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Several Newcastle United players have started their season as the Football League started play this last Saturday, then participated in the first round of the League Cup in the midweek. Three of the five players currently on loan saw action during this week, with Shane Ferguson the standout, as he played two different positions and recorded an assist.
Birmingham City hosted Watford in their opener, with Shane Ferguson playing on the left wing of Lee Clark's 3-5-2. The Blues currently have four players in on loan, and most of them, including Ferguson, arrived just a few days prior to the match. It's not really a surprise, then, that the word seemingly used most to describe their 1-0 loss was "disjointed." Ferguson took corners for Birmingham and was replaced in the 80th minute as the hosts tried to get back into the match.
Three days later, Birmingham hosted Plymouth Argyle in the League Cup, and this time Ferguson started at left back in a 4-3-3 before switching to midfield in about the 71st minute. He again took the responsibility for corners, and assisted on the Blues' second goal, sending a cross to the far post that Scott Allan volleyed into the goal with his right foot. He was taken off in the 89th minute, and Argyle equalized just two minutes later, but Birmingham ultimately prevailed 3-2 in extra time.
Birmingham drew Yeovil Town away in the second round of the League Cup. Their next match is Saturday away at...Yeovil Town.
James Tavernier started at right back and played 90 minutes for Shrewsbury Town in the 0-0 draw with MK Dons (featuring Alan Smith at the 10!) in League One play on Saturday. He then played another 90, again at left back, in their 3-1 loss to Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup. If you're interested, Lion of Vienna Suite has a highlight video that mostly shows Tavernier (#20) following his man away from the action.
Shrewsbury Town's next match is Saturday away at Leyton Orient.
Michael Richardson didn't feature in Accrington Stanley's League Two 4-1 defeat at the hands of Newport County, but he started in the center of midfield for their 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough and was credited in most match reports with a strong shot that was just deflected wide early on. I don't typically advise using the transitive property in sports, but let's just go ahead and make the following definitive statement: Newport County > Accrington Stanley > Middlesbrough. We'll go ahead and attribute Accrington's victory to Richardson's influence as well.
Accrington Stanley drew Cardiff City at home in the next round of the League Cup. Their next match is Saturday at home against Portsmouth.
Both St. Mirren (Conor Newton) and Panathinaikos (Mehdi Abeid) will start their seasons in just over a week.
Check out our Newcastle United Fixtures & Results page to keep track of the senior club, reserves, and loanee clubs throughout the season.