Tuesday afternoon saw another inexperienced Newcastle squad in Premier Reserve League action, against their Cottager counterparts on the Motspur Park training pitch.

After striking the goal frame twice, the home side took a 1-0 lead into half time when Patrick Nzuzi's attempted clearance on 30 minutes struck Alex Smith and left Magpies custodian Jak Alnwick helpless.

Marcus Maddison came closest to an equaliser in first half stoppage time but Fulham increased their advantage on 52 minutes, when Marcello Trotta played a neat one two with Smith before firing home.

And the Italian youth international then scored his second of the afternoon midway through the second half before Macedonian-born midfielder Pajtim Kasami joined in the scoring party with eight minutes to play.

Within seconds it was then a case of "Marcello nippy", as Trotta completed his hat trick to complete United's misery and leave them winless in eight games and having shipped 32 goals in the process - mostly in the closing stages of games as our Academy lads begin to succumb to fatigue.

Youngster Jamie Smith made his reserve bow for United as a second half substitute - the 50th different player to have appeared in our 18 reserve league games to date.

This season have seen loans, injuries, departures and a lack of available first team squad players leave the U18 side to masquerade as our development squad and fill in as best they can against more experienced opponents.

Whether they'll actually learn anything from yet another howking though is anyone's guess. Perhaps it's just as well that more and more of these games are now staged away from public view. Entertainment it certainly isn't.

Biffa

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