COACH Peter Taylor has begrudgingly acknowledged that Newcastle United's England Under-21 stars face an uphill struggle to force their way into Graeme Souness' first team on a regular basis.

Taylor has had the burgeoning talents of James Milner, Steven Taylor and Darren Ambrose at his disposal over the past ten days and all three played their part in Tuesday night's 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan at the Riverside Stadium.

But it is back to domestic duty for the trio today and a realisation that they are not guaranteed a place among Souness' substitutes, never mind his starting line-up, for Saturday's visit of Aston Villa to St James' Park.

Milner was the star of the show for the Under-21s on Tuesday but has started just three league games under the Scotsman this season.

Steven Taylor, despite being hailed as one for the future by Souness, has also found the going tough and his last Premiership appearance was against Arsenal in January, although he played at left-back in the 4-0 UEFA Cup success over Olympiacos recently.

Ambrose's situation is even worse. He has been suffering with a groin problem but his last appearance was as a substitute at Liverpool in December, while his last start was in the draw with Sporting Lisbon back in November.

And Under-21s coach Taylor feels for players like the Newcastle triumvirate whose best chance of regular first team football only appears to come calling when young England games come around.

The Hull City boss spoke after witnessing Milner perform alongside other highly-rated youngsters John Welsh, of Liverpool, and Kieran Richardson, on loan at West Brom from Manchester United, who are struggling to make an impression at big clubs.

"The Premiership is even harder for young players to get into now. Some players benefit by getting a run in the team - like Kieran is at West Brom," said Taylor.

"When their chance comes they have to take it. That's what's great about the Under-21s. You have to be a Steven Gerrard now to get straight into a Premiership team.

"But I'm excited by the potential with this group and it is a good learning experience for them all to play for the the Under-21s. This is as exciting a squad as the one we had before. They're new and coming together."

Milner's contribution against Azerbaijan could not be under-estimated. He had a part to play in both goals when he set up Welsh for the opener before a mazy run from the Magpie midfielder created the opening for Dean Ashton to add a second.

The 19-year-old, signed from Leeds last summer for £3.5m by Sir Bobby Robson, faded towards the end on his tenth Under-21s cap but boss Taylor was full of praise for the teenager.

"It's nice that James Milner has had the chance," said the former Leicester boss, who was amazed by the winger's display in Good Friday's 2-2 draw with Germany at Hull.

"There have been times where he has not been able to play for Newcastle because of one reason or another and he grabbed his chance on Tuesday night. I feel he showed people what he can do and hopefully that will help him at club level.

"James Milner didn't reproduce how he played on Friday. But he works hard all the way through games and wants the ball all over the field. That's a fantastic attribute to have."

Taylor also singled out the performance of namesake Newcastle defender Steven.

He said: "The central defenders had nothing to do defensively but set our attacks up. Steven Taylor kept making forward runs and he impressed."