Michael Ndiweni - From Premier League to Northern League

Sam talks to Michael Ndiweni about making his full debut against Chelsea and now turning out for Newcastle Blue Star

Michael Ndiweni peered up at his regular perch in the Leazes Corner and attempted to catch the occupier’s attention. It was November 2023 and Ndiweni had transferred his season ticket to his partner for the match. As their eyes met, a pair of Tyne-spanning grins appeared. As moments go, it was surreal.

Newcastle United were heading to a convincing Premier League victory over Chelsea. But three precious points were not the sole cause of delight. For Ndiweni, a local lad, a boyhood fan whose relationship with United will endure all weathers, the occasion was special. As special as they come. It was a workday and clad head to toe in training gear, Ndiweni was buzzing up and down the touchline. In part he was warming up, but equally he just wanted to soak it all in.

Ninety minutes ticked by, and then it happened. A life-long dream realised; a life-long memory created. “I was sat on the bench and Jason Tindall turned around and said ‘Michael, get ready, you’re coming on,’” Ndiweni recalls.

“Time froze. I specifically remember Jamaal Lascelles shaking my hand and saying ‘congrats, Michael – enjoy it’. Then Jason and Eddie Howe were like, ‘if you run about this crowd will love you. Just go and play with a smile on your face.’”

That simple? “That simple.” Was it everything you imagined, all that you wanted it to be? “And more. Surreal.”

Football moves fast. On the Friday, Ndiweni had prepared as usual for an u21s game in the Premier League Cup against Huddersfield and was just about to travel. But the lock on his door clicked shut, he felt his pocket vibrate. ‘You’ll be involved with the first team tomorrow; you don't need to come to the game,’ said the caller. Shock. “I didn’t expect it - I had to calm myself down,” he explains.

“Then I started to think: will I be on the bench? Or will I just be in the squad to warm up? I got to the game and found out I was on the bench. It was like ‘oh my god, really?’ And then I was just playing scenarios in my head. I just wanted one chance to get on.

“I go to all the games but it a different view on the bench – a different atmosphere and all the feelings that come with it. I went to warm-up and clapped the fans. They’re all probably like ‘who is this?’ but they clap you back anyway!”

Days later United popped to France to face Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. “I was told on the Monday that I was going. I’m like ‘what is going on at the moment?! Just a crazy few days!

“When you’re younger, you see all the Champions League teams training on the pitch before the game and you dream of being part of that. It was one of the loudest places I’ve ever been. I think it’s one of the most intimidating atmospheres in Europe. That experience taught me that, yes, we may have been underdogs, but the belief, the quality and the tactics that Eddie Howe has instilled in this team is something special. We have a special manager and a special bunch of players.”

Ndiweni speaks from a unique position. He is both a supporter gazing in from outside the circle and has also stood alongside United’s current crop. That he is no longer with the squad is a harsh reminder of football’s peaks and troughs.

By January 2024, Ndiweni was a loanee at Annan Athletic in the Scottish third tier. By May, his association with United – at least as a player – was over. Having been with the club since his pre-teens, release was “tough” to take, but his natural outlook on life is positive. “I was kind of excited – it’s a new opportunity. One door closes; another opens.

“Unfortunately, I didn't find a professional club last summer. But that's all right, because it means I can go somewhere and play games, get experience.”

After a spell with Ashington, Ndiweni back in black and white, chasing promotion from the Northern League Division One with Newcastle Blue Star. On Friday night they host Blyth Town for the right to join the Northern Premier League East.

“I’d be lying if I said it was easy,” he says of the transition to non-league football. “It’s been a season of adjusting to all the differences - different type of football, going from full-time to part time. It’s quite a difference but it’s an enjoyable difference.

“Hopefully I can try and work my way back up the leagues. There's a lot of players who've done it in the past – Macaulay Langstaff, he’s at Millwall now. And look at Dan Burn. Just because I left Newcastle, it doesn’t mean the journey is over.”

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Ndiweni’s outlook is healthy and endearing. While many a young footballer puts on the blinkers – and understandably so – Ndiweni was determined to prepare for any blips in his progress. While at United, he made sure to listen, to learn and to remember - particularly once he got the “tap on the shoulder” to train with Howe’s first team squad. He did so regularly from when he reached 17.

Such taps would often only come on his arrival at Darsley Park. “I always had to be ready, be on my toes,” he says. “I had to make sure my recovery was right, I was eating the right things, I was doing the work properly because I knew I might get that call-up on the morning. Someone's always watching no matter where you are. Watching and making judgments.”

To a man, the squad welcomed Ndiweni. He begins to list those who made him feel comfortable - Lascelles. Sean Longstaff. Joe Willock – before cutting himself off. “All the players, literally I could name them all.”

Unsurprisingly, Howe’s coaching sessions left a lasting impression, too. “I've always said they were the hardest physically, but also the hardest mentally. I always had to stay switched on. It wouldn’t just be a normal possession game, for example, there would be loads of different conditions to stick to, lots of things to remember. It was about making sure I was mentally sharp as well as well as technically and physically sharp. That was the challenging part.”

Like many released youngsters, Ndiweni’s challenge now is a lack of access. He does not have full-time coaches, nutritionists and physios on tap. Self-discipline is required as he trains solo at Newburn Activity Centre, the venue where he used to kickabout as a child.

“I’m using the bits and pieces I've learned from the likes of Eddie Howe, Jason Tindall, the nutritionists and coaches to give myself football drills, my own gym program, my own meal plan. I try to be full-time to the best of my ability even when I’m not.

“There are days when it is hard because I go to a pitch and train by myself. There is no one to lift me up, whereas at Newcastle you’re with 40 other players and there is a coach to provide motivation. Sometimes it’s difficult but unfortunately, it’s the way life is at the moment. It has to be done.”

Ndiweni does more than just train, though. He coaches locally, working with players who are close to earning scholarships. “I try and instil the knowledge I gained from the experiences I had to push them to make that jump from grassroots to Academy football.” It is a mentoring role as much as anything – including for younger brother Ethan who will soon begin a two-year scholarship at United. “I know the steps, and I know what it's like going from under 16s, so hopefully I can give him tips and tricks and help him to potentially overtake my achievements at Newcastle.”

He runs club nights with friends as a welcome release from football, and he is currently part of the Baller League – a six-aside indoor tournament played every Monday night and shown live on Sky Sports. It brings together household football names like Gary Lineker and John Terry, with YouTubers like Angry Ginge.

Ndiweni hopes further opportunities knock.

First though, there is a promotion to win.

Sam Dalling