Four Newcastle youngsters have put pen-to-paper on their first professional contract at St James’ Park.
Striker Tom Heardman, attacking midfielder Liam Smith and defenders Jamie Sterry & Macaulay Gillesphey all received contract offers from Newcastle in March after impressing ‘football development manager’ Peter Beardsley. The quartet signed those deals earlier this week.
The Geordie faithful will be most familiar with Jamie Sterry, who was named among the substitutes against Liverpool and Spurs last season.
In an interview with nufc.co.uk upon signing his new deal, Sterry said: “I’m absolutely buzzing.”
“I was on the bench last season and the atmosphere was amazing. I hope to experience that many more times. I’m looking forward to pre-season training now and seeing how that goes. I can’t wait.”
Tom Heardman is another whose name may be familiar to Newcastle fans. The 19-year-old is a 6ft4 striker with excellent aerial ability – likened to former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. He enjoyed a brief loan spell at neighbouring Gateshead last season, before returning to train with the senior squad.
He told nufc.co.uk: “Signing the papers in the boardroom was a bit surreal, and being a fan of the club all my life, I am still trying to take it all in, that it’s actually happening.
“A lot of hard work has gone into getting to this point but the real hard work begins now.”
Macaulay Gillesphey has been a regular in the reserve side over the past three seasons and should push for a first-team spot next season. The Chronicle have labeled the 19-year-old as a late developer, having joined the Academy aged 15.
“It feels great, I’m over the moon to sign my professional contract,” he told nufc.co.uk.
“It’s a thing I’ve always wanted since I was younger, so I’m really happy with it. I definitely want to try and push to get in the first team squad and on the bench, so I’ll see what I can do about that.”
Last but not least, Liam Smith. The 19-year-old boasts the most enthralling story. Just two years ago, he suffered a back injury which saw him sidelined for roughly nine months. Liam has shown great spirit to recover from such a bid injury to earn a professional contract.
The young midfielder idolises Steven Gerrard & Andreas Iniesta and attempts to base his game on the pair.
“I’ve been here for 13 years now and to finally sign my first professional contract is everything I have worked for. It’s a special moment,” Liam told nufc.co.uk.
Meanwhile, six youngsters have signed third year scholarships with Newcastle – Brendan Pearson, Jamie Cobain, Kyle Cameron, Adam Laidler, Callum Williams and Liam Gibson.
