Rodrigo Vilca announced himself on the St James' Park stage with an impressive performance in Newcastle United Under-23's win over Fulham U23.
The Peruvian was handed his first start for the second string in a side which saw first-teamers Matty Longstaff, Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett feature.
All three were building their fitness following lengthy lay-offs, while Achraf Lazaar also made a rare start.
Newcastle had to come from behind for the victory, however, with second-half goals from Yannick Toure and Stan Flaherty earning the win following Jean-Pierre Tiehi's opener.
Flaherty impressed throughout, while Vilca was lively on his debut. Here's our Lee Ryder rated the players.
Dan Langley 7
Pulled of some important saves and blocks when United were trailing to keep them in the game.
George Rounsfell 6
Asked to step in last minute after Ryan Barrett was injured in warm-up.
Ciaran Clark 7
A steady display on his return from an ankle injury. Got just over an hour under his belt in front of watching Steve Bruce.
Ludwig Francillette 6
Progressing after a good first season last term. Gets forward but never shirks defensive duties.
Paul Dummett 7
Has extra competition at left-back after Jamal Lewis' arrival. Didn't put a foot wrong here and got 61 minutes under his belt.
Stan Flaherty 8
Man of the match. Hit the post, set up the equaliser for Yannick Toure and then score wonderful winner. Not bad for a free transfer from Arsenal.
Kyle Scott 6
The busy midfielder kept the pressure on in midfield to help United nick it.
Matty Longstaff 7
Was always going to play just 45 minutes but done himself no harm after thigh injury. Could have got on the scoresheet but was denied by decent save.
Achraf Lazaar 6
Certainly looks fit enough but whether he fits the bill for Newcastle going forward is up for debate. United need cover at left-back so it remains to be seen what the full purpose of this run out was.
Rodrigo Vilca 7
A solid debut. Ran out of gas towards the end but his passing game was excellent and looks capable of running at defences. This was an impressive bow.
Yannick Toure 6
Grabbed the equaliser but could have had many more. After arriving from Switzerland two seasons ago, this is a crunch period for him.
Subs
Lucas Gamblin 6 (for Dummett 61)
Bradley Cross 6 for (Clark 61)
Joe Oliver (for Longstaff 46)
