A header worthy of Shearer himself
Apr 13 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
APPROPRIATELY enough over Easter weekend, Andrew Carroll resurrected Newcastle United’s survival hopes with a towering header to complete an "unbelievable" afternoon for the homegrown youngster.
With the game, and possibly his team’s survival hopes running away from Newcastle, Alan Shearer sent for Carroll and it paid off as the striker powered an equaliser past Thomas Sorensen to earn United a crucial point.
His second goal of the season brought Carroll to national prominence and earned him cult status among United’s supporters, who will recognise the importance of his 81st minute intervention.
For the player himself, who says Newcastle have been transformed since the appointment of Shearer, it is a potentially pivotal draw on the path to survival.
“It’s just unbelievable to come off the bench and score. We really needed that point. We came for all three but to lose and go home with nothing would have been terrible, so it’s a decent result,” he said. “My head is buzzing. It was a goal the team needed to keep us in touching distance of the other teams in the relegation zone. It was well needed.”
Carroll has been given further motivation by the appearance of Shearer, a boyhood idol, in the dug-out.
Individual training sessions have been put on for the striker and his fellow young players and Shearer offered him plenty of encouragement after his two-goal haul in the reserves in midweek.
A breathless Carroll said: “Alan Shearer is just unbelievable. He’s changed a lot of things and will do a good job here.
“The aim for me is to keep training well, keep my fitness high and hopefully do as well as I can to stay in the first team.”
Shearer paid tribute to the striker’s superb headed goal, which reminded many observers of his new manager, and said that he had earmarked a role for Carroll and Nile Ranger in the survival fight.
Newcastle’s caretaker boss thinks that both still have plenty of work to do before they can be considered the finished article but believes his physical presence makes him a real threat.
“It was a towering header, a magnificent header. It was a very good ball in and I asked him and young Nile Ranger on Monday before the reserve game if they wanted to play a big part in our survival fight,” Shearer said.
“They did very well for the reserves and proved a point, and that’s why they were in the squad and on the bench today. I asked him to make an impact and he’s done that. But he needs games because he only played his first game in three or four months on Monday. If you get balls into the box he’s likely to do that because he’s a big strong presence.”
