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Season 2021-22
Rotherham United (a) Friendly

 

 
Date:
Tuesday 27th July 2021, 7.00pm

Venue:
 New York Stadium

Conditions: Tepid
 
Programme: £2.50

Admission: £13

 

Rotherham United

Newcastle

 

1 - 1

 

 

Teams

Goals

8 mins Mikel Miller's left wing cross was headed in by Wallsend-born striker (and Wallsend Boys Club alumni) Michael Smith at the South End of the ground. Defenders and goalkeeper both seemingly guilty of a lack of movement. 0-1

Half time: Millers 1 Magpies 0

84 mins Stand-in striker Jeff Hendrick met Jacob Murphy's corner at the near post and converted with a fine header into the far corner. 1-1

Full time: Millers 1 Magpies 1

We Said

Steve Bruce:

"We played extremely slowly, and got slower. The first half hour, we were nowhere near what’s required, but we’ve worked a lot, over the last couple of days.

"We weren’t really looking for any performances or anything like that. I’m just trying to build a fitness level into them.

“We knew that after the game the other night and since then we’ve put into the them as well so it’s evident that there was a few tired bodies.

“As I’ve said all along it’s about getting players ready and having minutes. The accumulation of minutes is vitally important to ourselves.

"Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser in particular because obviously they were missing for six weeks previous so we’ve got one or two issues with sickness but overall I think everybody’s come through."

On transfer progress:

"I wish I could say ‘yes’ - but, we’re still bashing away, and I’ll try to continue to do that."

On Saint-Maximin:


"Not well, he’s sick. It’s a disappointment, but we hope he’s not going to be out for too long.”


On Woodman:

"I might have to register four goalkeepers (in the 25 man PL squad).

“It's quite possible he (Woodman) might be in goal (at the start of the season). He’s been playing for a couple of years at Swansea, and we thought for him to keep on playing — there was a loan move to Bournemouth — but I’ve got to look after the club.

"In 10 days’ time, we'll see how Karl (Darlow) and Martin (Dubravka) are and we'll maybe look at it again.”

On Muto:

"There was a possibility of a loan move, but whether that’ll materialise, I’m not so sure because he’s only got a year left with us. We’ll see what happens in the next week or so.”

They Said


Paul Warne
said: 

"It isn't the score lines I've been getting frustrated with it has just been the general performances.

"I thought it was nice to come back to the New York and have fans in - that obviously gives the players a lift.

"I thought they played with a bit more confidence tonight, they moved the ball well and we've made the pitch a bit wider to allow us to get out with our width and I thought Mickel and Chieo were unplayable at times.

"I was bordering on emotional when Smudge scored at this end, it was a very Alan Shearer-esque header. He's a massive Newcastle fan so it's great for him - I even gave him the pennant when he came off!

"All-in-all I was really pleased with the performance.

"The volume of players we still need to address but we're hoping we've got a couple of signings in and hopefully we'll get some more because we're just lacking in strength in depth."
 

Stats


There was a senior debut for U23 midfielder Joe White, while Mark Gillespie, Freddie Woodman, Emil Krafth and Fabian Schar made their seasonal bows.

That takes the number of players given pitch time in three friendlies to 27.

Pre-season pitch time (in minutes):

Allan 0+9+0=9
Bondswell 0+5+0=5
Clark 0+20+46=66
Dummett 21+70+45=136
Fernandez 69+32+64=165
Fraser 60+76+45=181+1 goal
Gayle 62+24+77=163
Gillespie 0+0+45=45
Hayden 90+58+72=220
Hendrick 60+90+18=168+1 goal
Joelinton 18+0+0=18
Krafth 0+0+26=26
Langley 90+90+0=180
Lascelles 45+81+45=171
Lewis 45+85+90=220
M.Longstaff 30+24+18=72
S.Longstaff 30+90+80=200+1 goal
Murphy 90+81+45=216
Muto 10+0+0=10
Ritchie 90+0+64=154
Saint-Maximin 45+66+0=111
Schar 0+0+26=26
Watts 90+9+45=144
White 0+0+13=13
Wilson 45+66+72=183+1 goal
Woodman 0+0+45=45
Young
0+14+10=24


Allan Saint-Maximin didn't travel due to illness, while Joelinton and Javier Manquillo are both yet to recover from injury. Martin Dubravka, Jonjo Shelvey and Elliot Anderson also remain sidelined while Miguel Almiron is expected back this weekend. News on the status of Yoshinori Muto is awaited.

This was Newcastle's second-ever visit to the AESSEAL Stadium aka New York Stadium, following a 1-0 win there during the 2016/17 Championship season. Five of the Magpies on duty that day were involved here tonight: Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, Matt Ritchies and Dwight Gayle. Isaac Hayden was on the bench back in October 2016.

SJP old boy Dan Barlaser faced his old side for the first time, but fellow former Magpie Shane Ferguson wasn't involved.

Mags @ Millers - all-time:

2021/22 drew 1-1 Hendrick (FR)
2016/17 won 1-0 Atsu
1992/93 drew 1-1 Lee (FAC)
1982/83 won 5-1 Keegan 4, Todd
1981/82 drew 0-0
1964/65 drew 1-1 Penman
1963/64 won 3-2 Penman, Suddick 2
1962/63 lost 1-3 McGrath
1961/62 drew 0-0

(All games at Millmoor until 2016/17)

 

Waffle

Following defeat at York City and victory at Doncaster Rovers, Tuesday saw The Magpies continue their pre-season tour of Yorkshire at the New York Stadium of third tier Rotherham United.

The game ended in a draw thanks to Jeff Hendrick's late header, but that isolated moment of competence failed to compensate for what was an almost laughably inept display overall. It may well be about getting minutes in the legs at this stage, but that shouldn't preclude actually trying to play football.

The club's lack of transfer business thus far meant that those on the field didn't have the excuse of being unfamiliar to each other - but for most of the evening behaved like total strangers. 

A level of confusion was added by the late introduction of some rookies, but blame for the wayward and aimless 70+ minutes that preceded arrival their lay squarely at the feet of more established squad members.

Although Karl Darlow remains unavailable due to the effects of COVID and consequent hospitalisation, both Freddie Woodman and Mark Gillespie had completed their self-isolation - Woodman starting two years to the day that he'd last appeared for the club.

Within eight minutes of the first whistle though he was retrieving the ball from his net, after Mikel Miller's left wing cross was headed in by Wallsend-born Michael Smith - defenders and goalkeeper both seemingly guilty of a lack of movement.

A fine evening in South Yorkshire had followed a downpour at teatime and although the pitch itself was unaffected, the touchline areas were saturated and caused the ball to hold up several times.

The conditions couldn't be blamed for the lack of a response to going behind though; an abject opening half enlivened only by a 41st minute effort from Callum Wilson that cleared the crossbar.

Things improved marginally after the break, sustained pressure ending with home 'keeper Viktor Johansson blocking Federico Fernandez's back post header from Matt Ritchie's 53rd minute free kick.

Sean Longstaff then saw his effort saved before Dwight Gayle's run into the box ended with him dragging a low shot wide.

That revival proved to be short-lived however; the withdrawal of both Wilson and Gayle leaving Steve Bruce's side without a recognised forward on the field - Jeff Hendrick unexpectedly leading the attack.

And it was Hendrick who gave 1,500 Toon fans in the adjacent South Stand a rare moment to cheer, meeting Jacob Murphy's corner at the near post and converting a fine header.

Scraping the most unconvincing of draws against a third tier side wasn't enough to prevent a repeat of the half time booing at the end of the game however. Suffice to say that any vague feelings of optimism that victory on Friday had produced were erased by this non-display from a side that were tepid in the extreme without the indisposed Allan Saint-Maximin.

We did reportedly look similarly clueless last pre-season when losing to Boro and Stoke City - but both were of course played behind closed doors and with no season ticket sales imminent.

And while players continue to return to the squad as pre-season unfolds, the arrival of Graeme Jones back from his holidays is as keenly anticipated. Presumably he took the game plan away with him for safe keeping...   

Biffa


Page last updated 21 June, 2022