Donachie’s praise for Toon kids after Toffees defeat
Phil Airey
WILLIE Donachie felt Everton’s first-team experience told in his Newcastle United reserve side’s defeat on Merseyside.
Donachie’s second string were beaten 6-3 in a behind-closed-doors Premier Reserve League fixture at Finch Farm yesterday afternoon.
Dan Taylor, Phil Airey and Ryan McGorrigan were on target for a youthful United side which included a number of players who are being released in the summer.
Seamus Coleman, Marcus Hahnemann and Apostolis Vellios were in the Everton starting XI, and Donachie felt their experience and physical strength told in the end.
McGorrigan’s 67th-minute strike, his first at reserve level, pegged the score back at 3-3, but the home side were ahead inside two minutes, and went on to score two more goals.
“The lads did well, but they were very strong,” Donachie told the Gazette.
“They had seven or eight players who have first-team experience.
“There was Coleman, the goalkeeper (Hahnemann) and the centre forward (Vellios).
“We were drawing 3-3, but at the end of the day they were just too strong for us. They were physically too strong.
“But the lads showed a lot of character. We had a pretty young team out.”
Meanwhile, former Newcastle defender Sebastian Bassong is battling to be fit for Wolverhampton Wanderers’s visit to St James’s Park.
The defender suffered a hamstring injury in the club’s 5-1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
However, a scan has revealed Bassong, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur for the rest of the season, has not suffered a significant tear.
And Bassong – who experienced relegation at United in 2008/09 – is up for the challenge of keeping Wolves in the Premier League.
“I’ve been in this situation before with Newcastle and with my team (Metz) in France,” said Bassong.
“For me, it’s another exciting challenge to show I can play.
“When you don’t play football, after a while people forget about you, but I have pride and I want to show people I can play.”
* Newcastle United’s FA Youth Cup quarter-final tie against Blackburn Rovers will be staged at St James’s Park on Monday, February 27 (7pm kick-off). Admission to the East Stand will be £3 for adults, and £1 for concessions.
Twitter: @milesstarforth
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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