Matty Bondswell came off the bench for Newcastle United against Benfica, and he impressed Kieran Trippier with his performance.
The young defender replaced Matt Targett at half time, as Eddie Howe made a full 11 changes to his side. Bondswell was eventually on the losing side, with Benfica scoring a late winner to triumph 3-2.
Despite the last-gasp winner, the second half was very encouraging from Newcastle. There were some decent showings in black and white, and we did well to build up sustained pressure against a strong Benfica side. Sadly, it didn’t deliver a goal.
As for Bondswell, he was thrown in at the deep end on Tuesday night. It was a real test for the 20-year-old, and he passed it with flying colours according to Trippier.
What Trippier said on Bondswell
After the game, Trippier spoke to NUFC TV, and was quick to praise the youngster.
“I thought it was a great experience for a lot of the players, coming to places like this is always difficult,” he said.
“You look at Matty who played left-back second half. I thought he was outstanding. It’s not easy to get thrown in at the deep end.”
Bondswell is one for the future
It’s been interesting to see Bondswell break into the first-team picture this pre-season. He’s featured twice now, also playing in the training game against Burnley.
He was drafted in as cover for Targett, with Jamal Lewis still struggling with injury. While he likely won’t have played his way into contention for the Premier League, he has shown signs of a bright future.
Bondswell is only 20, but had a forgettable loan spell at Shrewsbury last time out. He joined the League One side in January, but spent his days sat on the bench and was recalled two months later.
But he showed real promise last night against a good Benfica team. That performance will hopefully be the launchpad for a strong season where he hopefully goes out on loan.
He needs to get senior minutes under his belt, whether that’s in the Championship or League One. But he showed against Benfica that he can be relied upon at a high level, and that will have pleased Howe.
It certainly pleased Trippier, who went out of his way to praise the former RB Leipzig player. That highlights Trippier’s class, and getting praise from him as a full-back must be hugely encouraging.
The next step in Bondswell’s career is very important. Luckily we can trust Dan Ashworth to make the right decision.