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Bondswell aiming to land victory against Eagles
Written by Luke Vinton
Newcastle United Under-21s host Crystal Palace in the Premier League Cup on Monday night, with Matt Bondswell bidding to react positively from their opening Group E defeat.
The young Magpies host their Eagles counterparts at Whitley Park (kick-off 7pm GMT), aiming to avoid a second consecutive Group E defeat following a heavy 4-0 away loss against Bristol City earlier this week.
Bondswell, who featured for Newcastle's first-team during pre-season friendlies against Benfica, Atalanta and Athletic Club in July, believes the quick turnaround in cup fixtures can benefit the squad ahead of facing Palace's second-string, who currently sit in fifth spot of Premier League 2 Division One.
The 20-year-old left-back, who has represented England from under-15 to under-18 level, told nufc.co.uk: "I think it's as simple as picking ourselves up, analysing where we went wrong and making it right for Monday's game against Palace.
"I think we were all really disappointed with the result and performance (against Bristol City) but because we have just a week to bounce back, it's a good opportunity to bounce back straight away.
"With it being a group stage, it's us against three other teams and they're all being played in the next couple of weeks. We know what we have to do - beat the teams around us and we'll qualify for the next round."
Newcastle's second-string, who reached the Premier League Cup final in 2018/19 before losing to Everton, will be aiming to extend their unbeaten home streak across all competition to five matches ahead of facing the Eagles.
Although priorities arguably lie with gaining promotion into the Premier League 2's top tier this term, Bondswell, who joined the Magpies from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in March 2021, revealed his desire to end the season in a positive manner.
The Nottingham-born left-back added: "If you ask all the lads in the changing rooms, we enjoy playing against those types of teams even though they are going to be tough for us. We're all looking forward to it and hopefully we can put in a good performance and get a positive result.
"Momentum in football is everything and our performances and results at home have been good so far this season, especially the last four games, and we'll do everything we can to continue that.
"In the league, we've been very vocal about what we want to achieve this season. We want to get into the play-offs and try to get promoted but the Premier League Cup is a chance to win silverware and everyone wants to win a trophy."