New boy Heffernan eager to make his mark

The young Magpies return to Premier League 2 action this weekend, bidding for back-to-back home victories following a thrilling 5-3 opening day win against Southampton, and face a City side targeting a fourth successive Premier League 2 title this term.

Heffernan reflected on his debut at under-21 level during a narrow 1-0 loss against ten-man Reading, 24 hours after signing for the Magpies following his departure from AC Milan, and is hopeful of recording maximum points on his home bow at second-string level.

The teenage defender, who has represented Republic of Ireland from under-15 to under-18 level, told nufc.co.uk: “I think everyone is buzzing for it. Those are the kind of games you want to be playing in, going up against the big teams. I think everyone has put in a lot during training ahead of this game and we’re all excited.

“City are a fantastic team and we know it’s going to be a tough test for us but if we prepare well and do everything in our power, I believe we can gain a positive result.

“It’s never nice to lose away at home. In my eyes, we should have won against Reading but it was just a matter of not taking our chances to get over the line at the end. We did everything right, having a big second-half performance, but that’s football sometimes. If you don’t take those chances, you aren’t going to win the game.

“There are goals in the team and once we do score, it’s a matter of we are going to get two or three. That’s the way the team looks at the moment and we can then push on after that.”

Heffernan, who made his senior debut at the age of 16 for hometown club Cork City in October 2021, reflected on a whirlwind week since arriving on Tyneside, becoming the Magpies’ second arrival at under-21 level following Reece Byrne’s transfer from League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemian FC.

Primarily a centre-back, the promising 18-year-old is hoping to kick on this season and gain valuable experience during the current campaign in order to pursuit his professional debut whilst at the Magpies.

“It’s been amazing,” the Irishman added. "I’ve settled in straightaway and it’s nice to have played a game within the first few days of signing to get those early nerves out of the way.

“It was a great experience to make my under-21s debut at such a massive stadium like Reading’s. It was unreal. It’s a big change moving into older age groups and playing against bigger, physical players but it’s a good test and at a very high level.

“I just want to play as many games at under-21 level as I can. This is my first season playing at this level so I want to try and gain as many minutes and there’s a lot of games to play, against different teams and aim to have a strong first season at the club. That’s all I can really ask for."

Supporters can gain free entry to Newcastle United Under-21s' Premier League 2 visit of Manchester City on Saturday, 2nd September at the Magpies' Little Benton Academy.