Schär and Wilson strike to give Newcastle winning start against Forest

“It’s new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for NUFC and we’re feeling good,” declared a giant banner unfurled in the Gallowgate End before kick-off.

Nottingham Forest’s first-half resistance would test the optimism of the legions of Newcastle fans buying into that message but, well before tea-time, a superlative defying goal from Fabian Schär and another fine finish on Callum Wilson’s part would ensure it was most definitely not a case of tempting fate.

Forest were back in Premier League action for the first time in 23 years and with Steve Cooper handing debuts to six of his 12 summer signings the travelling support arrived in celebratory mood.

Their team spent the first half spoiling Newcastle’s prospective party courtesy of much fairly formidable last ditch defending with the captain Joe Worrall leading the resistance from his station in the back three.

Whether it was nerves, Newcastle’s quality and intensity or a bit of both, Worrall’s team-mates were often very poor when it came to keeping the ball but, without it, they frequently did a great job of restricting the home side’s room for penalty area manoeuvre.

The tone was set in the opening minutes when the Tyneside-born Jack Colback, once a Newcastle midfielder, chased the accelerating Bruno Guimarães for several yards before, to the Brazilian’s evident shock, eventually sliding in to cleanly remove the ball from his toes.

Colback played well in central midfield using his talent and streetwise intelligence to help keep a Forest side who conceded six corners within the first 20 minutes alone in the game. Despite an at times near constant home attacking barrage – often led by Kieran Trippier’s excellent advances from right back – Forest’s Manchester United loanee