Newcastle United under-21 defender Henry Johnson has said he is 'desperate' for more first team opportunities after travelling with the squad for their Carabao Cup defeat at Everton. The 18-year-old spoke to Chronicle Live after the young Magpies' 1-0 win over Rotherham United secured their place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages for the first time since 2018.
Under-21s continue unbeaten run
Robbie Stockdale's side are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions. Kyran Thompson's goal proved decisive against the League Two side, backing up an earlier 3-1 win over York City. Captain Scott Bailey was picked out for praise by Stockdale, while Johnson delivered a strong performance as part of Newcastle's back three.
Five days before the trip to South Yorkshire, Johnson was called up to the first team and travelled with the squad to Everton for their Carabao Cup fourth round defeat. He is one of several youngsters who have caught the eye of head coach Matthias Jaissle and his staff.
Johnson admits frustration despite win
Asked about that experience after the Rotherham match, Johnson admitted he was not fully satisfied with his own display. "Absolutely. If I'm brutally honest, I wasn't very happy with myself tonight," he told Chronicle Live. "I think off the ball I was good, but on the ball I think I can still go that extra level."
"The only reason I'm pushing myself like that is because I'm trying to get to the first team. I think I'd be content with where I'm at if I wasn't pushing myself." He added: "Every game's not going to be eight, nine, ten out of ten. You need to reflect, you need to look at what you can get better at, and you need to put it into action."
Describing the first team experience, Johnson said: "The first team stuff has been different class. I travelled with them to Everton and don't get me wrong, the experience was amazing, but I think the type of person I am, you just get desperate. You get eager and you get itchy for it."
Bridge between academy and first team
Jaissle has consciously tried to build a 'bridge' between the academy and the first team and watched the under-21s beat Sunderland 3-2 in the Tyne-Wear derby a fortnight ago. His assistant, Engin Yanova, is a consistent presence at home games at Whitley Park and is in constant communication with Stockdale and his staff.
Johnson said the relationship adds extra motivation. "I think we are all aware that some of his staff come to the 21s games, and obviously he came to the Sunderland game, and I think it does add that extra bit of motivation and pressure," he added. "But I think for the top players, pressure's a very good thing if you use it in the right way."
Johnson has played at right-back and centre-back this season, and neither he nor Stockdale want to label his best position yet. He featured for the first team in friendlies against Valencia, Everton and Strasbourg in the summer and is relishing the exposure to competitive action in the EFL Trophy.
Bigger stage brings pressure and opportunity
"I think it puts you on a bigger stage," Johnson said. "You get to prove yourself to the likes of the first team, and people at the academy, I think, again, it's a bigger stage, it's a bit more pressure, but you can really stand out and you can really put yourselves in good stead."
He added: "I think these games test us. We'll come up against very experienced teams and we'll come up against men's teams and the standout's going to be the physicality. But I think we've came to that and we've been outstanding."
Newcastle now wait to discover their next round opponents in the EFL Trophy, with Johnson saying the team will not change their approach. "We're not going to change anything, because at the minute we're doing what we're good at, we're playing to our strengths, and the reason we're winning football games is because we're being collective as a team," he said. "But the boys are looking forward to it, it's a fantastic opportunity."
