It’s been a pretty incredible week for Newcastle United’s U18s, where January signing Alfie Harrison has played a key role in two dramatic wins for our much-improved young Mags.
It all started last weekend, where Newcastle took on a Leeds side in 5th. They went 1-0 down and were on course for a frustrating defeat on Tyneside, but scored TWICE in stoppage time to seal a stunning comeback win.
Harrison – the highly-rated attacking midfielder signed from Man City – scored in the 93rd-minute before South Shields talent Alex O’Donovan’s found the net in the 94th-minute to win it 2-1.
Next came a trip to Teesside on Tuesday, where our youngsters took on Boro’s U18s at the Riverside. We went 2-0 and 3-2 down, but a goal and an assist form Harrison, late strike from Matthew Taylor and 91st minute winner from Geordie striker Sean Neave secured a 4-3 win.
The dramatic back-to-back victories send Newcastle level on points with a Liverpool side they beat 4-3 last month and up to seventh in the U18 Premier League; a division they finished second bottom in last season.
Back to Harrison, who we spoke to in an NUFC Blog exclusive last month, it looks like we have a real talent on our hands. He has 11 goals and five assists in 11 appearances at U18 level this season, is already featuring regularly for the U21s and has been invited to train with Eddie Howe’s senior team recently.
Watch clips of the 18-year-old in action below, where he created one, scored one and showed his quality throughout in this week’s 4-3 win at Boro:
18-year old #NUFC midfielder Alfie Harrison was fantastic in the Academy’s 4-3 win over Middlesbrough last night. 👇🎥
A shrewd buy from Manchester City in January – Harrison will likely get the chance during pre-season to impress Toon manager Eddie Howe, and push for a regular… pic.twitter.com/gxB7kg9qVW
— Magpie Media (@MagpieMediaX) May 8, 2024
