Ave oh dear

Our second pre-season friendly ended in disappointment yesterday evening with a very poor 3-1 defeat against Rio Ave. For debutant Jak Alnwick, it was a classic lesson on what life as a Newcastle goalkeeper is like, the youngster having to pick the ball out of the back of the net no fewer than three times in the opening 26 minutes. Dreamboat later smashed the angle with a drive and Big Lad nabbed a second-half consolation before leaving the pitch with an injured wrist, but it could have been worse had Alnwick's replacement Rob Elliot not saved a harshly awarded penalty.