CRAIG LIDDLE is confident Middlesbrough’s youngsters will not suffer a second bout of stage-fright when they host North-East neighbours Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup this evening.

A decent crowd is expected at the Riverside, adding some extra spice to a game that already boasted much more of an edge than is normally the case in youth football.

The Newcastle team is likely to contain a couple of youngsters who used to play for Middlesbrough, while the hosts will be looking to justify their lofty reputation as one of the leading academies in the country.

Boro’s under-18 side almost didn’t make it to this stage, requiring two dramatic stoppage-time goals to secure a 4-3 win over Southend United in round three, but having learned from their experience at Roots Hall, Liddle is confident his players will be a much tougher proposition tonight.

“Looking back at the Southend game, it was an unbelievable night and when you tell people what went on, it’s quite a remarkable story,” said the under-18s coach, who was previously first-team manager of Darlington. “We were just about out, and thankfully we got two in the last minutes of injury-time.

“We probably didn’t deserve to go through, but we are now and we’ve got to make sure we don’t have a repeat performance.

“Possibly the occasion got to the lads a little bit, but they do look forward to the FA Youth Cup so we have to manage their mindset and how they prepare for the game. Hopefully, we’ll be a little bit better against Newcastle than we were that night.”

Last season, Newcastle’s youngsters made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the Youth Cup before suffering an extra-time defeat to the eventual winners, Chelsea, and Rolando Aarons, Adam Armstrong, Lubo Satka and Freddie Woodman have all progressed from that side to feature in first-team squads.

Whereas in the past, Newcastle’s overseas signing policy restricted the opportunities available to home-grown youngsters, the club is now making a conscious effort to promote from within and the players involved in tonight’s Magpies line-up will hope to force their way into the first-team picture over the course of the next 12 months.

The game will be of special significance to one Newcastle player in particular, with centre-half Ben Pollock, the son of former Middlesbrough midfielder Jamie, hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps by turning out at the Riverside.

Still living in Middlesbrough, and a former pupil at Yarm School, 17-year-old Ben was an unused substitute in Newcastle’s third-round win at Millwall, but is desperately hoping to make an appearance tonight.

“Being a Boro lad, I’m very excited,” said Pollock. “It’s always good to play against your home team and when you’ve played for them before, it’s even better.

“I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been to the Riverside to watch Middlesbrough teams so it would be a dream come true to play there.

“But I am a Newcastle fan. I left Middlesbrough when I was 14 and when I came here, I just fell in love with Newcastle and support the club now.

“All of my friends are Middlesbrough fans, though, so if we don’t win, I’m going to get a lot of stick. My dad’s still got Boro in his heart, but I think I’m starting to sway him towards Newcastle now.

“He’s a massive help. After every game and every training session, we talk about what could be improved and what I need to work on, so having him is a massive, massive help. Everything I do is with his guidance really.”

Admission to tonight’s game is £3 for adults and £1 for under-18s and over-65s, and car parking is available for £2 on a first come, first served basis.