FOR Lewis Hall, a dream transfer last summer was followed by a difficult first season at Newcastle United.

But after a promising end to that testing campaign, boyhood Newcastle fan Hall, who has now candidly opened up on his time on Tyneside so far, believes the coming season will be very different.

It was late August when Hall joined from Chelsea on an initial loan deal that has this summer been made permanent and he's not the first - and won't be the last - new recruit to need time to get to grips with Eddie Howe's demands.

Anthony Gordon initially struggled in his first half a season with United, with the former Everton forward honestly admitting a year ago that he wasn't fit enough when he joined Newcastle.

And Hall too now admits he "came in a bit behind physically" after he "hadn't had the best pre-season in terms of games and minutes" at Chelsea.

The Premier League season was already underway by the time Hall arrived so it meant the teenage full-back was playing catch-up. That resulted in just one Premier League start before April and a tough period that tested Hall on and off the pitch.

"There are always some nerves and it's difficult moving to a new club no matter what age you are, but especially moving so far from home, it's not easy," admits Hall looking back.

"If you've had a bad day for example at training, if you're coming back to an empty house, it's not the easiest. But I had support from my family and all the players and staff who helped me through that and helped me develop as a person as well as a player.

"At a club like Newcastle, I soon realised it's a physical team so you have to be able to run and do it consistently and at high speeds as well. It's a tough team physically to come into. Pre-season wasn't the easiest. I had to build up my fitness and as the season progressed it wasn't the start I wanted but I just kept my head down and kept working hard, kept working with all the coaches and had all the support from them and the players."

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Through those testing times there was one constant for Hall: support from Eddie Howe and the coaching team.

"I'm incredibly grateful," he said.

"That's the most detail I've ever had from a coach, not just the gaffer but all of his backroom staff.

"It's really helped me a lot. It's not every so often, it's every day they're trying to get the best out of me and trying to improve me and sometimes put me in situations where I don't feel most comfortable because they want to improve me.

"Although it was frustrating not being at the level I wanted to be at when I first came, they stuck by me and I'm so grateful for that."

The work of the coaches and the persistence of Hall paid off. The 19-year-old broke into the team and was one of Newcastle's shining lights in the final weeks of last season. He's had a good summer and is now desperate to kick on.

He says: "I feel like how I am now as a player compared to how I was when I first joined, there's a massive change in my maturity on the pitch and that's had an impact off the pitch as well.

"I think the defensive side of my game has improved massively. Obviously I can still improve it a lot more and that comes with continued coaching, age and more experience and games.

"Starting with the team it's definitely an important season for us. We know we have the talent to be in the position we want to be in which is near the top, as high as possible. We've shown we can get into them Champions League spots.

"On a personal note it's definitely a big season for me. I've had spells throughout the last two seasons where I've had regular minutes in teams. I'm looking to get a full season under my belt and get as many games in as possible and hopefully show my qualities and help the team.

"It's an amazing group of players and staff and the whole atmosphere around the club is amazing. It's a club on the up."