Howe is brewing a “superstar” at Newcastle who could be the new Ameobi

Newcastle United arguably go into the Tyne-Wear Derby later today as the side expected to come up short.

Eddie Howe’s men have only won one Premier League away contest all season long, with their recent record in the Tyne-Wear Derby not raising the optimism levels, either, with the Magpies losing their last three visits to the Stadium of Light on the trot in league action.

Still, anything can happen in a one-off contest of this magnitude, with the form book going out the window the minute the 2pm kick-off gets underway.

Howe will hope his current batch of Newcastle stars can be seen as heroes come the full-time whistle, with Shola Ameobi still remembered fondly to this day at St James’ Park for all his memorable contributions in the Tyne-Wear Derby as a beloved fan’s favourite.

Ameobi's stunning record against Sunderland

Ameobi was never the most frightening goal machine presence for the Toon, with a respectable 79 goals put away from 398 total appearances, but he always seemed to be a man for the big occasion, especially when Sunderland came to town.

Indeed, from 16 career clashes against the Black Cats, the homegrown Newcastle attacker would manage to power home a clinical seven goals, with two of those coming way back in 2010 when the Chris Hughton-led outfit got the better of their main enemy 5-1.

Only ever on the losing side four times, as well, in the Tyne-Wear Derby, it was clear, whenever he played in the monumental game, that Ameobi knew of the critical importance of the match and what gaining a positive result could do for the Tyneside masses, having been on the books of Newcastle since 1997.

The academy talent turned senior star would even be branded a club “legend” by former boss Alan Pardew after he fired home another strike in the blockbuster showdown in 2012,

Perhaps, another homegrown diamond at Howe’s disposal could be ready to take the same game by storm later today, if he is thrown into the starting XI.

Newcastle's new Ameobi

The Nigerian attacker would first make his senior debut for the Magpies at the turn of the millennium, with Ameobi only 18 years of age when he was chucked into the first team fray versus Chelsea in 2000.

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With how long-standing his career on Tyneside turned out to be, it’s self-evident that he never looked back.

Lewis Miley has also been in and around the first team picture at St James’ Park under Howe from an extremely young age, with the energetic midfielder only 17 years of age himself when he was first handed first team opportunities in 2022.

He has also shown off a goalscoring edge on occasion that makes him even more comparable to Ameobi, as the teenage sensation headed home this effort last time out in the Champions League versus Bayer Leverkusen, from just 30 minutes of action, to gift his team a slender lead.

With a further ten goal contributions coming his way in senior action for Newcastle from 63 appearances, it’s clear that Miley is a talent that could become a well-established part of the Toon jigsaw in time, to reach the same crazy 398 game benchmark set by Ameobi before him.

Newcastle (senior team)

63

5 + 6

Newcastle U18s

32

4 + 3

Newcastle U21s

16

3 + 5

Miley’s energy and drive being added to the starting XI against Sunderland could be key as Newcastle attempt to pick up a rare win in the Derby, with “the next young English superstar”- as pundit Pat Nevin once glowingly labelled him – winning all 100% of his duels back in November in the Premier League against Everton, away from clinching another goal and an assist for his troubles.

Ameobi was, of course, known for always having something up his sleeve to get his team out of trouble on the big occasion with his feared goalscoring record, with Miley hopeful he can be Howe’s secret weapon, too, as a leggy Joelinton likely drops out of the freshness of the Englishman.

An entire team effort will be required for Newcastle to get over the line, but in big games, often a moment of magic can decide a contest, with Miley desperate to be Howe’s own Ameobi later on, if he’s picked.

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