CHRISTMAS came early on hospital wards in Tyneside yesterday when Newcastle footballers dropped by to spread some festive cheer.
NUFC boss Alan Pardew released his top players for the annual visit to childrens wards in the run-up to December 25.
Captain Fabricio Coloccini and strikers Leon Best, Sammy and Shola Ameobi were among the Magpies at Newcastles Royal Victoria Infirmary, while Hatem Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez visited the Freeman Hospital.
Cheick Tiote, Dan Gosling and Alan Smith visited the childrens ward at North Tyneside General Hospital.
Toon fanatic Morgan Gibson, 11, of North Shields, North Tyneside, was rushed into the North Tyneside hospital suffering from appendicitis on Monday night. Going through a painful recovery, he was still overjoyed to learn he would meet his heroes.
He said: I want to say thank you, especially for the chocolates. I came to hospital and I had a good time.
His mum Jina, 41, said: It is absolutely fantastic. They told us the players were coming in last night when we were on the assessment ward.
It was the first thing that Morgan said when he came round in recovery the Newcastle United players are coming in tomorrow.
Also on ward 10 at North Tyneside was 12-week-old Joseph Wilson, of Blyth, who is suffering from bronchitis.
Mother and NUFC fan Debbie, 27, said: I phoned my dad straight away when I found out hes a season ticket holder.
Cheick Tiote and Dan Gosling both came in and had a hold of Joseph. They looked petrified but they were lovely and it was a nice surprise. Coloccini said: It was an afternoon very well spent for the players. We often take our health and fitness for granted, but seeing all the poorly children today really hit home to myself and the rest of the lads.
Some of the children we saw were very young, and its amazing how they and their parents cope their bravery is an example to us all. All in all, a very humbling and rewarding experience. Midfielder Alan Smith agreed. For myself and for the rest of the players, it puts a lot of things into perspective when you see families with children who are unfortunately in hospital in the build-up to Christmas, he said.
It is something which makes you realise how fortunate you are.
This is not much to ask of us and we enjoy it. We put a lot of smiles on faces but they put one on ours as well. Dan Gosling, another midfielder for the first team, said he sympathised with the families after he was put out of action with a ligament injury for three weeks.
He said: It wasnt pleasant. They can be boring, long days. Obviously, the kids will be down and it isnt nice to be in hospital around Christmas so, if we can cheer them up even a little bit, it is all good.
Staff nurse at North Tyneside, Janine Sproat, said: The footballers visit was fantastic and the children, their families and the staff really enjoyed it.
Were very grateful that the players took the time to come to the hospital and see the children. It put a smile on their faces and brightened up their stays in hospital in the run-up to Christmas.
A spokeswoman from Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said: It was very kind of the players to come along and it was really good for the families, too.
