Harper signs 2 year contract extension

By Chris Baker
September 11 2006

Second choice keeper Steve Harper has today signed a new two year contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2009.

The keeper, who has seen little action in the past few years due to the immense form of Shay Given has clearly shown his commitment to the cause by opting to sign on instead of persuing first team football elsewhere.

Said Harper:

"Signing this contract extension was probably the biggest decision I've had to make in my entire footballing career.

"I've made no secret of the fact that I want to be playing first team football on a regular basis. I still feel I have many good years left in me at the top of the game and I'd love those to be spent helping Newcastle United achieve success.

"Anyone who thinks I am happy just to collect my wages and sit on the bench every week during the season couldn't be more wrong. In fact, my desire to play first team football burns brighter than ever.

"I want to play first team football and I want to do that here at Newcastle United. When I got a start in the UEFA Cup earlier in the season at St. James' Park, even if it was a quiet evening for me over 90 minutes, it still reminded me that this is the club I want to play for.

"It was fantastic news for the club and the fans when Shay Given signed his new contract in the summer. He's a great friend, but we're also great rivals and every day in training we push each other all the way so that our high standards never slip.

"I'll continue to keep doing that every day and I'd like to think people would value that as a very important contribution. If Shay plays consistently well week in, week out because he knows there is fierce competition for his place from me, then I feel I am playing a big part for the club.

"In football, you just never know when your opportunity will come along, and when the chance comes you have to seize it and do everything in your power to stay in the team.

"The last time I had a long run in the first team it was a freakish injury on the training pitch that cost me my place and allowed Shay back in, and that's how it can be for a goalkeeper. When that happens, all you can do is work hard in training every day and wait for your next chance.

"We're involved in four competitions this season and I'm hoping this will give me the chance to get more games than in recent seasons.

"I'm a north east lad and Newcastle United has been a big part of my life since I first joined the club as a professional back in 1993. My family are very settled here and that is another very important factor when you have to make a decision like this.

"But the bottom line is that I've signed the contract extension because my main ambition in football is still to play regular first team football at Newcastle United and help the club be successful.

"That's what I work towards every morning when I put the gloves on and step on to the training ground - and that motivation will never leave me."