BEVERLY HILLS, January 30, (THEWILL) – English Premier League side Newcastle’s Callum Graham Wilson eased the pressure on the club’s manager Steve Bruce as his late double sealed a vital 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday’s first fixture at Goodison Park.
Coach Bruce had come under fire from Newcastle fans after a poor run of results against Leeds, Aston Villa, Arsenal and even rock-bottom Sheffield United plunged his team into the Premier League relegation battle, where the quality at hand did not warrant.
On Saturday, Wilson rose to the occasion, above and beyond, against what was, on paper, a very formidable Everton side and netted twice in the last 17 minutes to give Newcastle their first victory in 12 matches in all competitions and their first away from home since November last year.
The win gave Bruce cause to be hopeful as it brought to an end a dismal streak of five successive defeats, three of which his side could not as much as find the back of the net and were staring the double-barrelled nozzle of relegation in the face. Now, Newcastle are now nine points above the bottom three places.
This breathing space for the manager that is provided from their first win in 10 league matches remains very tenuous. Bruce must recognise that he still has only minimal margin for error given the ever-present gloomy mood on Tyneside especially from fans who know the capacity of the side on a good day.
They must quickly shake off the relish of this victory and present a formidable challenge against visitors from Crystal Palace, whom they defeated comfortably 2-0 away from home, and Southampton that beat them by the same goal margin away from home in November.
If they can keep their focus and not lose either of these, their confidence in the next game where they face Chelsea’s new manager at Stamford Bridge will be tough to overcome.
They will need that because it only gets tougher from that point with a stronger, much-improved Manchester United waiting at the other end.
As they have stopped the haemorrhage of dropped points, Bruce has his work cut out for him. And the fans expect that he has what it takes to keep this winning feeling going in the next couple of fixtures to improve their lot and create a gap between Newcastle and the relegation places.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
