Heffernan "excited" for Premier League 2 opener | OneFootball

United's second-string host their Saints counterparts at Whitley Park and will be aiming to build on Wednesday's impressive National League Cup win against Gateshead, coming from 3-1 down to salvage a late 4-3 victory at the Gateshead International Stadium.

Heffernan, who scored the winning goal against the Heed, is determined for the group to build on a strong 2024/25 campaign after finishing in ninth place of the 26-team division last term, winning ten of their 20 league matches.

The Cork-born defender, who has represented Republic of Ireland at under-19 level, told newcastleunited.com: "It's been a long pre-season and everyone is looking forward to the first league game to start. It was great to beat Gateshead on Wednesday and it has set us up well but it's time for the league on Sunday. We're all buzzing and excited for the test ahead.

"Everyone wants to improve every year so we want to finish higher than we did last season and aim for the play-offs, seeing if we can get further. I think everyone will want to do the same and, individually, we will all have our own goals for the season.

"You like training but there's nothing like a game and when you're playing every three days, you love it. I enjoy it and that's, ultimately, how you get better and learning the most by playing lots of football matches."

Heffernan, who made his senior debut at the age of 16 for Cork City, played a key role in the young Magpies' National League Cup triumph over Gateshead, producing a goal and assist in the comeback victory.

The 20-year-old centre-back was pleased with the team's resilience to overturn a two-goal deficit, scoring three times in the final 20 minutes, and believes the positive result will benefit the squad moving forward.

"It was brilliant to get on the scoresheet," he added. "I don't often score so any chance to do so is great. My main job is to keep the ball out of the net which I couldn't do on Wednesday, unfortunately, but scoring to help the team is good for my own confidence and, hopefully, there's more to come this season.

"We had to dig deep but that was our first proper test of the season. We had a couple of pre-season games but if you look at our first-half performance and up until 60 minutes, our final half-hour was our best.

"It took us a while to get into the game but I think when we showed our qualities, it showed we are a really good team. That game will stand us in stead going into the weekend and give us a lot of confidence before Sunday's game.

"It will give us a big boost, playing against a good National League side and people can kick on from that game."

Admission for Newcastle United Under-21s' Premier League 2 visit of Southampton is free for season ticket holders, otherwise it's £3 for adults and £1 concessions.