Newcastle matchwinner Barnes so grateful to Baggies

Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes ruined West Bromwich Albion's night on Tyneside as he came off the bench at half-time to score twice and send the Magpies through to the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The hosts' thrilling 3-2 win ended the chance of James Morrison becoming the first Albion boss to win his first four matches of the season since 1947.

But Barnes was gracious enough in victory to acknowledge the part his old club played in his own upward career path.

Barnes' two goals took his career tally with Leicester, Newcastle and his three loan spells at MK Dons, Barnsley and the Baggies to 97 - but it was at The Hawthorns in the first half of the 2018-19 season where he really took off, fashioning nine goals and eight assists in 28 appearances for Darren Moore's promotion-chasing side.

"I didn't want to come back from my loan," Barnes told BBC Radio WM. "I was enjoying it that much, but it was out of my hands.

"Of all my loan spells it was my most important. The changing room and environment was a Premier League club that had just been relegated. For pure football, and excitement wise, it was some of the best moments I've had in my career.

"With the football we played and the team we had, the environment was perfect for any young player to go and thrive in. It was the step that I needed.

"And I made some amazing friends. It's a bit weird seeing James Morrison as a manager now. Mozza was part of the squad then.

"I was going to say I was disappointed to score. I wasn't, because I love scoring goals! But apologies, because it was against a great club."

Albion are staying on in the North East for Saturday's meeting with Middlesbrough as they attempt to maintain their 100% start to the Championship season.

They do so with one of the most in-form players in the country in their line-up, midfielder Isaac Price having followed up his brace in Sunday's 3-1 win over Burnley with another double.

Four goals in two games, including two nerveless penalties, is a spectacular return to scoring form for the Yorkshire-born Northern Ireland international, who netted 10 times for the Baggies last season.

And Morrison says that Price's output is the product of the current surge of belief running through his squad.

"I was confident that we could cause them some problems," he said. "I gave the players the belief and showed them that we could go there and cause those problems. I don't want us to go to places and sit back. I want us to go and impose ourselves.

"Going to places like Newcastle, you have to manage momentum. They came out of the blocks really quickly in the opening 10 minutes and we had to get through it. I was a bit disappointed with the timing of the second goal, right at the start of the second half. However, we came back into it, we competed and we played some nice stuff."