Along with Huddersfield and Bolton Wanderers, the Magpies were invited to the inaugural four-team Endorsed Cup event - also featuring South West Peninsular League side Mousehole AFC.

The declared intent of the Endorsed Cup was address the issue of youth football development in Cornwall, where the lack of full-time professional clubs is reflected in an absence of Academies - meaning that local youngsters were dependent on moving away in order to progress.

Mousehole are attempting to establish themselves as a centre of excellence for Cornish youngsters, increasing the number of youth teams they run and arranging to play friendlies at Academies including Manchester City and Barnsley.

The also have ambitions of their own, having recently made a failed bid to merge in with rivals Penzance and play at their Penlee Park.

As to why three teams from up North were invited, Mousehole's part time Ambassador Jason Blunt was born in nearby Newlyn but lives in Yorkshire and was formerly a coach at Leeds United. 

Two games were played on Friday at Mousehole's Trungle Parc ground - three miles west of Penzance, ten miles from Lands End and in the hamlet of Paul. A more rural location to watch football you'll struggle to find.

Although we've previously visited the Devonian trio of Torquay United, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City for first team fixtures, we're unaware of United ever playing in Cornwall at any level before.

Fri 20.07.2018:

Huddersfield Town 0-3 Newcastle United Cole(12), White(42),Young (56)

(Mousehole 1-4 Bolton Wanderers)

Waffle:

Friday saw a youthful Newcastle Academy side continue their pre-season preparations with victory against the Terriers in the unfamiliar location of west Cornwall.

Newcastle didn't have things their own way in the opening stages of the game, but struck first in the 12th minute when striker Tom Cole neatly shot home from the left side of the area.

Cole then had another effort ruled out for offside before coming close to his and United's second on 41 minutes - seizing on a botched goalkeeping clearance but failing to force the ball home. 

The black and whites deservedly doubled their lead three minutes before the break, a good team move ending with Joe White taking a return pass from Jack Young before placing the ball low past the 'keeper.

And they could have gone in at half time three goals to the good, Cole putting his shot agonisingly wide of the target after further muddled Town defending.

That third goal duly arrived 11 minutes after the restart, when Jack Young netted direct from a free-kick. 

Town struck the United woodwork almost immediately, but barely threatened thereafter and seemed more concerned with keeping the score down - substitute Elliot Anderson a constant threat and Young receiving deserved applause when replaced late on. 

Team: Brown (Thompson 65), Oliver (Rounsfell 46), Scott (Gamblin 65), Allen (Reed 65), Swailes, Gamblin (Brannen 46), Reed (Anderson 46), Young (Joyce 83), Cole (White 65), White (Ebanks 46), Joyce (Oliver 65). (Rolling subs as above, 16 players used in total)
Subs n/u: all used

HTFC: tbc
Subs n/u: tbc (if any)

Referee: Matt Carney


Sat 21.07.2018:
(Mousehole 2-0 Huddersfield Town)

Bolton Wanderers 3-0 Newcastle United Connel(3), Osigwe(47), Darcy(87)

Team: Brown, Ebanks, Swailes (Gamblin 68), Gamblin (White 46), Scott (Brannen 46), Reed, Young, Rounsfell (Scott 68), Joyce, Anderson (Allen 46), Cole (Anderson 68).  
Subs n/u: Thompson

BWFC: tbc
Subs n/u tbc (if any)

Referee: tbc

Waffle:

Having made it to the final of the Endorsed Cup after beating Huddersfield Town 3-0 on Friday, United's youngsters returned from Cornwall empty-handed.

Their final opponents Bolton had beaten the event hosts 4-1 on Friday and the Trotters took up where they left off in Saturday's final, quickly opening the scoring.  

Ireland youth international Luca Connel had the ball in the net after just three minutes and although there was no further scoring before the break, Wanderers hit the post and Magpies 'keeper Will Brown was the busier of the two custodians.

Any hopes of United mounting a second half fightback were quickly extinguished when Bolton's Kwame Osigwe headed home a 47th minute corner before Ronan Darcy rounded off their victory with an 87th minute drive.

Wanderers - who also had a goal chalked off when leading 2-0 - deserved their victory and looked the physically stronger of the two sides, although the referee didn't help by failing to address blatant time-wasting tactics and ignoring some questionable tackles. 

United wore the new red and blue hooped change strip for the first time.

Crowd: disappointing numbers all weekend, with only around 100 spectators present for the final and less than that for the other three games. How many of those were paying punters is also unclear, with a good number of coaches and parents etc. inevitably in attendance.

Over the course of the weekend, around 15 Newcastle sympathisers were spotted - including five intrepid travellers from the North East. The games were filmed via both conventional cameras and also a drone rather incongruously buzzed overhead. At first I thought it was bees.

Biffa (Saturday photos/report via GW) 


Thanks to Mousehole AFC for their assistance - and of course Trungle the dog.