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"There's an extra buzz" - Carrick on FA Youth Cup tie
Newcastle United Under-18s head coach Graeme Carrick admitted the squad are "in a really good place" ahead of Tuesday's FA Youth Cup third round tie away at Charlton Athletic.
The Toon teenagers travel to the capital aiming to book their place in the fourth round of the prestigious competition for a third consecutive season and will face their Addicks counterparts at The Valley (kick-off 7pm GMT).
Carrick, younger brother of former Manchester United and England midfielder Michael, revealed preparations are going well for the squad ahead of their eagerly anticipated trip to south east London.
The Wallsend-born coach told nufc.co.uk: "The group is in a really good place and I've been pleased with the progress made so far this season. When the Youth Cup comes around, there's an extra buzz so everyone is really looking forward to it.
"It's all part of the Youth Cup experience for the lads, especially when you get to play at a first-team ground and such a historic one. The pitch will be good which definitely adds to the experience for the team.
"These experiences are what the lads need. They need a variety of different ones throughout their journeys and this is one of the next steps for them.
"The Youth Cup is a big step. It's a competition people pay attention to and there's added pressure in playing at grounds so that's why it's such a valuable experience to try and go through and make the next step to, hopefully, first-team football."
The young Magpies, currently three points adrift of fourth place in the Under-18 Premier League North, reached the fifth round of last year's competition and ventured to the quarter-finals in 2020/21 before bowing out against eventual winners Aston Villa at St. James' Park.
Whilst priorities remain on targeting a place in round four, Carrick believes good opportunities could arise from a successful run in the cup competition and revealed the team have increased their practicing of penalties this week.
The 37-year-old, who hails from Wallsend, added: "We have (practiced spot-kicks) but don't tell the groundsmen! When it comes to cup competitions, we do that extra bit of prep so the lads will be ready for the possibility of extra-time or penalties. It's part of the preparation in the week leading up and they will be ready to face situations which may come up on the night.
"There's always incentives. The key focus for us has to be we have a really tough game on Tuesday against a really good side who have some talented players.
"We know that regardless of the different games, types of opponents and whether we're playing at first-team grounds, that's all part of the test. If you want to win it, you have to meet those tests head on."