Owen Bailey targets grandstand finish at Newcastle United after cup disappointment

A 2-0 defeat to Morpeth Town last week ended the young Magpies efforts to retain the cup at the semi-final stage.

Ben Dawson’s side still have plenty to play for throughout the final months of the season as they look to achieve success on three fronts.

Newcastle take on Aston Villa tonight in a Premier League 2 fixture at Whitley Park tonight (7pm kick-off)

Their challenge for promotion from the second tier is still on track, and United’s second-string will travel to Woking on Friday to take on Reading in the last 16 of the Premier League Cup.

A trip to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens in Hong Kong is also on the agenda as Bailey and his team-mates look to help the club win the annual tournament for a third time after previous triumphs in 2012 and last year.

Bailey, 20, told The Gazette “It’s been a good year, not just for me, but for all of the lads.

“We have had good experiences all round, but the result and performance (against Morpeth) were disappointing, especially, as we were holders of the cup.

“We now have to look at the league and we want to get promoted.

“We are still in the Premier League Cup, so we want to try and go as far as we can and win it.

“We went close last year, so we want to go a couple of steps further this year.

“Then we have Hong Kong, so there’s plenty to look forward to over the next few months.

“We want to take something out of the season, and we have a good chance to do that.

“I think we have to because it’s been such a positive season, so we need to make sure we end it with something to show for our efforts as a group.”