Town had a dream start when they found the net within the first five minutes. Jack Davis picked up a pass just inside the opponents half before advancing and hitting a fine left foot shot which found its way into the net off the underside of the crossbar. Minutes later the visitors were back on level terms when a defensive clearance rebounded off a Newcastle player and found its way to Hayden Wright. He took the ball to the bye line, evaded a tackle and squeezed the ball in from the narrowest of angles. Newcastle continued to dominate possession with some nice neat football giving the home side little opportunity to shine. Newcastle soon increased their lead when Jordan Cole converted a penalty following a trip in the area. The visitors continued to force Leek back and it was no surprise when Wright forced his way through to fire a shot into the roof of the net to increase his sides lead further. Porter-Hargreaves was forced to save a Wright shot at the expense of a corner as the pressure continued. Leek lost possession down the Newcastle right and were punished as Wright struck the ball home to complete his hat trick. Leek almost reduced the arrears when a fine pass from Davis found Macauley Smith who forced his way into the area before unleashing a powerful shot which unfortunately struck the post before rebounding to safety.
The second half commenced with Newcastle again pressing forward. Stand in keeper Sam Bostock was soon in action pulling off a number of brave saves to keep the opposition at bay. Leek continued to battle and were slowly increasing their amount of possession although unable to create much in the way of scoring opportunities. The home side fell further behind when a cross from the right was forced home by Callum Lovatt from close range. Leek’s efforts were eventually rewarded when the Newcastle keeper collected a back pass but delayed his clearance. Kieran Scotland stole the ball before crossing for Harry Lancaster to slip into the empty net.
A disappointing result for Leek but an encouraging performance against a team who will no doubt be in the leading pack come the end of the season.