Alan Pardue: “Leon kept knocking on my door telling me ‘I’ve never really had [a chance in the first-team]. I said ‘you’ve been here nearly a year - there’s no assists, no goals. What have I got to feed off here?’ and he said ‘look, I just want an opportunity’
“He’s had it since Andy Carroll left and fair play to him he’s taken it. The goals changed the mentality of the fans and the staff and the players around him. Everyone would have gained great confidence in Leon, and even himself so he has a great platform now to make a career here at Newcastle a successful one.”