Newcastle Utd U18s 3: Carroll 58; Troisi 64; Finnigan 86
Leeds Utd U18s 1: Hird 19 

NEWCASTLE United's young Magpies beat league leaders Leeds United at the club's Benton training headquarters on Saturday morning.

After an even opening quarter of an hour, it was the visitors who took the lead on 19 minutes when Sam Hird nipped in to poke the ball home after goalkeeper Tim Krui and centre back Paul Huntington got in a tangle as they tried to deal with a flick on from Danny Rose.

Huntington, Newcastle's skipper, stayed down after the incident, and after a seven minute delay he was eventually led off the field with a head injury and taken to hospital for stitches.

That change forced coach Glenn Roeder into a tactical reshuffle, with Ross Cowan moving from right back to fill in at centre half, Rob Cavener dropped back to full back from midfield to make way for substitute Kazenga LuaLua.

Andrew Carroll saw a chance go begging just before the half hour when he slipped just as he was about to shoot after a pass from James Troisi, then four minutes into the eight minutes added on at the end of the half, Newcastle had a let-off when Robert Bayly's 25 yard effort deflected off a defender and left Krul scrambling back to clear. The ball eventually dropped onto the crossbar and was scrambled away to safety.

Krul pulled off a good save to deny Leeds full back Ben Parker just 40 seconds after the restart, then 10 minutes later Parker's game was brought to a premature end when he was sent off by referee Tony Harrington after an off-the-ball incident with Carroll was spotted by the assistant official.

Carroll made Leeds pay within two minutes when he got the young Magpies back on level terms with a good header from LuaLua's cross from the right.

Troisi then saw a shot dip just wide after Nicky Deverdics created the opening, but the Australian youngster wasn't to be denied a goal and swept home from inside the box when play was allowed to continue after a handball from Bailey Camfield.  

Kevin Smith wasted a glorious opportunity to level for the visitors on 65 minutes when he spooned a shot over the bar from five yards after Simon Madden broke away down the right hand side.

Carroll then headed over the crossbar after Troisi set him up from an indirect free kick after goalkeeper James Wilberforce picked up a backpass from Madden.

Penalty appeals were waved away by the referee on 72 minutes when Joshua Vermooten pulled back Troisi, but four minutes from time the Magpies sealed the points when substitute Carl Finnigan, on for Glenn Reay, lofted a flick on from Carroll over the advancing Wilberforce. 

Newcastle Utd: Tim Krul, Ross Cowan, Nicky Deverdics, Rob Cavener, Paul Huntington (Kazenga LuaLua 26), Lewis Marr, Glenn Reay (Carl Finnigan 74), James Troisi, Andrew Carroll, Matty Pattison, Dean Critchlow 
Subs (not used): Fraser Forster, Micky Terrell, Mark Doninger