Newton has followed the lead of close friend Dummett by swapping the black and white stripes of Newcastle for those of the Paisley side in a bid to gain top-team nous. Both players moved north following a newly-struck affiliation agreement between the clubs and it has already paid off for Dummett after he impressed with Danny Lennon's team.
The 21-year-old left-back was recalled to St James Park for the Magpies' FA Cup third round clash with Brighton on Saturday before making his first-team debut as a second-half substitute.
Now Newton, who is also 21, hopes to make a similarly big impact.
He said: "That's why I am here: to make a name for myself and get first-team experience. I had the choice of staying at Newcastle and playing reserve-team football or coming up here to play in the SPL - the SPL wins every time.
"I'm over the moon for Paul. He did so well when he came on against Brighton and you can see he has improved a lot during his time with St Mirren. He was more composed and confident and that is what 19 games in a competitive league does for you."
Dummett is set to feature in Newcastle boss Alan Pardew's plans for his team's trip to Norwich this Saturday. However, he has already expressed a desire to return to Paisley when the SPL resumes action after its mid-winter break to continue he development.
Newton has also returned south to get himself in the best shape possible while the rest of his new team-mates were given a week off by Lennon.
He said: "I'm just keeping myself ticking over. I'd rather keep myself fit than take the week off. The rest of the lads have been given some time off but I am desperate to make an impact so decided to come back down here, keep working and make sure I'm ready to go when I get back up to Scotland.
"Paul also wants to come back to St Mirren and that is great news for the club and for me. It's always nervous going to a new club but having him there on my first day really helped me settle in."
No comments:
Post a Comment