20mins Adam Campbell shot 1-0

Half time: Heed 0 Toon 1

70mins Marcus Maddison shot 1-1

83mins Adam Campbell shot  2-0

Full time: Heed 1 Toon 2

Friday evening saw United's second string make the short trip across the Tyne for another pre-season warm-up against their Conference Premier League neighbours.

Adam Campbell scored twice to give the visitors a slightly fortunate victory, but the game was marred by further clownish behaviour from some of the travelling support, with a number of smoke canisters discharged. 

The Tynesiders gave notice of their attacking intentions when James Brown was denied by Jak Alnwick in the third minute and then forced a succession of corners but were unable to test the visiting goalkeeper from any of them. 

Newcastle then showed them how it was done from their first flag kick after 20 minutes, Conor Newton's neat back heel diverting Dan Gosling's corner into the path of Adam Campbell, who rifled the ball home from close range.

The black and whites seldom looked like extending that advantage before the break though and were indebted to former Gateshead loanee Alnwick again, who did well to block an Adam Boyes volley before the half hour mark.

A comedy of errors in the United area then almost cost them dear on 48 minutes before the ball was cleared, but attention switched to the Main Stand for the second time in the evening as a second smoke canister was let off and a firework looked to be thrown on to the running track.

Gateshead introduced former Magpie duo James Marwood and Marcus Maddison for the final 30 minutes of play but it was former Boro junior Josh Walker who continued to look the most likely to conjure up an equaliser.

Blasting narrowly wide on 59 minutes, Walker then saw Alnwick tip over his dipping free kick soon after. Jamie Hatch then homed in on goal before being flagged offside, Alnwick having rushed out to smother the danger but sustained a leg injury that saw him limp off soon after. 

Replacement Jonathan Mitchell was picking the ball out of his net within five minutes, after Maddison - who netted for Newcastle in this fixture a year ago - took the ball from Boyes and crashed home a shot from 18 yards.

Gateshead pushed forward again from the restart and Maddison headed Luke O'Brien's cross over, before Boyes shrugged off Remi Streete and shot beyond Mitchell - but succeeded only in rolling his shot against the far post.

Newcastle mounted a rare attack of their own seven minutes from time when Haris Vuckic pushed forward in possession before setting up Adam Campbell to wriggle and find sight of goal in the box before shooting past former Magpies custodian Adam Bartlett.

The move of the match then saw Vuckic and Campbell counter attack at speed and set up an opening that Newton screwed wide, but a third goal would have been cruel on the hosts, adding an false veneer to a toon performance lacked focus and intent for long periods.

There were one or two exceptions to that apart from the goalscorer, with youngster Olivier Kemen showing one or two decent touches after his late arrival. At right back meanwhile, 17 year-old Jamie Sterry caught the eye, but John Carver's report back to Alan Pardew will be brief....   

Gateshead begin a fifth successive season of Conference football at Kidderminster on Saturday week, before their long-awaited return to home league action comes against Grimsby Town (Tues 13th) and Barnet (Sat 17th).

That ends an eight month absence due to the unplayable pitch at the International Stadium during which the Heed decamped to various temporary "home" venues" across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cumberland & Northumberland.

On the basis of this display they're deserving of wider support on their return to Tyneside - but not from the brainless youths currently claiming allegiance to United who embarrassed themselves and their club tonight.  

Biffa