"On the plus side, we looked very good with the ball - but in football you need to work on both sides of the game.

"That means what you do without the ball as well and we had to change it at half-time. We altered the mind-set of the players.

"I am happy with the outcome. I thought after 15 minutes I was going to be facing the highest reserve team defeat in the history of the club!

"I was a bit concerned at half-time but we started to sort things out. When we grabbed the goal before half-time we knew there was a glimmer and we also knew whoever scored the next one was very important.

"If we got it to 3-2 we knew they would be jittery but if it went 4-1 it was game over.

"All we wanted in the second was for the lads to perform to the level we are capable of."

An amazing night at Kingston Park where the Reserves preserved their 16-month unbeaten home record - despite giving their opponents a three goal start.

With barely a quarter of the game gone,  fortress Kingston Park had been well and truly breached, as City raced into a 3-0 lead.

Newcastle goalkeeper Mark Cook's first meaningful touch came on seven minutes, fisting Ryan McGivern's header away at the expense of a corner.

However seconds later he was picking the ball out of his net, after Paul Marshall centred for the unmarked Ben Mee to head home.  

Our response came in the form of Pattison's left-footer just over the City bar from inside the box - only for City to double the lead four minutes later when Ched Evans cracked a twenty-yarder beyond the outstretched Cook.

City's Welsh striker should have grabbed his second on 17 minutes, but mis-kicked with his first attempt from 7 yards and then saw his second try blocked by defender David Edgar.

The third wasn't long in arriving though, amid more chaos in our penalty area - Kelvin Etuhu evading Olivier Bernard's challenge down the City right to cross for Evans again, who  converted with a header.

Our recently-returned French defender partly atoned on 41 minutes however, driving on into the City box. The ball was only half-cleared though and Troisi's angled centre from the left was perfectly-weighted for Carl Finnigan to head home.

Both sides emerged unchanged for the second half, City doubtless cautioned about sitting back on their lead and Newcastle urged by coaches Clark and McDermott not to give up.

Neither side however looked as if they'd add to the four goals scored, with Newcastle failing to create clear chances or get the delivery to their front men right.  

City were similarly uninspired - although Cook did survive losing the ball in his area to Evans - strike partner Grimes not getting enough altitude on his lob to beat the retreating United 'keeper. 

The introduction of Kazenga LuaLua from the bench for the closing stages was to prove significant, Phil Cave moving to left back to accommodate him after Bernard's substitution.

Hopes were raised on 84 minutes when a defender's hesitation allowed Liam Atkin's pass to reach Finnigan and the United striker found the corner of the net from 12 yards.

City seemed stunned by this and were reduced to trying to run the clock down by stalling over the taking of their own free kick - Marshall being cautioned.

With United in the ascendancy, both Andy Carroll and Finnigan then had sight of goal but couldn't find the necessary finish, before a Newcastle corner saw Pattison produce a weak flag kick that was cleared back out to him.

The United captain then seemed to catch City napping by pinging his return centre to the back post, where Paul Huntington stole in to hit a first time shot that ended up in the goal via visiting 'keeper Joe Hart.

However there was still more to come, as a Newcastle free kick in the final seconds of normal time was knocked down by Carroll and defender David Edgar was on hand to sweep the ball home.  

So, an incredible turnaround to extend our unbeaten home run and also a measure of revenge for last season's Youth Cup Semi Final exit at the hands of City - players from both Academy sides renewing hostilities at Kingston Park tonight.

"Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating."

(New Order, Shellshock, 1986)

Biffa 

Reports