Whatever lies ahead, Steve Harper seems to be in good spirits at Newcastle and just trying to enjoy the current situation for what it is now. The Premiership is obviously the ultimate goal for everyone involved in the club but having waited painstakingly for an opportunity to make the No.1 shirt his own, as he heads to Watford, Harper insists he looks forward to the somewhat less prestigious trips to the likes of Vicarage Road, because his role is now undisputed.
Having had to watch from the bench as arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world, saved Newcastle’s bacon week in week out, Harper could have been forgiven for feeling a little sorry for himself. But his love for the club (and probably the decent wages he was on), meant he stuck around anyway and, in fact, he still managed to play in some pretty high profile occasions, including a Cup Final appearance and Champions League football. And he’s been speaking to The Journal about those days:
“I am sure we can reach those dizzy heights again but realistically that is a long way off,”.
“The stadium is there, the fanbase is there so that has to be the ultimate aim but our first aim is to get out of the Championship, stay in the Premier League and then build year on year.(more…)
Newcastle United go looking for their first away win since December on Saturday as they take on Watford at Vicarage Road. It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for us over the years, our last win was way back in the 90/91 season, but I’m sure The Toon will be going all out to secure a vital 3 points and to put this away ‘hoodoo’ behind us.
This won’t be an easy game though, as Watford have been impressive at home, losing just once in their last 6 games, scoring 11 goals and conceding just 2 in the process, and it seems that some of their players are fired up by the chance of getting one over the current league leaders. Boyhood Newcastle fan and current Watford striker Danny Graham explains:
“Newcastle is a massive game – it’s one that every team looks forward to in the Championship; they’re a very big team in this league.”
“We can’t wait for them to come down to Vicarage Road where we are very good and strong hopefully we can give them a difficult game and take all three points.”(more…)
Our next on the road encounter takes us to Vicarage Road and a clash with Watford. Vicarage Road is expected to be close to a sell out for this match as fans flock to see the possibilty of their team taking the scalp of the famous Newcastle United.
It’s been about 5 years since I was last at Vicarage Road but since then I hear that the ground is under redevelopment. I’m unsure whether this has been competed yet but it shouldn’t pose an issue for the travelling fans.
How to get there.
We’ll begin the 260 mile trip by heading south down the A1, joining the M1 and continue heading south all the way down to J5 (A4008). Leave at J5 and head towards the town centre. If you can’t see the ground then just follow signs for ‘Watford General Hospital’ as the gorund is pretty much right next to it. (more…)