Unseen 31-year-old Newcastle man is one of the loudest voices on the training ground

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Newcastle United’s fourth-choice goalkeeper Mark Gillespie is a big presence on the training pitch which is a big reason why he’s still around.

With a contract extension being handed to Matt Ritchie, how is very unlikely to be a main fixture in the squad this season, it’s evident that Eddie Howe is willing to keep players around who may not be in his first-team plans, but are very influential to the squad as a whole.

Along with Matt Ritchie, another player who is apparently very vocal around the Benton training ground, according to The Telegraph, is fourth-choice goalkeeper Mark Gillespie.

Gillespie has yet to play in the Premier League in three years at Newcastle

Gillespie has been at Newcastle for three years and has only made three senior appearances in the Carabao Cup back in 2020.

Yet while it was Martin Dubravka who was shipped out on loan last season, and now Karl Darlow who has been sold this season, Gillespie is still around the first-team training camp.

The Telegraph noting: “One of the first things manager Eddie Howe realised when he arrived on Tyneside is that “you can never have too many Geordies around.””

Mark Gillespie is a lifelong Newcastle fan and that’s important to have around

A lifelong Newcastle fan, Gillespie knows more than most what the club means to its fans and how important it is to the City as a whole, and that kind of knowledge isn’t something to be undervalued.

He may not be the first, or indeed last, name on the team sheet but it’s clear Eddie Howe sees his value as it’s never really been hinted at that he’s set to leave Newcastle.

We may well go another season without seeing Gillespie kick a ball in a competitive match, but if he’s there, behind the scenes giving the new recruits the knowledge of what makes this club great and urging on the players in training, then he’s still an important piece of the puzzle.