Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has reflected on his debut season with the Magpies, calling it an “up and down” campaign.
Having joined on loan from Sparta Prague midway through last season, the Slovakian international impressed under Rafael Benitez and was rewarded with a permanent four-year contract at St. James’ Park in May.
In his first full season with the club, Dubravka has kept 10 clean sheets in 37 Premier League appearances, helping guide Newcastle to – at the worst – 15th in the Premier League table.
“[The season] was up and down,” the 30-year-old told the Newcastle Chronicle. “The first 10 games was really tough for us, especially mentally, because if you don’t win in 10 games, it’s really hard to keep going.
“A lot of people probably expected that we would keep losing the games, but after that, probably the crucial game was against Manchester City. That gave us so much confidence, and after that we had the run of victories.
“We were very close also with the the big teams and even the away teams, but we are safe, and that’s the most important thing.”
OPINION
While Dubravka insists it has been an “up and down” season, it has been a solid one overall for the goalkeeper. He was initially rewarded with a four-year contract for guiding Newcastle to crucial victories such as the one over Manchester United towards the back end of last season. And from that point on, the Slovakian has not looked back, asserting himself as the Magpies’ number one ‘keeper and helping Newcastle to finish strongly this season. Key performances this season include, of course, the 2-1 victory over Manchester City, which threatened to derail the reigning champions’ chances of winning successive titles. Newcastle were excellent that evening, and Dubravka more than played his part. Ten clean sheets – with the possibility of 11 – in the Premier League is not a bad return, and the Slovakian will be hoping to kick on from here. He has three years left on his current deal now, and there’s no chance he’s going anywhere for a while – not least this summer.