NEWCASTLE took another successful step towards the start of the new Championship season as they maintained their unbeaten pre-season record with a 2-0 win over League One Southend United.

The Magpies were the dominant side throughout at Roots Hall, with goals from Vurnon Anita and Yoan Gouffran proving decisive.

Anita, who played in an advanced role down the right-hand side, opened the scoring at the start of the second half with an excellent long-range strike, and Gouffran doubled his side’s advantage with 12 minutes left as he fired home an angled finish.

Grant Hanley made his first Newcastle appearance as a second-half substitute, with last night’s game representing the Magpies’ penultimate pre-season outing before the start of the new campaign.

Rafael Benitez stuck with eight of the players that started against Lokeren at the weekend, and with the start of the Championship season now just ten days away, the Newcastle boss is clearly starting to settle on his preferred line-up.

Last night’s back four could well start the Magpies’ opening league game at Fulham, with Ayoze Perez seemingly set to line up in the ‘number ten’ role behind lone striker Dwight Gayle.

The surprise in last night’s selection was the appearance of Anita in an attacking position on the right-hand side, with the Dutchman now having filled a variety of different roles during the pre-season programme.

Anita, who broke the deadlock at the start of the second half, was an industrious presence throughout as Newcastle were given a competitive test by a Southend side who will be competing in League One next season under the tutelage of former Hull boss Phil Brown.

The Magpies were forced to deal with a series of first-half balls into the box, and Chancel Mbemba almost headed into his own goal as he met John White’s early cross from the right-hand side.

Newcastle’s first opportunity came in the 12th minute, and saw Jonjo Shelvey fire in a dipping 20-yard half-volley that Southend goalkeeper Mark Oxley did well to tip over the crossbar.

Daryl Janmaat cut in from the right-hand side to whistle a low shot just past the post, and when the Dutch full-back delivered an inviting cross into the box moments later, Perez displayed impeccable control to bring the ball down, only for his deflected shot to loop harmlessly into Oxley’s arms.

Janmaat’s marauding runs were a key feature of Newcastle’s attacking play all night, and if Newcastle can hold on to the Holland international next month, they will boast a player capable of running riot in the Championship.

He almost set up the opener on the half-hour mark, but while his whipped low cross picked out Gayle at the front post, the £10m striker could only prod the ball wide of the target.

Southend’s attacking threat was limited, with Brown naming two trialists in his starting line-up, but Rolando Aarons had to display good alertness to block Jack Bridge’s shot towards the end of the first half.

That was a rare contrast to what was largely one-way traffic towards the Southend goal, but Newcastle were unable to convert their first-half superiority into a breakthrough.

They came closest four minutes before the break, but while Perez displayed superb skill to skip past two opponents and burst into the box, he curled wide of the target when he should really have scored.

Yet while the first half was goalless, Newcastle did not have to wait too long for a second-half success.

Just three second-half minutes had passed when Anita swooped on a loose ball following some poor control from Will Atkinson. The Dutchman took one touch to bring the ball under control, and his second resulted in a searing drive that saw the ball arc into the top left-hand corner from 20 yards.

Newcastle made five changes shortly after the hour mark, with Hanley coming on for his first appearance since the completion of his £5.5m move from Blackburn.

The second half was markedly more uneventful than the first, although Shelvey forced Oxley to make a decent parry moments before he was replaced by Henri Saivet.

Newcastle’s second goal arrived with 12 minutes left, with Gouffran dribbling his way into the box before drilling a precise angled finish into the bottom right-hand corner.

Karl Darlow was a spectator pretty much all evening, but the Newcastle goalkeeper came to the fore in the final minute, producing an excellent save to tip David Mooney’s volley over the crossbar.

Southend (4-4-2): Oxley; White (Demetriou 75), Trialist, Barrett, Coker; Bridge (McLaughlin 68), Atkinson, Leonard (Bedford 84), McGlashan (O’Neill 75); Williams (Mooney 62), Trialist (Cox 62).

Subs (not used): Smith, Thompson, Trialist, Kyprianou, Batlowka, Wabo.

Newcastle (4-2-3-1):  Darlow; Janmaat (Sterry 63), Mbemba (Hanley 63), Lascelles, Dummett; Hayden (Colback 63), Shelvey (Saivet 73); Anita (Thauvin 78), Perez (Mitrovic 73), Aarons (Gouffran 63); Gayle (Armstrong 63).

Sub (not used): Sels (gk).