Newcastle United Under-21s fell to a 5-0 home defeat in a Premier League International Cup tie with Benfica B.

Interim head coach Robbie Stockdale has called on his Newcastle United Under-21s players to use the departure of former coach Adam Lawrence and Tuesday’s heavy defeat against Benfica B as a learning curve to take into their future careers.

The Magpies academy were left shocked by Lawrence’s decision to bring an end to his six-month reign less than 48 hours after Friday night’s 1-0 home defeat against Premier League 2 rivals Middlesbrough. For the second time in his own time within the United youth setup, former Boro defender Stockdale has stepped into an interim role with the Under-21s and he oversaw preparations for what was always going to be a sizeable test against a highly talented Benfica side.

After claiming just a solitary point from their opening three Premier League International Cup fixtures, the Magpies youngsters never really looked like adding to that tally as a brace from the outstanding Goncalo Moreira and a goal apiece from Francisco Silva, Olivio Tome and Leandro Martins helped the Portuguese side to a comfortable 5-0 win at Whitley Park.

After unexpectedly taking charge of preparations for the game, Stockdale’s was forced into a late change as Cathal Heffernan was withdrawn from the Magpies starting eleven after a possible move away from Tyneside clicked into gear less than two hours before kick off. Stockdale praised Benfica for their performance and insisted the ability to adapt to difficult situations on and off the pitch is a quality the Magpies youngsters must possess if they are to go on and forge careers in the senior game.

He told The Gazette: “There was a little bit of change. We even had change an hour and a half before kick-off with the lineup, but that’s 21s football and I think part of the job is to try and put players in the positions and be adaptable because I believe the next step for these players is senior football where managers will change tactics. You look at our first-team, they will change formation and work on that and we have to prepare players for that.

“They’re (Benfica) a really good team aren't they? They were really good when they came here in the UEFA Youth League. They beat Chelsea by six the other week, I think they’re the best team we have played easily this season. We set out a game plan and to a certain degree, it was ok. Three-nil, at 80 minutes was probably a fair reflection of the game. To concede the two at the end and we were just hanging on. They were just poor goals to concede - but again, it’s lessons.

“We had four Under-18s starting, another one came on, and that’s against Benfica’s B team, who play senior football every week. It was always going to be difficult and I’m not sure we can judge our players at that level just yet. It’s a great learning curve for them.”

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