MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 13:34:10| >> :120:11274:11274:

Bruce praises "very, very decent" backup keeper Darlow

Bruce praises
© Reuters
Slovakia international Martin Dubravka had been ruled out by a knee injury.

Karl Darlow will not let Newcastle down if he finally gets the chance to fill Martin Dubravka's sizeable boots, according to Steve Bruce.

Magpies boss Bruce was ready to throw the 29-year-old into the Premier League firing line for the first time since February 2018 but the coronavirus outbreak prompted the suspension of fixtures for at least the rest of this month.

Darlow thought his opportunity had arrived when Dubravka, who has 79 consecutive top-flight games under his belt, was ruled out for at least a month with medial ligament damage, but will now have to remain patient as the enforced lay-off allows the Slovakia international extra time to recover.

Newcastle's first-choice keeper Martin Dubravka is facing at least a month on the sidelines
Newcastle's first-choice keeper Martin Dubravka is facing at least a month on the sidelines (Nick Potts/PA)

Bruce said: "Darlow's been waiting all these years... Look, he's played in the cups and played very, very well.

"We're very, very fortunate that we've got three or four good goalkeepers. The kid at Swansea [Freddie Woodman] – who we're monitoring – is doing very, very well.

"Karl is very, very decent. I see him every day. He's a very good goalkeeper, so if he gets his chance, I have no problem that he'll be a very good deputy for him."

The circumstances may be very different but Newcastle's first team coach Steve Harper knows all about waiting in line to pull on the gloves at St James' Park.

Steve Harper made 199 senior appearances for Newcastle
Steve Harper made 199 senior appearances for Newcastle (Jon Buckle/PA)

Harper, who enjoyed a two-decade playing career on Tyneside, spent much of the best part of 12 years of that serving as Shay Given's deputy.

In all, he made 199 senior appearances for the club before moving on to Hull, where he worked under Bruce, in 2013.

Asked if Harper would be able to empathise with Darlow over his lack of league football, Bruce said: "He went three or four years – yeah.

"At the time, he was an absolutely terrific goalkeeper. I remember him having a spell [on loan] at Huddersfield where he was talked about as the next England goalkeeper.

"I think his loyalty towards the club maybe got in the way of his own personal career, because he could quite easily have been a number one anywhere else. He loved the club that much."

Darlow's last top-flight outing came in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on February 4, 2018.

Former Sparta Prague keeper Dubravka kept a clean sheet on his debut in a 1-0 win over Manchester United a week later, and has been the man in possession ever since.

ID:393100: cacheID:393100:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7636:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez watches his side take on Wolves on February 11, 2019
Read Next:
Steve Bruce's reign at Newcastle compared to Rafael Benitez's
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!