After a quiet start on a personal level, the striker exploded into life with two deadly finishes, picking out the bottom corner with precision on 25 minutes before again clinically firing home after Cayon Hanson’s excellent ball forward with virtually the last action of the first period.

We’d gone into the game in the north east only needing a point to be sure of our place in the knockout stages – Newcastle would have leapfrogged us into top spot in Group G with a win and advanced at our expense – but we never looked in any serious danger as we stood up well to the physical battle presented to us and probably should have scored more, although goalkeeper Mikel Jack was required to make a couple of fine saves to preserve our first clean sheet of the season at this level.

More to follow.