Huntley bidding to blunt Blades

The young Magpies face their Blades counterparts at Glanford Park, home of National League side Scunthorpe United, and go in search of a much-needed victory following two defeats in their opening two Group E matches.

With four Premier League Cups remaining for Newcastle's youngsters, Huntley - who signed his first professional contract with his boyhood club last summer - is determined to end a five-game winless streak across all competitions in order to restore hope of progressing into the knockout stages.

The Ashington-born midfielder, who joined United's academy at the age of eight, told nufc.co.uk: "All of the lads are determined to try and get the win. The results haven't went our way in the last few games, like it did in the recent game against Crystal Palace.

"It is tough without winning but the lads are looking forward to getting a win and it will bring all the confidence back to the squad.

"It will be quite a physical side but very good on the ball too so we can't underestimate them. We need to prepare right to make sure we go there able to give ourselves the best chance of getting maximum points.

"We need three points to save ourselves in the group stages because we could end up falling further behind. It's really important that we end the year positively as we'll want to kick on in the league in the new year and continue our form that we had in the division." 

Newcastle's second-string were narrowly beaten in their previous Premier League Cup clash on Monday night as Elliott Dickman's side suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Crystal Palace.

Despite the loss, Huntley believed the young Magpies were unfortunate to come way empty-handed against their Eagles counterparts and but was encouraged by the team's performance against the Premier League 2 Division One side.

The 18-year-old, who primarily plays in the middle of the park, added: "I thought, overall, we could have nicked it but we just missed that little bit of quality that they produced, in the final third. If we can get that on Monday, I think we can come away with three points.

"I think our performance, though, was right so we'll be looking to build on that and hopefully get the right result on Monday. I think it goes back to confidence after losing a few games on the bounce but I think once we get that goal, we'll push on from there and be able to get a win."