Callum Wilson stamps Newcastle United authority with two-word message to £63m team-mate

Wilson converted twice from the spot as Newcastle were held to a 2-2 draw against Leeds at Elland Road. The 31-year-old has now taken nine penalties for The Magpies in the Premier League, scoring all nine.

Only Peter Beardsley has a better 100% record from the penalty spot for Newcastle in the Premier League, scoring 14 out of 14. But Wilson’s absence from the starting line-up at times this season has seen Alexander Isak twice step up and score a penalty.

So when Isak was fouled inside the box for Newcastle’s first penalty against Leeds, there was some slight deliberation as to who would take it as it was the first time Wilson and Isak had been on the pitch together when the side had been awarded a penalty.

But Wilson was quick to stamp his authority on penalty duties as he described the brief conversation he had with Isak before converting the penalty.

“I’m the penalty taker, we won a penalty and he just said ‘good luck’,” Wilson said. “He asked me ‘are you taking?’ And I just said ‘of course’ and that was it.”

The two penalties saw Wilson take his goal tally to 17 for the season in the Premier League, the best of any Newcastle player since Alan Shearer during the 2003-04 campaign.

“The goalkeeper for the second penalty was doing the most [to put me off] but I didn’t actually didn’t see what he was doing until I watched the penalties back on the replays after the game because you’re fully just zoned out, focused,” Wilson added.

“You have to be because it’s the second one of the game and there’s a lot of mind games going on in terms of him trying to guess where I’m going, trying to get into my head, put me off.

“I would always pick two spots anyway before the game. The first was in my mind, I’m going there and the second was in my mind I’m going there so as long as I commit to where I’m trying to put the ball, if the goalkeeper saves it, he saves it at the end of the day, I put it down to myself rather than a good save.”

Newcastle have also adopted a tactic which sees Kieran Trippier pick up the ball as if to take the penalty himself. It was first seen away at Nottingham Forest before Isak scored a penalty deep into stoppage time. The Magpies right-back did the same again at Leeds before handing the ball to Wilson.

The Newcastle striker joked: “I say ‘boy, go get the ball and wait on the spot for me’, I don’t think he would have scared many people off!

“But it’s not something we’ve even discussed, it’s just something that comes from experience really and helps me or whoever is taking the penalty get into the zone.”