Rob Reveals Fener Frustrations

By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Rob Elliot revealed frustrations ran high in United's dressing room following their 1-1 friendly draw against Fenerbahce on Saturday night.

The Magpies goalkeeper was beaten by Cristian Baroni's low drive with just seconds remaining, after Mehdi Abeid looked to have earned Newcastle an impressive victory over the Turkish giants.

And Elliot gave a glimpse of just how much they care - friendly or not - believing the result was a steep learning curve ahead of a busy 2012/13 campaign.

"This is the sort of team we could be playing in Europe, and to concede a last minute goal is completely out of order," the former Charlton stopper told nufc.co.uk.

"The gaffer had a bit of a go at us at the end, and he was right to. But it was good experience and hopefully it will stay in our minds if we find ourselves in that situation in Europe this season.

"It is a friendly, yes, but you still have to be doing the right things as it is all about preparing for the new season.

"You can't just expect to turn up on the first day of the Premier League or Europa League and perform, you have to reach your tempo in these games. We did that for 89 minutes and then let ourselves down right at the end."

Despite their obvious disappointment, there were still plenty of plus points for Elliot and Co to take from the fixture.

United matched a squad full of top international players for long periods and created enough chances to snatch a win, through Dan Gosling, Shola Ameobi and Ryan Taylor in particular.

"There were a lot of positives," Elliot admitted.

"They are a very good team, who are about to try and qualify for the Champions League and are full of quality players.

"Although they kept possession quite a bit, tactically I thought we were very good and didn't give too much away at all. There's a lot there to build on."