Few inside Mariners Park knew the identity of mystery Trialist A on the team sheet, but a handful of spectators in attendance certainly needed no introduction to Kyle Fitzgerald. Among those watching on from the stands were members of Fitzgerald's proud family, who flew over from Ireland to see the winger line up for Newcastle United's under-21s against South Shields last summer.

Fitzgerald officially completed his move from Galway United a few months later, following a successful trial, so what is it about the 18-year-old that will have piqued Newcastle's interest in the first place? Well, former team-mate Conor O'Keefe, who also coached Fitzgerald in Galway United's academy, said the youngster has the ability to go past 'two or three players and put the ball in the back of the net'.

"Kyle has that little bit of X-Factor to unlock a defence," he told ChronicleLive. "It's rare to find players who can beat a player one v one and create a bit of magic. He definitely has that."

The challenge now, of course, will be going up against some of the finest academy players in England, but stepping up is not necessarily anything new for Fitzgerald who, at the age of just 16, was playing for Galway United's under-19s. The Ireland youth international went on to make his senior debut for the Tribesmen aged 17 last summer.

By that stage, Newcastle and a number of Premier League sides had the inside track on Fitzgerald. In fact, Fitzgerald had already spent time at Newcastle and Wolves long before the winger was eligible to move at the age of 18. Just ask Johnny Glynn, who served as Galway United's head of academy.

"They were talking about Kyle going to Newcastle for more than a year," he revealed to ChronicleLive. "I'd say a year-and-a-half."

Newcastle's persistence certainly paid off. Although Fitzgerald spoke to a number of 'other big clubs', the 18-year-old did not have to look too far to see a pathway at Newcastle. After all, Alex Murphy, who also went to the same secondary school at Claregalway College, has had the chance to train with the first team, be a part of the match day squad and even make a couple of competitive appearances following his own move from Galway United in 2022.

Fitzgerald, like Murphy, has also represented Ireland at youth level having played for the under-17s, under-16s and under-15s. That stage has given Fitzgerald the chance to impress scouts against international opposition as Glynn, a former Newcastle trialist, himself, explained.

"When you're playing international football and because he's an attacking player, when he gets on the ball, he's one of those players who excites spectators," he said. "You can see there's something about him.

"Because he was so good on the ball, he would go down either wing. We used to play him a lot inside, as a 10, to develop his game a bit further. He took to that very naturally. He's a very intelligent footballer. He makes the right decisions very quickly. He's athletic. He's very lean and has loads of scope for development physically.

"Going from a part-time environment to full-time is the biggest difference. You need to have a lot of mental strength and he will gain even more now in the new environment, but it might take time."

Premier League clubs are willing to give players like Fitzgerald time for a reason, though. While the senior Irish national team have had their struggles, something is stirring across the water.

Spurs, for instance, have already agreed to pay an initial £1.6m to sign St Patrick's Athletic striker Mason Melia, which represents a record sale for a League of Ireland club, even before you factor in the add-ons. Shamrock Rovers wonderkid Michael Noonan, meanwhile, is already being monitored by a host of English sides after becoming the youngest goal scorer in the modern era of European competitions at the age of just 16 last week.

This won't have come as news to Newcastle, of course, who have kept a close eye on the League of Ireland, particularly since new Brexit regulations came in. These rules have changed how Premier League clubs recruit - signing youngsters from continental Europe and beyond has become an awful lot more complicated - and that has had a knock-on effect on Irish prospects, who have to be at least 18 to move to England.

Instead of going over at 16, like in years gone by, Fitzgerald has had the benefit of sampling men's football at home before then joining Newcastle as a more rounded figure after completing his schooling at home. There are still big challenges to contend with - youngsters have to get used to training an extra two or three days a week and moving away from home for the first time - but Glynn pointed out how the 'mature' Fitzgerald has travelled a lot with Irish squads over the years and 'took to that very naturally'. O'Keefe, similarly, has backed his former team-mate to adapt following his previous experience with Galway United's first team as the youngster adjusts to his new life living with a host family on Tyneside.

"When you play up in age group, you have got to mature quicker as a younger player," O'Keefe added. "If a younger player goes up and trains with the first team, you're around grown men so, inevitably, you have to be more mature and try and bring that down to the academy level when you go back to playing with the academy.

"When he then went back to the academy level, you could see some examples of maturity in his game when he played with players his own age. You could see the fact he had trained with the first team rubbing off on him a little bit more.

"All young players still have a lot to develop. Their mentality can be shaped by their experience in the game so hopefully he can continue to grow and mature as a player on the pitch and in his mind."