In a post-season friendly held in Melbourne, Newcastle suffered an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the A-League All Stars.
Eddie Howe opted for extensive changes to the squad that secured victory against Spurs on penalties just two days prior. The youthful XI he fielded proved to be outmatched by a team composed of top players from Australia and New Zealand’s premier league.
The All Stars quickly took the lead with a goal from Ben Old within the first five minutes. Nicolas Milanovic and Adam Taggart added to the scoreline before halftime, making it 3-0.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos netted twice in the second half, while Jake Hollman, Jordan Courtney-Perkins, and Bozhidar Kraev contributed further to Newcastle’s woes, sealing their defeat.
The timing of the tour, criticized as “madness” by former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, added to the disappointment.
“That was a tough one for our young lads. You can see probably the gap between experience and youth,” said Howe.
“I don’t think we could have [played any of the first-team players], especially when you combine the travelling time that we’ve had and the quick time between games, it was too big of a risk of injuries and we couldn’t afford that.
“I think just too many mistakes, forced by the All Stars playing well. A lot of our players need to reflect on that and see what they need to do to come back stronger.”
As Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron departed to commence preparations for the Copa America, and several others were rested, England full-back Kieran Trippier stood out as one of the few first-team players in the squad.
However, despite the challenges faced by the young visitors, experienced players like Trippier, Lewis Hall, and Elliot Anderson remained on the bench.
With the brief trip to Australia now concluded, several Newcastle players will return home to prepare for this summer’s European Championship in Germany, set to commence on 14 June.
The Copa America, taking place in the United States, will follow the following week.