A 'fuming missus' and Chelsea's classy response after Newcastle United pull off PSR masterstroke

Lewis was not the only Hall playing on Sunday, you know. Thirty-one miles from Wembley, older brother Connor was lining up for Brackley Town against Hashtag United.

"There was no chance of me getting to the England game," the striker told ChronicleLive. "I think my missus was fuming. She had asked, 'Are we going to go watch England on Sunday because Lew is in the squad now?' I said, 'Nah, you're coming to Aveley to watch me play in the FA Trophy.' She gave me the old, 'I'll let you know...'"

Connor was at least able to tune in on the coach home to see his younger brother impress on his full England debut against Ireland, and to say these Newcastle United fans are close is an understatement. Connor, for instance, was in the away end at Molineux earlier this season to take in Newcastle's 2-1 win against Wolves while Lewis has been to watch his older brother play versus South Shields, Spennymoor and Blyth Spartans since moving up last year.

They have been there for each other throughout - in the good times and the bad - and Lewis has certainly experienced both sides of the game in the last year. It was just 12 months ago that Hall was hauled off at half-time in successive games; now the left-back is a fully-fledged senior international.

Hall's progress under Eddie Howe has been pleasing even for those staff who worked closely with the 20-year-old at Chelsea before the club cashed in on the academy graduate last year. Just ask Andy Myers, the former head coach of Chelsea's development squad, who recalled how Hall was 'always wanting to learn' and had the 'mentality and drive within him to succeed', whether that was with the Blues or, ultimately, at Newcastle.

"When we're looking to develop players, obviously, we would love them to get a career at the club they have been at," Myers explained to ChronicleLive. "But everyone at Chelsea will be pleased for any player that's been there and goes on and gets a career because that's what it's all about.

"Of course, you would want them to play for your club - you'd love that - but if they don't and go away and succeed and get longevity in the game, that's the job, especially in development. That's what it's all about. For me, that's a trophy. If you're in development and you see a kid get a career and play for England, it's just pleasing."

Hall has certainly come a long way. It says a lot about the England international's growing influence that no other Newcastle player has had more touches (705) in the Premier League this season and the one-time midfielder's comfort in possession has been a real asset. In fact, only playmaker Bruno Guimaraes has hit more progressive passes than Hall (52).

What has been most striking, however, has been how much Hall has improved defensively. No other Newcastle defender has made more interceptions (12), successful tackles (12) or blocks (11) in the top-flight this year. Only veterans Dan Burn and Fabian Schar have made more clearances (30).

That does not happen by accident. Hall readily admitted he had some 'dark days' after moving away from home for the first time - making just one league start in his opening seven months at Newcastle - but the left-back did not let his head drop. Hall stayed behind after training; went through his clips; and, most importantly, wanted to get better, which is not always a given.

"It was tough because he got in at Chelsea so young," older brother Connor explained. "A lot of people forget that because he's been around for so many years.

"He got the move to Newcastle and when the gaffer was telling him he needed to learn the system and be embedded into the team, Lew just wanted to play. For him, being so young, he just wanted to play every game but now he's realised it's made him such a better player.

"Every time I've watched him, he looks so much more comfortable on the ball and his defending has improved a lot from when he first joined. He's worked really hard for it so I'm over the moon for him."

Senior figures behind the scenes at Newcastle believe there is still more to come. Not only because of Hall's age - but because of the 20-year-old's attitude and the support network around him.

After all, it would have been easy for Hall to think he had made it after being handed his debut at Chelsea at just 17 or after joining boyhood club Newcastle a year-and-a-half later, but those closest to the defender have ensured he has stayed grounded, including his father, Colin, a former rugby player, who was born in the North East.

Hall has also been able to count on the support of the tight-knit village of Binfield, where he grew up, and locals even got a special flag designed to mark his England debut last week. For Andy Cotton, who was Hall's first coach at Binfield Football Club, this was a player who was destined to one day represent his country at senior level.

"Some of us have predicted it since he was a little boy," he revealed to ChronicleLive. "I had no doubt from a very early age that he would go on and be a really exceptional talent because he was just so different.

"You could see it when he was five or six. He's got stuff you couldn't coach back then because he had a natural talent for it. He was just different from all the other kids. I've bored my mates for years about him. I'm just gutted that I didn't put the bet on years ago!"

What has pleased Cotton the most, though, is how Hall has 'never changed'. It was just a few months ago that Hall greeted his former coach with a hug when they bumped into each other in the local Co-op and the 20-year-old has been back to the club where it all started to hand out prizes on awards nights over the years.

Hall still has the same group of friends from childhood - even moving out of digs during his time at Chelsea to commute from home after learning to drive - and the defender has occasionally been spotted turning out for a midweek XI at his local cricket club in the summer months over the years. That won't have come as a surprise to Mark Robinson, the former manager of Chelsea under-23s, who Hall, tellingly, remains in touch with 'despite reaching the heights he has'.

"Lewis is very grounded," Robinson told ChronicleLive. "His family is really important to him and he's very close to them.

"He's a real, quiet, unassuming lad who had tons of potential, but he just needed to come out of himself in certain areas a little bit. He can achieve anything he wants, really. I'm a big believer in that."