of a clean sheet. 

Full back Alpha Diounkou claimed the opener but whether he intended to cross or shoot is unclear.

That lead was then doubled midway through the first half when D’Margio Wright-Phillips (son of Shaun) centred for Lewis Fiorini to confidently head home.

The Newcastle defence made it to half time without further incident, but within seconds of the resumption had allowed Wright-Phillips to score from a tap in.

It then became the Henri Ogunby show, as the Bolton-born forward bagged a hat trick within half an hour, firing home in the 48, 65 and 74th minutes.

Dave Watson's side will hope for better when West Bromwich Albion visit Tyneside next Saturday - the Baggies without a game on opening weekend.

Team: Langley, Barrett, Gamblin, Allen, Swailes, McEntee, Reed, Young, Cole, Joyce, Kasinga.
Subs n/u: Rounsfell, Brown, Ebanks, Scott, Brannen.

2018:
Coming events

Some dates for your diary:

Thu 06.09.2018 to Sat 15.09.2018 various venues.

Ed Waugh's latest play, "The Great Joe Wilson" will be performed at Darlington, Whitley Bay, Gateshead, Stanley and South Shields more details here

Thu 06.09.2018 John Beresford talk-in, @ Hillheads, Whitley Bay FC. £10 from the Seahorse Bar or WBFC club shop on home matchdays.

Fri 07.09.2018 Kevin Keegan talk-in at Marriott Hotel Gosforth Park, in aid of Beacon Hill School. Bookings via 0191 234 1666 or brian.premier@aol.co.uk

Thu 01.11.2018 Fairs Club talk-in at King Street Social Club North Shields. Recalling the 1969 semi-final against Rangers, along with players from both sides. Tickets £10 from Harry Watson on 07985 198222.