Doherty hopes lightning strikes twice at St James’ Park
MATT DOHERTY is expecting to feel a tingle walking into St James’ Park this afternoon.
Wolves’ Republic of Ireland international broke Geordie hearts there last season when he popped up with a last-gasp winner.
Doherty steamed in, with only seconds to go of the four minutes stoppage time, and buried a header into the Newcastle net.
The full-back was swamped by team-mates as stunned home fans headed for the exits in a state of total disbelief.
The 27-year-old admits it was the stand-out moment for him last season – and he would give anything for lightning to strike again this afternoon.
Doherty said: “Yeah, it was probably the best personal moment for me from last season.
“You always think about scoring a last-minute winner, so for that to happen was pretty special.
“We had won at Chelsea in the week, on the back of five losses in a row, so it really got our season going. St James’ Park is a pretty special place because of their huge fan base, but, to be honest, I like the atmosphere at all the Premier League grounds.
“It’s always kind of good to have a real atmosphere and, as a player, that’s what you want. You don’t want it quiet. It’s better when it’s a little hostile – it gets you up for it.”
He added: “The celebration when I got that last-minute goal says it all. It’s only probably five or 10 seconds, but it just gives you an incredible buzz.
“It’s hard to explain what it’s like, but it ’ s pretty special. I was watching the goal the other day – everybody piled on top of me. It makes everything worthwhile.
“You’re not aware of the fans because they are high up in the stadium. Newcastle always have plenty of fans.”
He would love to send them home cursing him again as Wolves go into the game on the back of a crucial 2-1 win at Slovan Bratislava in the Europa League.
“How Newcastle’s fans are will depend on how they are doing at the time,” he added.
“It’s good to try and keep them quiet for the first 10 or 15 minutes.
“But they won their last game against Manchester United, so the ground will be absolutely buzzing.”
The atmosphere whipped up by the Toon Army will be markedly different to the one Wolves experienced in Slovakia where a behind-closed-doors match was watched by 20,000 – most of them schoolchildren allowed in for free.
With a smile, Doherty said: “There was quite a noise. It wasn’t behind closed doors really, was it? But the kids were making more noise than the normal fans.
“The funny thing was that, with the songs they play, the kids know all the words and were singing.
“Just the normal pop songs. At half-time you could hear them all singing Senorita.”