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"We're in a good place" - De Bolle on Toffees triumph
Following Newcastle United Under-21s' 1-0 victory against their Everton counterparts in the Premier League 2, Lucas De Bolle admitted the squad are "in a good place".
The young Magpies broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time following Amadou Diallo’s penalty, with the left winger brought down by Everton goalkeeper Fraser Barnsley before calmly stroking home the resulting spot-kick.
United’s second-string held firm against the Toffees counterparts and, arguably, should have extended their lead further after the restart but De Bolle, who provided the pass which led to Diallo’s converted penalty, expressed his delight in recording maximum points along with registering a first clean sheet of the 2023/24 Premier League 2 campaign.
The 21-year-old midfielder, a representative of Scotland at under-21 level, told nufc.co.uk: “We’re very pleased with today’s result. I think it was much needed as it’s been a little while since we last got three points so getting that was really important.
“It was perfect timing taking the lead just before half-time. Going into the break one-nil up is really important in every game and it was a great move which led to the penalty, with Amadou finishing it off well for the goal.
“It was pleasing to get a first league clean sheet of the season. If you don’t concede, you can’t lose and winning by that margin is really good for team morale and it is very beneficial for us confidence-wise.
“We’ve been a bit frustrated in the last couple of games with us being unable to hold onto a lead but to keep the clean sheet today was important. We were great defensively but, maybe, we should have killed them off beforehand but a clean sheet is perfect."
Unbeaten in six of their last seven competitive matches, De Bolle revealed the squad are already relishing Friday’s trip to Leicester City (kick-off 7pm GMT) in their upcoming Premier League 2 fixture as Newcastle’s second-string target back-to-back league victories ahead of their trip to Loughborough.
De Bolle, who made his first team debut for his boyhood club in a 2-1 pre-season victory against Athletic Club at St. James’ Park in August 2022, is keen for United’s youngsters to build on their positive run of late.
The Edinburgh-born midfielder added: “We’re in a good place at the moment and this win helps show that with everything we’re working on. We’re looking forward to next Friday (against Leicester) and the final EFL Trophy group game against Crewe. It’s a huge boost going forward.
“With the first team doing well, to keep that winning mentality through the senior team and the under-21s helps and we’re looking forward to the next games ahead, hoping for good performances."