Wilkinson pleased to follow in some famous footsteps

NEWCASTLE fans haven’t had much to make them smile in recent years but whatever happens this season the sight of a Wilkinson back in the No.10 jersey will remind them of former glories.

- JON NEWCOMBE

Kieran Wilkinson, their summer signing from Leicester, who is totally unrelated to his famous namesake Jonny, is happy to play along with the inevitable chat surrounding his surname but is equally determined to stamp his own mark on the team and help the Falcons enjoy better times after they went winless in the Premiership last season.

“I saw the Instagram message when I signed, from the Falcons, saying another Wilkinson is in the Newcastle jersey. I think it is really exciting. Obviously there’s no relation, which is a shame, but I will just take it in my stride. It is a big name, of course, but I am Kieran Wilkinson, and I want to put my own name in the hat,” he said.

Like the England legend, Wilkinson is adept at kicking off both feet but favours the right boot over the left in contrast to the former Newcastle idol. The pair’s paths have only crossed once, down at England Rugby’s training HQ at Pennyhill Park in Surrey when the junior Wilkinson was part of the England U20 set-up.