When Steve Harper was handed the chance of a farewell game in front of a full house against Arsenal in a game that will be watched by a worldwide audience - it was almost as if it was written in the stars for the long-serving stopper.

And even if it did come at the expense of Rob Elliot after his red card at QPR, the chances are deep down the former Charlton Athletic man won't begrudge Harper a fond send off he will probably never forget.

Harper has seen it all down the years at Newcastle but fans or journalists don't always see the other side of life at the club.

When the final whistle at the DW Stadium sounded in Wigan's game against Swansea City it was very much a case of relief all round for Newcastle United fans.

But while Premier League safety is everything to Newcastle right now the facts of the matter are they should not be anywhere near this situation.

Pats on the back and praise were the order of the day just 12 months ago with United flying high and back in Europe.

You can do two things in football when things aren't going well.

You can either sulk and look for excuses.

Or you can work around the clock to find a solution to put wrongs right.

For Newcastle United the hard work continued this week.

Just a fortnight ago Newcastle United's clash with Benfica was quite rightly dubbed the biggest game at St James' Park for eight years.

In terms of stature it was the closest that United had come to the latter stages of winning a trophy since Graeme Souness' side had reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

We're always hearing football managers say that "every" match is a big one these days in the Premier League.

And from a financial point of view, they aren't wrong.

But with Newcastle knowing they can take a massive step to securing survival against Liverpool on Saturday, just where does this one rank and how much is it worth to the Magpies?

It's hard to believe that just a fortnight ago Newcastle United fans were still allowed to dream of heading off to the Europa League final in Amsterdam and the possibility of a top 10 finish.

But football moves fast, especially at St James' Park.

Suddenly Alan Pardew has found his role on the cast change from the man who could become the first since Joe Harvey to lift a trophy with black and white ribbons on it, to a man facing the fury of the Geordie public after losing a Tyne-Wear derby.

Newcastle United fans can be proud of themselves and their team after a European campaign that has put them back on the football map this season.

They may not have reached the pinnacle of the Europa League itself.

But they have bolstered their European history with a nine game haul and a nine month run in Continental competition to take their overall tally to 134 games - a record that supporters of most clubs would love to have.

For a moment on Sunday it was easy to forget that Papiss Cisse's injury time winner had only earned three points at St James' Park.

Given that Cisse could have had good reason to claim being tired (considering cramp victim Sylvain Marveaux was lying on the floor unable to move) he didn't half find the energy levels to leap into the Gallowgate End!

The number 9's reaction as he jumped into the crowd probably said it all as the Geordie crowd celebrated wildly before Alan Pardew also instinctively turned to the Toon faithful to make the most of the moment.

But the celebrations went on long after the final whistle and when Sunderland's result from Stamford Bridge also crackled over the PA system both Steven Taylor and Tim Krul - spotted hugging each other - were very much on the same wavelength as fans, knowing a huge step to survival had been taken.

It's a well known fact that football managers sometimes use media criticism to aid them in their team talk.

Down the years managers have pinned up paper cuttings in the dressing room and sometimes left their team talk at just that.

And for Alan Pardew here in Lisbon, he must have been rubbing his hands when Portuguese newspaper Record ran with a headline reading "Mission Impossible" when referring to United's chances of victory against Benfica.

The subject was raised in Pardew's Press conference today when he suggested the local papers had been "bullish" in their assessment of Benfica's chances.

Newcastle United will have the tag of underdogs yet again when they take on Benfica on Thursday night here in Lisbon.

The Magpies have been second favourites in both of their last two ties against Metalist Kharkiv and Anzhi Makhachkala.

And they go into the game with former European champs Benfica unfancied by the bookies.

We've always known that Newcastle United have an excellent prospect in the shape of Northern Ireland international Shane Ferguson.

The only problem has been ensuring the 21-year-old gets enough game time on a first team stage.

It was all going so well for the lad from Derry in the early part of the season with Ferguson building up his experience with a cameo roles in the Premier League and his fair share of action in the Europa League - and there was evidence of the damage he can score with that sweet left foot.