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Aarons Pleased With Baggies Bounce-Back
Written by Newcastle Utd
Rolando Aarons was delighted to play his part in helping Newcastle climb out of the releagation zone
By Dominic Scurr
Makeshift left-back Rolando Aarons was delighted to play his part in helping Newcastle United climb out of the Barclays Premier League releagation zone with a 1-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
With full-backs Paul Dummett, Kevin Mbabu and Massadio Haidara all sidelined by injury, and potential replacement Jack Colback also ruled out, the 20-year-old was handed only his second top flight start of the season in an umfamiliar role against the Baggies.
However, Aarons caught the eye with an assured performance as the Magpies kept a clean sheet, and the winger is happy to help the team wherever needed.
"Obviously (left-back) isn't my position but I'm a team player and I'll do anything I can to help the team," the England under-20 star told nufc.co.uk.
"It's Newcastle United, not Rolando United, and if the head coach asks me to play somewhere, that's what I'm going to do. And I will always give 100 per cent for the team, no matter where I play.
"I thought we did very well. Obviously we could have made the game a lot easier for ourselves but three points is three points and it takes us up the league, so we're happy.
"Playing in defence, your goal is to keep a clean sheet and that's exactly what we did. There was never a point where I thought we weren't going to win the game. I thought we were very comfortable throughout and it could and probably should have been more than just 1-0."
After United's midweek defeat at Everton, Aarons felt the manner in which he and his teammates responded against West Brom at St. James' Park could prove to be vital come the end of the season.
"We had a difficult time (against Everton), myself included, so it was important to get back in front of the fans and give them a performance.
"I think (playing at home) gives you more confidence and motivation and I think that helped me out today.
"The gaffer has been talking to us everyday since Everton about bouncing back and getting a reaction from the team and I think we did that today.
"We're out of the bottom three which was our goal at the start of the day now it's just about staying clear of that.
"In the situation we are in we need to make St. James' Park a fortress, and the past few games we've started to show how good we can be at home.
"We're unbeaten here (in 2016) and want to keep that run going as long as we can because it could prove to be crucial at the end of the season."