Pardew salutes ‘outstanding’ Elliot

Maritimo 0 Newcastle 0

The 26-year-old, a summer buy from Charlton last year, was handed just his second appearance for the club a year to the day after his first in a Carling Cup victory at Nottingham Forest, and did not let his manager down.

Elliot produced two fine first-half saves from Sami and another from the same player 20 minutes from time to preserve his clean sheet as the Magpies claimed a point from their opening Group D encounter in Madeira.

Pardew said: “Rob has waited a long time — since the Forest game, really — to stake his claim.

“We know him very well, myself and the goalkeeping coach [Andy Woodman] because of Charlton, and this is a shot-stopper, this is a great goalkeeper.

“What he did at the start of the game is what he does in training every day, and I was pleased for him in every aspect of his game, very, very pleased with him.

“He was outstanding, as well as the back four against a really difficult surface and difficult opponents.

“Maritimo are a team who are going to surprise teams here. They are very, very good — their record suggests that. Therefore, taking all that into consideration, I thought a draw was a great result.”

Most of Elliot’s heroics came during yet another poor start by the Magpies, who were slow out of the blocks against the side currently lying in fifth place in the Primeira Liga.

However, they recovered to lay siege to Romain Salin’s goal and both Shola Ameobi and Dan Gosling were denied by the woodwork in quick succession.

Ameobi hit the bar after a superb solo run two minutes into the second half, although the home side finished strongly and after Elliot had kept out Sami and substitute Goncalo, Davide Santon managed to deflect defender Valentin Roberge’s injury-time header on to the bar and away.

Pardew said: “With the injuries we had before this game, I’m hoping that will be the weakest we have been this season, I hope so.”

Maritimo boss Pedro Martins was disappointed not to have claimed the victory he felt his side’s performance merited. “I felt we were much better than the opposition in the way we played,” he said.

MARITIMO: Salin, Briguel, Roberge, Guilherme, Miranda, Heldon (Fidelis 54), Olim, Simao (Abreu 75), Luiz, Dias (Adilson 82), Sami.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Elliot, Williamson, Perch, Santon, Taylor, Gosling, Amalfitano (Ferguson 76), Obertan (Marveaux 81), Vuckic (Ameobi 53), Bigirimana, Shola Ameobi.

Ref: Robert Schörgenhofer (Aut).