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Dummett: "A Massive Relief"
Written by Newcastle Utd
Paul Dummett spoke to nufc.co.uk about Sunday's vital win over West Ham and looked ahead to Wales' big game against Belgium next month
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
Paul Dummett has spoken of the "massive relief" he and his team-mates felt after Newcastle secured their Barclays Premier League status with victory over West Ham on Sunday.
The lifelong Magpies fan - who was called up by Wales on Tuesday for next month's European Championships qualifier against Belgium - admitted that the players felt the pressure in the build up to the game as relegation from the top flight loomed large.
But John Carver's side deservedly won 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Moussa Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez - a result which, coupled with Hull City's 0-0 draw against Manchester United, sent the Tigers down.
Dummett told nufc.co.uk: "It was a massive relief for us, especially after the last two or three months where we hadn't been winning games.
"The pressure of the whole week was massive and I think everyone was just relieved that we won the game by two goals and kept a clean sheet.
"A lot of us had not been in the situation of being in a relegation fight before, so for us it's an experience and something that'll make us better players in the future.
"But it's something I definitely don't want to go through ever again. As a player and a fan, it's not something you'd ever wish for. You don't ever want to be relegated with any club that you play for, because it hangs over you for the rest of your career."
Dummett suffered a knee injury in February which had threatened to bring his campaign to a premature end, but the 23-year-old returned for the final four matches.
And he said: "I thought I'd be out for the rest of the season but that wasn't the case, and I'm really pleased that I could come back to help the Club stay in the Premier League."
His quicker-than-anticipated recovery is a boost for Wales, too. Chris Coleman's side face Belgium at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday, 12th June with only goal difference separating the two teams at the top of Group B.
Coleman has described it as Wales' biggest home game in the last ten years and Dummett - who won his first international cap in a friendly against Holland last summer - said: "I'm pleased to get the call up and hopefully I'll play a part.
"It's a privilege to be involved with the squad and hopefully we can get a good result against Belgium."