'Shhh!': The time one talented Newcastle United player got shirty

Newcastle United's Carabao Cup win over Bradford City brought back some press box memories, including a blast from Rafa Benitez.

Newcastle United started their Carabao Cup defence with a 4-1 win over Bradford City at St James’ Park this week.

I was reminded of the briefest of trips to Wales with Newcastle United ago this week.

In the programme for last night’s 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Bradford City, shirt collector Gavin Haigh revealed another match-worn top from his impressive collection.

This jersey had been worn by Jonjo Shelvey five years ago for the club’s first visit to Newport County’s Rodney Parade.

The two clubs had been paired in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in the 2020/21 season, with a Jacob Murphy-inspired Newcastle having beaten Morecambe 7-0 in the previous round.

This behind-closed-doors tie had come amid ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, and it had been raining, heavily, on Rodney Parade that day. United fans had to watch the game on TV.

Back to Shelvey – and that shirt.

Shelvey, wearing the black and white No.8 top featured in the programme, got Newcastle back into the game with a stunning goal.

The midfielder took the ball just inside the box, and twisted and turned before curling a shot into the top right-hand corner.

The goal was memorable. And his celebration? Odd.

Shelvey, wearing the captain’s armband, ran in front of the ageing West Stand, cupping his ears and making a “shhhh” gesture in the direction of the few socially-distanced journalists seated in the press box.

Presumably, Shelvey was unhappy at some criticism of him and the team, then managed by Steve Bruce. It was a great goal, but I wrote at the time that a strike against a League Two side at an empty stadium would not fully silence any of his or the team’s critics.

“Shelvey’s quite entitled to that opinion, but what he must understand is that most of the criticism in the media has been mild compared to that which has come from fans themselves. Some have gone in a lot harder on Bruce and his team.”

I liked Shelvey as a player, a technically-gifted player with the vision and ability to see and play a game-changing pass. Shelvey gave the team some great moments during his time at St James’ Park, and he was also an honest, engaging and insightful interviewee when he spoke to journalists. He gave a fascinating insight into life at the club under Howe while away with the club in Austria three years ago.