Steve Bruce sets ambitious target at Newcastle United

There were 10,000 empty seats at the stadium for Sunday’s 2-1 win over Southampton. Newcastle, 10th in the Premier League, are on the up, but the crowds remain down following the summer departure of the popular Rafa Benitez.

Bruce – who challenged the club to do more to fill the stadium after the game – wants to see a full house for the home game against Crystal Palace on December 21.

United’s head coach said: “We’ve still got to get better. It’s given us a nice platform to move forward, and that’s vitally important. Hopefully, we’ll get a full St James’s Park for the next game – that would be great.”

The average home attendance so far this season is 46,125 – 5,000 less than last season.