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Season 2024-25
Girona (Spain) (h) Friendly

Date: Friday 9th August 2024, 7.30pm
Live on NUFC TV

Venue: St. James' Park

Conditions: Stacked

Admission: Ł20 & Ł25 adults (no weekend ticket)

Programme: Ł3.50 covering both days

Newcastle		Girona
	4 - 0
Half time:	4 - 0

Score Sheet:
(4) Longstaff (14) J.Murphy (16) Gordon (38) Longstaff

	Teams
Pope Livramento Krafth Burn Hall Longstaff J.Miley Joelinton J.Murphy Gordon Isak		Gazzaniga Martinez Frances Lopez Blind I.Martin Romeu van de Beek Herrera Villa Portugues

Substitutes:
(46) Sanusi for Gordon (63) Parkinson for J.Miley (76) Ruddy for Pope (89) Stanton for Burn (89) Hernes for Isak		Solis for Romeu (62) Misehouy for Villa (62) Urena for van de Beek (62) Yaakosbishvili for Martinez (74) Almena for I.Martin (74)

Subs not used:
Gillespie Al.Harrison Heffernan Munda Shahar		J.Martin Stuani Ramirez Comas Clua Minsu Chaira Roca Puig Bryan Gil dropped out of the squad after warming up at SJP while Abel Ruiz and Miguel Gutierrez were both in the Spain side that won Gold at the Olympic Football tournament in Paris on Friday.

Bookings:
None		None
Dismissals:
None		None

Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 31,958 - Level 7 areas weren't open and the South West Corner was virtually deserted. The St. James' STACK, presented by @sela opened for business on the day before this game. The Newcastle United fan zone is located on the former St James Metro station car park and has a capacity of 3,000. A four acre site including the footprint of the STACK was sold by Mike Ashley for Ł9m to property developers and purchased by the current NUFC owners in early 2023 for an undisclosed amount. The "other" SJP stack: what appears to be an ongoing land dispute has escalated to the point that a hut has now been placed adjacent to the East Stand. The fact that this is outside the control of NUFC is confirmed by the notice on the nearest part of club property: Speaking of the East Stand, cosmetic work during the close season has seen the lettering that faces the player's tunnel replaced in the font used before Mike Ashley & Co. altered it to match adjoining Sports Direct adverts on either side: August 2024 May 2024 Aug 2000

Goals

4 mins Sean Longstaff shot. 1-0

14 mins Jacob Murphy shot. 2-0

16 mins Anthony Gordon shot. 3-0

(19 mins Alexander Isak penalty saved)

38 mins Sean Longstaff shot. 4-0

Half time: NUFC 4 Girona 0

Full time: NUFC 4 Girona 0

We Said

Eddie Howe said:

"I don't think that the entire 90 was perfect but I think that the first part of the game was really good. (I'm) really pleased with the energy, the intensity and desire to do well.

"I don't think it's easy to keep that up for the 90 minutes - certainly the second half we didn't, but we still played well and we still had chances to score.

"We knew today was going to be difficult; they are top level opposition, technically very good.

"We knew that if we didn't get that part of our game right we would have problems they had a very good season last year so you can't under-estimate the opposition that we were playing against.

"I thought that we imposed ourselves on the game and broke up their rhythm and then we showed our quality as well.

"The main thing always in pre-season games is fitness and coming through unscathed. Hopefully we have done tonight and the players will be ready for next week.

"Everything in that first half hour was really top drawer. In Japan, the humidity was incredible so it was a good opportunity today to show our true selves.

"Tomorrow will be a totally different 11, everyone who is fit and didn't play today will play tomorrow.”

On Anthony Gordon:

"It was the plan, play 45 minutes. He looked good, of course, he's behind the other players.

"He's had to have a mental break after the Euros and a very long season for him. But today was important, it was great to see him score and I thought he played very well. We’ll build his training load up this coming week.”

"No doubt, he feels good. He wanted to play longer tonight. He is a professional and has looked after himself. I am confident he will be ready for next week.

“I thought he would come back fit. He is young. It is easier when you are a younger player. We need to see how he trains this week and make an assessment.”

On further signings:

"The transfer window is picking up now. We are hoping to add at least one player to the group. But it has to be about quality rather than quantity.

"If you’re going to add players they have to push the group to new levels. That’s what we are looking for — which is very difficult to find. There’s not many players that will make us better."

They Said

Michel said:

to follow

Stats

Last 10 NUFC public home friendlies:

2024/25 Girona won 4-0 (31,958)
2023/24 Villarreal won 4-0 (34,721)
2023/24 Fiorentina won 2-0 (36,725)
2022/23 Raya Vallecano won 2-1 (34,596)
2022/23 Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 (46,856)
2022/23 Atalanta won 1-0 (40,596)
2021/22 Norwich City won 3-0 (20,139)
2019/20 St. Etienne won 2-1 (16,686)
2018/19 FC Augsburg lost 0-1 (21,331)
2017/18 Hellas Verona won 2-0 (23,906)

Spanish sides @ SJP - PL era:

1994/95 Athletic Bilbao won 3-2 (UEFA Cup)
1997/98 Barcelona won 3-2 (Champions League)
2001/02 Athletic Bilbao lost 0-1 (FR)
2002/03 Barcelona lost 0-3 (FR)
2002/03 Barcelona lost 0-2 (Champions League)
2003/04 Real Mallorca won 4-1 (UEFA Cup)
2005/06 Deportivo La Coruna lost 1-2 (Intertoto Cup)
2006/07 Villarreal drew 3-3 (FR)
2006/07 Celta Vigo won 2-1 (UEFA Cup)
2008/09 Valencia won 2-1 (FR)
2014/15 Real Sociedad won 1-0 (FR)
2022/23 Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 (FR)
2022/23 Rayo Vallecano won 2-1 (FR)
2022/23 Villarreal won 4-0 (FR)
2024/25 Girona won 4-0 (FR)

Pre-season pitch time (in minutes):

Almiron 0+0+45+90+0=135
Ashby 0+0+0+45+0=45
Barnes 45+64+79+45+0=233 +1 goal
Burn 45+90+79+45+89=348
Charlton 0+5+0+0+0=5
Emerson 45+16+0+0+0=61
Gordon 0+0+0+0+45=45 +1 goal
Guimaraes 0+0+0+45+0=45
Hall 45+85+90+64+90=374 + 1 goal
Al.Harrison 45+26+20+26+0=117
Heffernan 45+0+11+0+0=56
Hernes 0+0+0+0+1=1
Isak 45+64+61+45+89=304 +3 goals
Joelinton 45+64+90+64+90=355
Kelly 0+0+0+45+0=45
Krafth 45+90+90+45+90=360
Kuol 45+0+0+0+0+0=45
Lewis 45+74+0+26+0=145
Livramento 0+64+70+45+90=269
Longstaff 45+0+45+90+90=270 +2 goals
J.Miley 45+79+45+0+63=232
Munda 0+16+0+0+0=16
J.Murphy 45+74+70+45+90=324 +5 goals
Parkinson 45+26+29+45+27=172
Pope 45+74+61+45+76=301
Ruddy 0+0+0+0+14=14
Sanusi 45+26+11+43+45=170
Schar 0+0+0+45+0=45
Shahar 45+0+0+0+0=45
Stanton 45+11+0+0+1=57
C.Thompson 0+0+0+0+0=0
Turner-Cooke 45+26+20+2+0=93
Vlachodimos 45+16+29+45+0=135
White 45+0+0+0+0=45
Willock 0+0+45+0+0=45

Waffle

Newcastle played the first of two friendlies at St.James' Park in as many days on Friday, marking the opening of the adjacent STACK fanzone with a happy half hour.

The Champions-league bound visitors had no answer to a devastating opening salvo from the hosts, shipping four goals inside 40 minutes and surviving three more near misses including a failed penalty conversion.

Sean Longstaff started and ended the scoring; Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon chipping in and Isak seeing his spot-kick saved with United three ahead.

Eddie Howe's side went ahead in the third minute when Murphy broke over halfway and found Isak who played a short pass to Tino Livramento. He rolled the ball across the area for Longstaff to convert a low shot into the Gallowgate goal from 10 yards out.

That lead was doubled in the 13th minute after a neat interchange of passes on the left had side of the box between Joelinton, Gordon and Isak.

The Swede looped a short cross from the byline, Lewis Hall headed it across the area and Murphy volleyed into the roof of the net for his fifth pre-season strike.

Three minutes later it was 3-0 when Joelinton robbed an opponent on halfway and released Isak, who moved forward before laying a pass off for Gordon to supply a typical finish in his first pre-season appearance.

Just 19 minutes had elapsed when Isak looked set to emulate his famous Goodison run before being hauled down on the byline. He took the resultant penalty but the goalkeeper dived to his right and beat the ball away.

But the fourth duly arrived seven minutes before the break and it was Longstaff again on target to get his second of the game after Joelinton had headed Murphy's cross off the underside of the crossbar and then failed to make clean contact with the rebound.

Newcastle changed ends with only one change to their line-up, Trevan Sanusi given another chance to show his potential replacing Gordon down the left flank.

And the 17 year-old staked his claim for competitive senior involvement this season with a raw but promising display that was almost capped by a goal.

Isak's search for a goal meanwhile proved fruitless; firing wide when well-placed and narrowly failing to deceive the visiting goalkeeper when one on one with him.

The Swede conjured up his side's best opportunity for a fifth goal when unselfishly teeing up Ben Parkinson - only for the substitute to fire straight at former Southampton, Spurs and Fulham custodian Paulo Gazzaniga.

At the other end Nick Pope made a pair of decent stops to maintain his clean sheet before making way for 37 year-old John Ruddy - who became the oldest debutant in any senior Magpies game since John Burridge.

Biffa

Page last updated 25 October, 2024