Hughton praises brilliant Steve Harper

Nov 3 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

CHRIS Hughton praised the spirit of his Newcastle United players and the brilliance of goalkeeper Steve Harper after the Magpies returned to winning ways away from home with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United.

A deflected Ryan Taylor effort early in the second half was enough to give Hughton his first win on the road since September and ensured he began his reign as permanent manager on a high.

But, while the Magpies dominated the second half they still needed three excellent saves from Harper to preserve that advantage as the Newcastle defence switched off in the closing stages.

Hughton said: “ We were not fortunate. What we have had is Steve Harper has made a couple of fabulous saves. That’s the quality of the keeper. Over the 90 minutes we deserved it.

“It’s nice to be back top. We knew it would be tough and they put us under pressure and asked us questions. I felt for large periods we were able to do that.

“Steve is doing the business for me. There’s different aspects of Steve Harper. He is a Newcastle lad, been here for a long time and he is a calming influence around the place. He is a mature lad and a mature player. He’s been invaluable.”

Nevertheless, Newcastle’s performance in the first half was not as good as Hughton would have expected and they were far better after his half-time teamtalk as the visitors kept the ball far more successfully and made Sheffield United work for possession.

Hughton added: “The only tactical change was to switch Gutierrez to the right. It was about having the football to gain confidence. We didn’t do it in the first half and that’s what we had to do in the second. After we scored we dropped deeper.

“It was vitally important we got something from the game. We have to build on that now. There’s different ways to win a match and you can gain a lot by winning like we did tonight.

“It’s just nice when you come away with the points. I have my moments, the

same as anyone, where we have been this season so far we have had to try to keep a calmness and composure to keep everything together.

“Expectations are high and there’s a lot to live up to.”

Although Hughton marked his permanent appointment with a win, the former caretaker boss typically played down any significance surrounding his personal situation. He said: “It didn’t feel any different, there were normal emotions.

“I just want for this group of lads because there is so much desire there to get the team back into the Premier League as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell disagreed with Hughton’s assessment that there was not a foul in the build up to Taylor’s 25-yard strike.

He said: “I ran over a black cat about a month ago, that was typical of the last couple of weeks.

“It was a foul on Kyle Walker, the referee has missed that, then (Wes) Morgan has inadvertently knocked it past Bennett.

“He did not have to have a save to make, while Harper had to make save after save. We played very well and it was a top performance from my side.

“The Harper save from Henderson was world-class.”