Brown ready for Town showdown

The young Magpies, currently situated in third place of Group F on two points after three cup clashes against Huddersfield, Fleetwood Town and Nottingham Forest, host their Terriers counterparts at Whitley Park, aiming to move into second place of their respective table with maximum points.

Newcastle’s second-string are competing in their second of four successive fixtures within a different competition following Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat at League Two Crewe Alexandra in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy but Brown, who signed his first professional contract with his boyhood club in the summer of 2021, believes the squad will only relish competing on all fronts in numerous tournaments.

The Ponteland-born goalkeeper told nufc.co.uk: “Preparations have been good ahead of Friday’s game. We had the game against Crewe on Tuesday night and I thought we were unfortunate with that result but we’re training hard to be ready for our match against Huddersfield. Hopefully, we can gain three points and move up the table.

“We’ve reviewed our last Premier League Cup game against Nottingham Forest (a 3-0 home defeat) and looked at what we could have improved on so we’ll be aiming to bounce back with a positive result to help us try to progress into the knockout stages of the cup.

“Every player just wants to play as many games as possible and it’s all good experience for us, especially in the cup games that we’ve played recently. We can’t complain with more games and it can only be a good thing to help us improve.”

Brown is one of four United goalkeepers currently vying for the number one jersey at second-string level, with young trio Aidan Harris, Jude Smith and Reece Byrne all bidding for a regular place in-between the sticks.

The 21-year-old shot-stopper, who joined United’s youth set-up at the age of 14, believes the numerous contenders for the role within the squad has only allowed himself to further develop his game further.

He added: “The better the goalkeepers are around you, the more you have to push yourself and raise the standards. It has helped raise my own and we have some great goalkeepers in the group and it drives my personal performances which is a good thing.

“It’s nice to be back playing. Keeping a clean sheet in the Premier League 2 game against Everton ( a 1-0 win) was a big positive for myself and the team to build some confidence.

“We were disappointed with the result against Forest but I'm glad to be back out there, playing with the lads. We have some top goalkeepers at the academy and it’s all healthy competition to push everyone on to try and get the number one spot."

Admission for Friday night's Premier League Cup clash at Whitley Park is free for season ticket holders, otherwise it's £3 for adults and £1 concessions.