Former Newcastle United starlet backed to impress with new club two years after surprise PSG moment
A former Newcastle United academy star was handed a debut at his new club earlier this week.
Just over two years have passed since Newcastle United academy star James Huntley made his first appearance in a first-team squad in the glamorous surroundings of Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes.
With Eddie Howe’s squad hit by injuries, the Ashington-born midfielder took his place on the bench alongside the likes of Lewis Hall and Martin Dubravka as the Magpies battled their way to a 1-1 draw against the Ligue 1 champions on a night best remembered for a controversial late penalty decision that prevented United from claiming a memorable win.
That gave Huntley the briefest of glimpses into life at a senior level and he returned to the Magpies Under-21s setup for the remainder of his time at St James Park with his first real venture into first-team football coming with a handful of appearances with National League North club Spennymoor Town during the second half of last season.
Huntley was released by the Magpies during the summer and underwent a small knee operation before beginning his search to find a new club - and that search came to an end when he joined Northern Premier League club Morpeth Town earlier this week. After confirming his successful registration just hours before kick-off, the 21-year-old made his Highwaymen debut in Tuesday night’s home draw against Bamber Bridge and could make another appearance in the third tier of the non-league game when his new side host Prescot Cables on Saturday afternoon.
Morpeth manager Craig Lynch stressed the need for Huntley to find ‘confidence and comfort’ as he continues to make his way back from a knee injury but admitted he has seen some positive signs from the former Magpies academy midfielder during his brief cameo at Craik Park.
Cautious
The former Sunderland forward told The Gazette: “It’s a bit of a strange one with James because he came in during April and trained with us but he had some surgery on his knee and it’s taken a bit longer than anyone expected. On Sunday, I rang him to say we had no substitutes for Tuesday’s game and asked if he could sit on the bench for us and he said yes. We had two other lads come back to sit on the bench so we knew we had a few options. James has been cautious with his knee injury but hopefully he will be better for having that 20 minutes from the bench for us.
“Hopefully, he feels more confident and more comfortable and can kick on before Christmas and that will allow us to reassess where he is at in the new year. We had to put him up front on Tuesday and it was hard after six months out but he has some good touches, he’s a good size, he has presence and he put himself about. It is really just about making sure he is comfortable and confident going forwards.”
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