Freddie Woodman reflects on his first Newcastle game of the season

Woodman made his first appearance of the season in Saturday’s third-round FA Cup tie. A late penalty from Matt Ritchie earned the club a replay at Ewood Park.

“As a team it’s disappointing – we wanted to win the game – but at the end of the day, we’re still in the cup,” said Woodman. “We’ve got another game which isn’t ideal, but, for me on a personal note, it could be another chance to play.

“There are mixed emotions really – we wanted to win the game, but we’ve got to look on the positive side. We’re still in the cup, so that’s good.

“One thing about this team is you can never question the desire to win and the workrate. Everyone out there wanted to be there, and wanted to win. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, and you have to take a draw.”

United manager Rafa Benitez felt that Woodman wasn’t given enough protection by referee Kevin Friend.

Woodman said: “There were a lot of crosses, a lot of argy-bargy in the box and things like that, but I thought the team reacted well after going a goal down.

“I felt like I was solid. I just tried to do the basics right, and I felt I got that right. I got a lot of crosses from (Charlie) Mulgrew and that was difficult, but on the whole, I felt like I did well. I will watch it back in more depth, but I felt like it was a decent outing.

“My old mate Arma (Adam Armstrong) was pulling my shirt and doing all sorts of little tricks and that, but it’s part of the game. It’s just about how we deal with it, and I felt that as a team we dealt with that well.”

Woodman had hoped to go out on loan this season to get more first-team experience.

“It’s just about keeping my mind focused,” the 21-year-old told nufc.co.uk. “I go into training every day with a purpose – to try and get better every day.

“I’ve done that since I was a kid and I’ll continue to do that whatever happens.”