Callum Wilson feels that Newcastle United are now in a place to compete in the Premier League - thanks to a summer of hard work and a pre-season to be proud of.
The Magpies started last season with a 4-2 home defeat against West Ham after a second half collapse with fitness levels brought into question. One year on, and after one of the most intense summers at United in years, Newcastle dominated from start to finish against Nottingham Forest in a game Wilson feels they could easily have won 5-0.
When asked about the comparison between fitness in 2021 and 2022, Wilson told Chronicle Live: "I can't disagree. The opening day last year and the opening day this year.
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"You seen a performance by the whole squad. Everybody was still closing down and pressing in the 90th minute. It just shows the hard work that's gone on behind the scenes by the players and also credit to the staff who gave us those tasks and got us into this place."
Wilson knows Eddie Howe and his staff better than most after working closely with the Toon boss at AFC Bournemouth. The England international believes that Howe's process on the South Coast is being repeated on Tyneside, only on a bigger scale.
Wilson added: "Nothing changes from my point of view, he's (Eddie Howe) the same, I'm the same. He is just in a different working environment and we've got a good squad here.
"It is a great football club to be at and there's a great atmosphere. With all those things put together they bring a positive outcome. That's what is happening."
United's 2-0 win over Forest earned Newcastle their first win of the season with Wilson joking after the game that fans didn't have to wait until December for three points this year. But for the number 9 it went well with three points and his first strike of the campaign.
Wilson said: "It was a nice day at the office. As a striker, you always want to get off to a goalscoring start and as a team, you want to get off to a winning start.
"They both went hand in hand against Forest and we got the three points. There was a lot of emotion within the game. It was the first game of the season and the fans were excited, and so were the players.
"You are playing against a team who the majority of their squad probably hadn't played in the Premier League before so it was a big occasion for those guys, they ran around with an extra five or ten per cent as well.
"I think the longer the game went on the quality showed and the fitness levels showed. And we found the right moment to break them down with that goal from Fabby. It took something spectacular to make them start coming out their pockets and when they did it should have been four or five goals to be honest."
United had 14 goal attempts in the opening 45 minutes against Forest at St James' Park but the difference between last year and now was that Newcastle kept going until the job was done.
Wilson said: "We were very aware that we'd had a good first half but it means nothing if you don't build on it for the second half, the game is 90 minutes long. For us, it was important to come out and concentrate when we're tired and try to put all the work we'd done together as a full performance in the second half by adding goals to it.
"That's what we did today and I think we minimised them to minimal chances. Credit to the guys at the back, it's a clean sheet and congratulations to them."
Speaking on fitness levels after the weekend win, Howe had said: "Physically, the players were very good. You go through a five-week pre-season, which is what we put the players through, and during that time, they work incredibly hard.
"You push them to the limits, and you push them to their limits for this day and the season beyond. You need the right levels in their bodies, and I thought they looked very good today so full credit to my staff and the players for their attitude to that work.
"Hopefully, that’s the foundation for the rest of the season, so we’ll be able to physically give our best. I was very pleased with that aspect of our play today."
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