Steve Harper: Promotion is our first priority

Nov 26 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

STEVE Harper insists promotion is more important that winning the Championship as he expressed his delight at seeing Newcastle United prove they are tougher than they look this season.

The Magpies are top of the table, but are just two points above second-placed West Brom, and Harper is guarded against falling into the complacency trap.

And, while some have already begun to talk about this United side emulating the achievements of Kevin Keegan’s 1993 Championship title-winning squad, Harper knows promotion is all that ultimately matters.

“We’d be slightly disappointed if we didn’t finish as champions, but if we finish second we’re out of this league and that is the main thing,” said Harper (left), who feels Newcastle have learnt quickly about what is required to succeed in the Championship.

“It would be nice to win the league, but if you offered 52,000 Geordies second place now you’d find a significant percentage of them would snap your hand off. The most important thing is to get promoted. The title would be a bonus, but we’ve only played 17 games and there is still a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead. We’re not getting carried away.”

However, having being tipped to struggle because of the

uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Chris Hughton and owner Mike Ashley during the summer, Harper is proud of the way the players have shaken off their relegation hangover.

And, with two home games on the bounce against Swansea and Watford coming up, the 34-year-old feels this is the perfect time for Newcastle to stamp their authority on the division.

He explained: “People have talked about the strength of our squad, but we lost a lot of players in the summer from last year.

“We’ve got a lot of experience and a few internationals, but the fact is it’s 11 vs 11 on a grass pitch with a football and you have to earn the right to win the game.