Half time: Alex 0 Newcastle 0

47 mins: Allport shot. 0-1

60 mins: Huntley penalty. 1-1

83 mins: Evans shot. 1-2

Full time: Alex 2 Newcastle 1

NUFC in the EFL Trophy - all time:

Played 23, Won 4, Drawn 2, Lost 17, goals for 21, goals against 48.

2017/18 Crewe Alexandra won 2-1
2017/18 Port Vale lost 0-1
2017/18 Oldham Athletic lost 1-4
2018/19 Doncaster Rovers won 3-1
2018/19 Notts County won 2-0
2018/19 Grimsby Town won 3-2
2018/19 Macclesfield Town drew 1-1 (won 5-3 pens)*
2018/19 mackems lost 0-4
2019/20 Macclesfield Town lost 1-2
2019/20 Shrewsbury Town lost 0-3
2019/20 Port Vale lost 1-2
2020/21 Shrewsbury Town lost 0-3
2020/21 Crewe Alexandra lost 0-1
2020/21 Bolton Wanderers lost 2-3
2021/22 Sheffield Wednesday lost 0-3
2021/22 Harrogate Town lost 0-2
2021/22 Mansfield Town lost 3-6
2022/23 Doncaster Rovers drew 0-0 (lost 2-4 pens)
2022/23 Barnsley lost 0-2
2022/23 Lincoln City lost 0-2
2023/24 Wrexham lost 0-1
2023/24 Port Vale drew 1-1 (lost 2-3 pens)
2023/24 Crewe Alexandra lost 1-2

* At SJP, all others were away ties.

Newcastle U21s concluded this season's EFL Trophy participation with a defeat by League Two Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road on Tuesday night.

A squad weakened by international and senior side call-ups plus a PL2 game this Friday prompted debuts at this level for a trio of 16 year-olds: Sean Neave, Leo Shahar and Trevan Sanusi. A fourth teenager was then blooded from the bench in the shape of Joe Brayson.

An opening half of few chances ended scoreless; Crewe players narrowly off target while Tom Booth denied both Dylan Stephenson and Sanusi. 

Making five replacements at the break, the Railwaymen took a 47th minute lead through one of them - Rhys Allport in the right place to profit when Aidan Harris saw his attempted clearance rebound off Connor Evans.

The black and whites came close to a swift reply; a solo run from Neave ending with his goalbound strike curling agonisingly wide in the 54th minute.

An equaliser wasn't long in coming though, James Huntley converting his penalty kick on the hour after Stephenson was upended in the area.

Opportunities opened up at both ends of the pitch as the tie progressed, Evans hitting the base of a post while Booth was kept busy dealing with shots by Josh Scott and Stephenson.

Crewe won it with seven minutes of normal time left though when Evans fired in from close range - Sanusi close to what would have been a deserved leveller in the final seconds of normal time.

Another top effort from GW