Brewery Field was buzzing with quiet tension on Thursday night as Newcastle United Under-21s opened their pre-season with a friendly at Spennymoor Town, the club's first fixture since Eddie Howe's exit was confirmed.
Phones buzzed and messages were exchanged among the players and staff on the pitch, while the home of the National League North side prepared to host a young Magpies squad featuring several academy prospects back from first-team duty at Bristol City.
Yet events away from County Durham dominated the mood, with speculation over what lay ahead for the club hanging over the evening.
Eddie Howe exit casts a shadow
It was clear what was playing out behind the scenes, but nobody talked about it - the Eddie-phant in the room.
Newcastle's handling of the announcement of Howe's departure had already frustrated some supporters, as the club tried to balance a fitting tribute to the manager who ended their 70-year wait for major domestic silverware with preparations for his successor.
The situation gave a strange dynamic to what should have been a low-key friendly, with United staff meeting supporters and media for the first time since the news broke.
Young players impress
An eventful 90 minutes brought eye-catching displays from Matheos Ferreira, Trevan Sanusi and Rory Finneran, offering welcome relief from the speculation and raising hopes that the academy's recent progress will continue.
Mid-summer sun and blue skies provided a picturesque setting for a surprisingly entertaining affair, but the full-time whistle brought a drop in temperature and the cold reality of the situation seeped back in.
Stockdale was part of the United coaching staff for first-team friendlies at Gateshead and Bristol City, where several of his players gained valuable minutes alongside senior stars.
"That's the job, we are trying to get them into that environment as much as possible," said Stockdale when asked about their involvement in what became the final five days of Howe's five-year reign. "A lot of them were on the bench at Bristol City last night [Wednesday] - so to come here and perform like they did, I was really pleased. That's the challenge they have to set themselves, it's the last part of their academy journey because the next step they have to take is senior football."
Focus stays on the players
Unsurprisingly, Howe was not mentioned on the night, with attention fixed on the players under Stockdale's remit for the new season and the determination to build on the foundations he has put in place since his permanent appointment earlier this year.
Ferreira also kept his focus on the pitch, describing his first appearances at first-team level at the International Stadium and Ashton Gate as a "nice experience" during an interview for an upcoming piece with Chronicle Live, before scoring a stunning goal against Spennymoor.
Football clubs often pass on information on a need-to-know basis, and asking Stockdale for his opinion on Howe's future would probably have produced a no comment at best, as he awaited an official announcement like everyone else.
It was a unique opening to the new season for the Magpies youngsters, whose impressive performance seemed to play second fiddle to events elsewhere. Stockdale and his players deserve credit for the focus and professionalism they showed on a truly unusual evening.
