Newcastle v Burnley preview ahead of this St James’ Park clash

Welcome to the Newcastle v Burnley preview.

Saturday 6thDecember – A 3pm kick-off.

Newcastle will be hoping to put the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser against Spurs behind them this weekend and build upon a fine home record for the season when hosting Burnley in a rare non-televised 3pm kick-off.

Form

Newcastle have won three, drawn one and lost two of their past six matches. Wins have come against Fulham, Man City and Everton, whilst a draw came in desperately disappointing fashion against Spurs. We’ve lost away to Brentford and West Ham despite taking the lead in both matches. We’ve scored twelve goals in this sequence and conceded eleven. The ten points gained has us twelfth in the league and a win could see us in the top half of the table.

Burnley are enduring a very difficult time at present. They’ve lost their past five League games in a row since beating Wolves at the end of October. Losses have come against Crystal Palace, Brentford, Chelsea, West Ham and Arsenal. They scored six goals in these games and conceded thirteen. They’re second bottom of the league but a win could see them climb a place to eighteenth.

Last time out

The Toon hosted Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night and were left devastated by the loss of two points. A completely dominant performance saw Joelinton hit the post in the first half and the breakthrough finally made with just twenty minutes left when Bruno lashed home the opener. Spurs equalised soon after but it looked like Newcastle’s attacking performance had gathered the three points it deserved when Gordon dispatched an eighty-sixth minute penalty. Unfortunately, Spurs scored their second equaliser five minutes into injury time to snatch a share of spoils and leave St James’ Park with a completely undeserved point.

Burnley were at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night and counted themselves desperately unlucky to be on the receiving end of a 1-0 defeat. The Clarets hit the bar and had one cleared off the line but couldn’t find the net and, like Newcastle, suffered the consequences for not turning their dominance into goals.

Stat attack!

-Newcastle have won four of their past five home league meetings with Burnley, drawing the other.

-The Toon have never lost a home Premier League match with Burnley.

-Burnley haven’t won at St James’ Park in the League since 1976 but did knock us out of the League Cup on penalties as recently as 2021.

Memorable match

In February 2019, Rafa Benitez was doing his best to ease the Toon away from a relegation dogfight. A midweek visit from Burnley provided a perfect opportunity to climb the table and two first half goals set the tone for a brilliant victory. New signing Almiron was at the heart of everything and had already fired wide, before Fabian Schar opened the scoring with an incredible strike from miles out that left the ‘keeper absolutely no chance as it flew in off the post. Things were to get even better soon after when Matt Ritchie crossed for Sean Longstaff to score his first for the club and double the advantage. Burnley tried desperately to force their way back into the match but struggled to take their chances and had a penalty appeal turned down on a frustrating evening for the Clarets, as Rafa masterminded another three points towards Premier League survival. Final Score Newcastle 2-0 Burnley.

Played for both

David Edgar didn’t play many times for Newcastle but his highlight in a black and white shirt was an excellent one. When an inexperienced Toon side took on title-chasing Man United on New Year’s Day, it looked like our dominant first half display had been in vain when James Milner’s superb opener was cancelled out by Paul Scholes, who then added another just after half-time. With fifteen minutes remaining, Edgar took a touch before firing home a fine effort at the Gallowgate End to mark his debut in exceptional fashion. He played nineteen times for the Toon and scored two goals before signing for Burnley in 2009. He spent four years with the Clarets, making ninety-nine appearances and scoring four goals.

Joey Barton signed for Sam Allardyce in 2007 and managed to break his foot on his debut in a friendly away at Carlisle. The next four years brought drama, controversy, a relegation, a spell in prison and even the odd outbreak of football! Things were never dull with Joey Barton around. He made eighty-one league appearances for the Toon scoring seven goals but that doesn’t even begin to tell the intriguing tale of his time at NUFC. There are probably enough anecdotes to write a book! The highlight of his time on Tyneside came during an inspirational second half performance in a staggering 4-4 draw with Arsenal when the Toon recovered from being 0-4 down at halftime thanks in part to two penalty conversions by Barton and the fact he goaded an Arsenal player into a red card offence. Lowlights are too many to mention but a dressing room bust up with a certain Mr Shearer after receiving a red card against Liverpool hardly endeared him to the travelling Toon Army. He enjoyed spells at Queens Park Rangers and Marseille before signing for Burnley and helping them achieve promotion to the Premier League.

Kieran Trippier signed for Eddie Howe when he was at Burnley in 2011, initially on loan, before signing permanently in 2012. He spent four seasons in a very successful spell with the clarets. He was named their player of the season for 2011/12 and was in the Championship team of the season for the next two years as Burnley were promoted in 2014. He signed for Tottenham in 2015 and then went to Atletico Madrid, before rejoining Eddie Howe at the Toon in 2022 as our first major signing since the takeover. He’s been an integral part of our recent success in avoiding relegation, qualifying twice for the Champions League and winning the League Cup.

Managers

Eddie Howe after a 2-2 draw at home to Spurs:

“I don’t think it was us at our best today but we battled into a position we wanted with a few minutes left and we just couldn’t defend that corner at the end. We are disappointed with the first goal, it was a standard cross and we haven’t defended it well enough. Second one, we didn’t deal with the first contact then didn’t stop the overhead kick. Somehow it went in. It’s a painful one for us to take. A disappointing feeling having worked so hard. Bruno’s goal was an outstanding finish. He made a difference, his energy, enthusiasm and passion is always stand out for us. He made a big difference. The league is so tight. Three consecutive wins was our target. We were a few minutes away from getting it. That is the Premier League, and that is what makes it what it is. That’s what makes football so dramatic and why we are all obsessed by it.”

Scott Parker after a 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace:

“Yeah, it’s a tough one in terms of the result. But I mean, my general feeling is for large parts of this game, in terms of how we went about it, I thought we did everything that was necessary. But it’s fine margins that probably decided the game in terms of them executing, whereas Jacob’s shot didn’t fall our way. I asked the team tonight in this situation, in a young squad, I can see the load at times and the weight that hangs on one’s shoulders. A group of players that are maybe experiencing things for the first time, that thing is adversity, that thing is not having success. I asked them to be brave and courageous tonight and they were every single bit of that. Now I understand I’m weak in my position at this present moment in time because we’ve not won a game and we’ve not got what we needed.”

Charity

Newcastle United fans food bank will once again be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end and gratefully receiving food, money and toiletries for those in need. Of particular interest are non-perishable food and drink items (such as noodles, pasta, rice, canned food, soup, cereal, cordial, long life milk etc) as well as toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products. Please give whatever you can, any donation is very much appreciated.

For further info and/or to donate online go to Newcastle Foodbank

Prediction

Make no mistake, this is a massive match for the Toon, who were looking good value for their third successive League victory until a late, late sucker punch against Spurs in midweek. It’s imperative we continue the momentum that has been building up, following good performances against Man City, Everton and Spurs. We’ve been brilliant at home this season and I’m looking forward to more of the same this weekend. Newcastle 2-0 Burnley