'Good Hiding' Will Do Toon Defender The World Of Good!

Last updated : 30 April 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor

It had Kevin Keegan laughing "he can call himself a PROPER defender now!"

Ex-Toon skipper Bob Moncur also saw the funny side of it.

Moncur: "David did well, and getting cuts and bruises is part of the game as a centre-back.

"He'll certainly have a few more to come in his career, that's for sure.

"And it's true what they say - you aren't a proper centre-back until you've taken a few blows to the head or had a broken nose or two - believe me, I've had it all before.

"The great thing with David, though, is that he doesn't really know what fear is because he's still just 20.

"You only really start wising-up to the brutalities of the game later in your career, once you realise in certain situations, you will get hurt.

"Dean Ashton and Bobby Zamora were certainly a testing pair of strikers to deal with. And, like he did against Reading, Edgar started nervously before growing in confidence as the game went on.

"He and Taylor learned about each other's game as they went along.

"The old telepathy between the forwards, like Mark Viduka and Michael Owen, grows game by game, and it's exactly the same at the back.

"If Edgar and Taylor played regularly together it would start to come.

"And the full-backs also pick up on that.

"Newcastle were poor during the first half on Saturday. They were under pressure at 2-0 down, but they've survived and got a point.

"I thought Oba Martins took the game by the scruff of the neck and got his goal before setting up the equaliser.

"It was a good point in the end, and it could have been all three.

"Like everyone else, I would like to go into the next season on the back of a mini unbeaten run this time around."