Newcastle kick off ‘new dawn’ Premier League season with Forest victory

NEWCASTLE: It took Newcastle United 15 games to record their first Premier League win last season - this time they've done it in one.

Two second-half crackers from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson ensured an electric St. James' Park was lit up black and white on the opening day of the top-flight season, with newly promoted Nottingham Forest put to the sword.

And the struggles of the opening days of 2021/22, with a backdrop of Mike Ashley ownership and Steve Bruce in the dugout, now seem like a distant memory.

The emotion of the encounter could not have been captured any better by the United faithful, with a banner unfurled pre-kick-off lauding the impact of the club's new owners, headed by majority shareholders PIF, stating: “It's a new dawn, it's a new day, a new life for NUFC ... And we're feeling good!”

A new dawn? This has all the hallmarks of one, with Howe as creator-in-chief. 

The head coach resisted the temptation to throw in big money summer signing Sven Botman from the off, instead preferring to ease the Netherlands youth international into life at St. James' Park, much like he did the star of the back end of last season, Bruno Guimaraes.

Nick Pope was, however, given his United bow on home turf.

Very much continuing in the manner in which they finished pre-season, the Magpies started this one on the front foot - and seemed to catch last season's Championship play-off winners cold.

With Guimaraes pulling the strings in the middle, Allan Saint-Maximin finding pockets of space on the left, and Miguel Almiron running beyond, United pinned back Forest for much of the opening 45. The one thing missing, though, was a goal.

A Saint-Maximin header from close range, which he glanced across goal rather than