Relieved Remy never stopped believing

Newcastle United striker Loic Remy admits there is a sense of relief around the club after striking late in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

The Frenchman popped up deep into stoppage time to lash home a late winner at St James’ Park on Sunday for Alan Pardew’s side, ending the side’s barren run of over seven hours without a goal.

And the on-loan QPR forward believes the victory could help to kick-start Newcastle’s season as it ended a four-game winless streak and ensured Pardew’s men bounced back from five successive home defeats in all competitions.

Remy told Sky Sports: “I am relieved because we lost some important players like (Yohan) Cabaye (who joined Paris Saint-Germain in January) and we had so many injuries, so for us it was very important (to win) for the confidence in the team.

“It is good to win even at home. The fans are expecting a lot from us so now we are very pleased and I think the team are fine for the rest of this season.”

Remy’s late goal made the difference on his return from a three-match ban after being sent off in the 0-0 stalemate at Norwich City last month.

And the 27-year-old was determined to make up for lost time.

He added: “I was very hungry. I missed three games. I left my team-mates.

“I missed some good opportunities so maybe for the next game I will try to score more goals.

“I never feel my chance has gone because I really want to score or give assists so for me when the game is not finished I believe I can score.”

Remy dedicated his match-winning strike to assistant boss John Carver, whose father recently passed away.

He said: “I would like to dedicate this one to JC (John Carver) because of his father as unfortunately not all the players could be there for his funeral.”