‘We’ll take our promotion to every game’
GOALKEEPER Rob Elliot says Newcastle must make St James’ Park “a horrible place’’ for Premier League sides next season.
The promoted Magpies won the Championship title in front of a noisy Toon Army on the final day of the season.
Rafa Benitez’s side were crowned champions when they won 3-0 at home to Barnsley and a late leveller for ten-man Aston Villa denied Brighton the title.
And Republic of Ireland international Elliot, back after over a year out through injury, said: “We have got a lot of stick for winning the league.
“But I’m really buzzing for the lads – I’ve been more a supporter this year! It has been a massive achievement.
“We have a team and a squad everyone can be proud of. It was a brilliant feeling finding out we had won the league – the biggest of my career.
“It’s easy to say Newcastle should get promoted, but doing it over 46 games is a whole different story. The noise here was unbelievable.
“We have to take that with us in every game. We have to make this a horrible place to come to.
“We need to take that with us next year – hopefully we can push on. To fill St James’ every week, with this stadium and these fans, this city deserves Premier League football.”
Elliot, 31, returned to the starting line-up for the final three games of the campaign following kneeligament damage.
He admitted: “If you’d said to me six months ago that this would be the way I would make my comeback, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“The ups and downs, helping even in a small way, has been excellent.”