Miley aiming to rock Robins in EFL Trophy opener | OneFootball

Jamie Miley is determined Newcastle United Under-21s kick off their EFL Trophy campaign in positive fashion ahead of Tuesday's trip to Wrexham (kick-off 7.30pm BST).

The Magpies, one of 16 Premier League academy sides invited to compete against League One and League Two teams in the competition, will begin their Northern Section Group B campaign against last season's National League champions, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, at the Racecourse Ground.

Miley, who made his Newcastle first-team bow during July's 3-2 pre-season friendly win against Gateshead as well as featuring for the Magpies in their Premier League Summer Series clash against Brighton & Hove Albion in New Jersey, is relishing the challenge of facing experienced opposition and is bidding for a positive run in the competition.

The 19-year-old central midfielder told nufc.co.uk: 'I think it's massive for the group (to start strongly). Looking at previous years, we haven't done as well as we'd like to in the EFL Trophy so, hopefully, we can get off to a good start to give us that head start to try and qualify from the group.

'The whole experience, playing at their stadium in front of fans against a senior team means that little bit more compared to when you play at under-21 level. You just want to try and do as well as possible because, at the end of the day, playing senior football is where you want to be.

'Knowing quite a few people will be coming to watch gives everyone something to look forward to. It is also a chance for myself and the lads to express what we can do and try to get a positive result out of it.

'During the games in America with the first-team, you realise what the pace of the game is and what you need to do. With that extra experience, you know what to expect and also what to do yourself in terms of how the game is going to go.'

Miley, older brother of Lewis, made his debut for Newcastle's under-21 side in an EFL Trophy clash away at Sheffield Wednesday during the 2020/21 campaign, appearing as a second-half substitute in front of over 6,500 supporters at Hillsborough.

Now a mainstay for the Magpies' second-string, the Stanley-born midfielder is hoping to pass on his valuable experiences in the tournament onto the current crop of eager teenagers ahead of facing the Dragons.

Miley added: 'I was 17 years old when I came on against Sheffield Wednesday, which was a really good experience. I remember the day before, training with the under-21s and Gary Caldwell, the coach at the time, came and told me I'd be travelling to Sheffield which I was buzzing about.

'To get on and play half an hour was really good, especially being an under-18 player and stepping into the older group. I'm kind of a role model to those lads who are coming through now so I'll be encouraging and supporting them for these upcoming games, which are going to be tougher.

'The main target is to get as many positive results as we can to try and get out of the group and see how far we can go.'