Shay Given: "Owen And Shearer Will Take Us Up The League"

Last updated : 20 September 2005 By Footy Mad - Editor
 
"Michael's first Newcastle goal gave everyone a huge lift and I'm sure he will be pleased to have scored in only his second game. One in two games is not bad and if he can keep that sort of record going he won't do too bad.
"If you look at Michael's statistics they speak for themselves. His goals per game ratio is phenomenal. Centre-forwards get paid to put the ball in the net and there's not many better around than Michael Owen. I suppose that's why players like Michael cost so much.
"Everyone wants those type of players and we have one now. The hardest thing to do is put the ball away and he has been doing it for a long while now.
"There has been a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. The pressure was mounting on us all because we had gone five games without a victory. We were second bottom and that is not acceptable for a club of this size. It was massive win for us and that will give us a real lift.
"We went down to 10 men at the end but we kept a clean sheet and that's also important for us. We have conceded a few goals this season, and made silly mistakes, so to keep a clean sheet was a good feeling. There's nothing like winning a match to lift confidence when you have waited for so long for three points. The team as a whole's confidence was pretty low. We are very happy now though and that's the lift we needed. We knew it was massive game for us and we worked hard all week building up to it. That showed in the end."