Callum Wilson reveals why he was angry during Newcastle United’s win v Brentford

Callum Wilson admits he was left angry by Eddie Howe’s decision not to start him against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

The Newcastle United No.9 scored a brace in the 5-1 win at West Ham United three days prior, however club-record signing Alexander Isak got the nod at the Gtech Community Stadium.

With United trailing 1-0 after Ivan Toney’s first-half penalty, Wilson was introduced at half-time and assisted Isak’s winner, which came moments after David Raya’s own goal levelled the scores.

Asked what it was like to link up with Isak, Wilson told the BBC Footballer’s Football Podcast: “Bittersweet, I can’t lie. I scored a brace in the week against West Ham then the next minute I find myself on the bench again.

“It was one of them performances where you’re angry. It’s a frustrating one. But the manager makes a decision and you stand by it obviously.

“To get introduced at half-time, you have to stay ready as a footballer at all times. You can let yourself go in a sense when you know you’re not starting.

“I was called upon and it was just ‘right, OK, you’ve got 45 minutes to affect the game and prove why it was the wrong decision to put me on the bench’ - that’s all you can do. How you react is sometimes bigger than anything. I stayed professional.”

Howe admitted it was an extremely tough call in the build-up to the game. Although Wilson netted twice at the London Stadium, Isak did also score after coming on as a substitute.

“The older I’ve got, I’ve learned to let those conversations be one-sided initially when you’re getting told because emotions speak rather than logically thinking,” Wilson added.

“For example, the manager pulls you on the day of the game and says he’s going to rotate the team, bearing in mind you’ve just scored a brace beforehand and only played 60 [minutes] so you’re thinking ‘well they must be saving me for a little time for the game on the weekend with it being so close’.

“I just nodded, and that’s all you can do. Leave it as it is. I’m not going to cause a scene on the day of a game because it doesn’t help anybody.

“You have to be mature and be a leader and show how to handle that situation the right way and let your football do the talking.

“I’ve got great respect for the manager and will always respect his decision. It was what it was, it benefitted the team - we won the game. I come on, set up the winner and had a say on that result.

“We’ll see what happens next game, who knows? I can score two goals and get dropped so I ain’t predicting line-ups anymore!”

Newcastle travel to face in-form Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12:30pm).

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