Diallo determined to defeat Derby

The young Magpies face the Rams’ second-string at the Loughborough University Stadium (kick-off 7pm BST), aiming for back-to-back Division Two fixtures for the first time since October following a 4-3 win against their Norwich City counterparts on Monday.

After registering a goal and assist against the Canaries, Diallo believes the victory was a welcoming boost for the group, following a ten-game winless league streak, and revealed the squad are relishing the trip to Leicestershire before the conclusion of their league season.

The 20-year-old winger, who joined the Magpies’ youth set-up in October 2022 following a successful trial, told nufc.co.uk: “It’s been a good week. It was an important game to get the win and show what we can do. I thought we played really well against Norwich and, although we could have done better in parts of the game, it was good to get three points.

“The players and staff had been working hard to get that win and we had to wait for it for a long time. Now we have that, we move onto the next game with the aim to get another three points against Derby. The performances had been there in previous games but just not for the entire 90 minutes and if we are better for longer periods of those matches, we’d have done better in terms of results.

“I think the first 30 minutes against Norwich was the best we’ve played so far this season. We got a bit sloppy towards the end of the first half and then they scored an early goal in the second half so we had to stay in it and then Lewis (Miley) scored a great goal to win the game for us.

“I was really happy to get a goal and assist. I’ve been trying to improve my game in getting into the right areas and creating chances, too, so I was pleased with that.”

Newcastle’s upcoming opponents are rooted to the foot of the Division Two table, with County suffering 18 defeats in their 19 winless matches this term.

Diallo admitted United’s second-string, who beat Derby 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in August, must heavily focus on the task in hand rather than their opponent’s misfortunes throughout the season.

The London-born youngster, who had represented England at under-17 level, added: “We’re ready to work hard in that game and try to get another three points, get that winning feeling again and end the season on a high.

“We need to focus on our performance because you never know what can happen in football. We’ll need to be at our best to finish the season as well as we can.

“It has been a good experience for me. I’ve started to play a lot of games recently and I think I’m doing well. I need to carry on working hard, wanting to improve and move forward for the upcoming season."