Harper, a long-time understudy to the then-seemingly indestructible Shay Given, finally got his chance as Newcastle’s first-choice keeper when the Irishman left for Manchester City midway through the relegation season.
But it lasted a little over two years before the emergence of Krul.
However, Harper remains highly-prized by the club he has served so loyally for so long because of his influence in the dressing room.
The victory over Southampton was only the second Newcastle have enjoyed this season in the aftermath of a Europa League away match. The other was a 1-0 success at home to Norwich City, after the qualifying-round trip to Atromitos.
The Magpies made seven changes to Sunday’s side, and Elliot (below) stressed how difficult it had been to play so soon after returning from a last-32 tie at Metalist Kharkiv.
“Some of the fans might have been a bit disgruntled with us (in the early stages of Sunday’s game) but especially after the long flight to Ukraine, it’s tough,” said Elliot. “We got back at four in the morning and trained the next day. Then you’re playing again on the Sunday for 90 minutes.
“I didn’t play on Thursday and I was struggling, and I play in goal. It is tough but we showed the desire. We know we’ve got a rest until Swansea of six days, so it was a case of winning the game then getting our recovery for Saturday.
“We’ve always said once the Europa League’s done, it’s done and we can concentrate on the Premier League. We did that very well on Sunday. We forgot the Europa League, concentrated on the Premier League and got three points.
“That’s something we may have struggled to do before but with the depth of the squad and the players we’ve brought in, it’s helped us.
“Southampton were excellent on Sunday and they’ll probably consider themselves a bit unlucky in terms of the play, but I think our strength, determination and power saw us through.”
Meanwhile, there is not thought to be any truth in suggestions from former striker Faustino Asprilla he is in talks with the Magpies about taking a youth coaching role.
The colourful Colombian scored nine goals in 48 Newcastle appearances between 1996 and 1998, and last played professional football in 2004. Since retirement, he has occasionally been spotted watching his old club with the fans.
