Newcastle United Under-21s 3 Fulham Under-21s 0 | OneFootball

Harris' magnificent second half strike came from around 35 yards out of his own goal and made it 2-0 to Robbie Stockdale's side at Whitley Park, with Sean Neave - fresh from his midweek Champions League bow at Qarabağ - having opened the scoring from the spot before the break.

Substitute Michael Mill's confident finish added extra gloss to the scoreline and secured three Premier League 2 points for the Magpies, who were rarely troubled by their opponents on a chilly evening on Tyneside.

There wasn't much in it in the opening stages, though Harris did produce two fine saves to deny Alfie White in the opening 45. His first stop came after just a couple of minutes when the hosts surrendered possession in the middle of the park, allowing the Cottagers midfielder to advance before firing in a low save which Harris did well to push away.

But Stockdale's charges carried the greater threat. Anthony Munda shot just wide from the edge of the box after Leo Shahar and Neave combined well following a poor clearance from Fulham stopper Alexander Borto, with Shahar then firing in a dangerous cross across goal that narrowly evaded Neave following good work from Seung-soo Park on the left.

The Magpies went ahead after 12 minutes, when Neave's drive to the byline was halted clumsily, leaving referee Garreth Rhodes to point to the spot. The frontman picked himself up to beat Borto with a powerful, low penalty which nestled in the bottom left-hand corner.

The opener gave Newcastle a lift, with Shahar lifting a shot just over shortly after when Kyle Fitzgerald played him in - though the chance was created by a piercing run from Neave, who cut through the visitors' backline at speed. The teenager was involved again, seeing an effort blocked before Scott Bailey lashed an effort just past the upright.

Harris' second fine save from White came after Rory Finneran was robbed of possession in midfield, with the 19-year-old repelling a stinging effort from 25 yards, but it was just a fleeting moment of danger for United, who ended the half on top, with Neave and Bailey both going close.

Just a minute after the restart the contest's defining moment arrived, and in sensational style. With Fulham forward Tom Wingate chasing down a long ball, Harris came out of his box to snuff out the threat - and his perfectly-struck clearance, from deep in his own half, flew over the stranded Borto and bounced in.

It was a remarkable moment and one which further punctured Fulham's hopes of taking anything from the game, with Stockdale's young side in control thereafter. Michael Mills - who was introduced at half time along with Mason Miley in place of Neave and Shahar - had a sight of goal after wriggling past his marker, but Borto did well to smother his attempt.

Finneran took a swipe from distance with his unfavoured left foot and saw a shot charged down after Mills' superb endeavour won the ball back in the corner with Newcastle sought a third, and it duly arrived just after the midway point in the second half when Mills was played in. He cut inside and took aim, with the finish taking a slight deflection on its way in.

Thomas Olyott squandered a glorious chance for a consolation just moments later, skewing horribly wide after a deep cross found him at the far post, but it would have been harsh on Newcastle and on Harris, who added a clean sheet to his stunning goal on a memorable night for the Houghton-le-Spring-born keeper.

Newcastle United Under-21s: Aidan Harris, Leo Shahar (Mason Miley 46), Ciaran Thompson (c), Miodrag Pivaš, Logan Watts, Rory Finneran, Scott Bailey, Anthony Munda, Kyle Fitzgerald (Darren Palmer 76), Seung-soo Park (Isaac Moran 86), Sean Neave (Michael Mills 46)

Subs not used: Tyler Jones