By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Club Reporter

It was a case of 'job done' for manager Alan Pardew as his Newcastle United side secured their place in the Europa League proper on Thursday night.

Having drawn 1-1 in Athens seven days earlier, a long range Haris Vuckic strike was enough to see of Atromitos on Tyneside and settle the second leg of the fourth qualifying round tie at the Sports Direct Arena.

And while it may not have been the perfect performance, all that mattered to the boss was that the Magpies' name is in the hat for Friday's group stage draw.

"We did the job," Pardew told nufcTV following the final whistle.

"That's what was required. We got through to the next round.

"They showed us that Europe isn't going to be easy. They had quality players and a great spirit amongst them.

"We just did enough. In the first 40 minutes we should have had a second and third goal. That would have killed the tie.

"But we didn't get that and therefore you are on a knife-edge, which we were for the whole of the second half."

Pardew insisted there were plenty of positives to take from the result, including the performance of some players who are now knocking on the door for a regular spot in his starting line-up.

However, there was still room for improvement.

"We showed a bit of inexperience - especially the midfield - at times," he said.

"We should have gained possession and kept it a little bit better, controlled the game.

"But I don't want to take too many negatives because we had some real positives tonight.

"(Gabriel) Obertan was back to his very best and was the best player on the pitch for me. (Sylvain) Marveaux was good, Haris showed some flashes and everybody else did their job. It was a positive evening."

And as for Vuckic, netting his first senior goal for the Magpies, that was a pleasing moment for the manager, who knows just how good the Slovenian youngster could be.

"In training he gets those type of goals," explained Pardew.

"He's got great technique but just needs to nail down other parts of his play. He's getting there, he's slowly but surely growing with the team."

To watch the full interview with Alan Pardew, click here.