5 Heroes (And 5 Villains) From Sacramento Republic 0-1 Newcastle

Newcastle's biggest hero on the night didn't even wear black and white...

There is never a "simple" friendly where Newcastle United are concerned. This one, in the sweltering California heat, brought a thunderbolt of an own goal, a disallowed effort, a controversial red card, an apoplectic Steve McClaren - oh, and a debut for the Magpies€™ new £14.5 million man. Georginio Wijnaldum - who wore the No 5 shirt, which the Magpies insist has not been confirmed as his squad number, despite the rumours - came off the bench to make his debut in the 69th minute and excite Toon supporters who were left bemused by Massadio Haidara€™s slightly harsh dismissal for a high boot just minutes earlier. James Kiffe scored an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime own-goal in the 48th minute to give Newcastle a slender victory - although David Estrada did have a strike disallowed for Sacramento just moments later - and that proved to be the difference, but it was Haidara€™s red card that was the major talking point. McClaren described the decision as "garbage" as he made his feelings explicitly clear to the fourth official. The Magpies boss clearly felt the red card spoiled the pre-season friendly, but it was understandable why the referee did dismiss Haidara, even if it was slightly harsh. Thankfully the red card did not make a difference to the result - because, if it had, who knows how livid McClaren would have been. But which Newcastle United players impressed in Sacramento? And who needs a good finish to pre-season to put themselves firmly into Steve McClaren's thinking going forward? Here are 5 heroes and 5 villains from Newcastle's 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic over the weekend...

Contributor
Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.