Ramage close to return

Defender turns out for reserves following injury

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 19th March 2008

Peter Ramage1

Ramage: Reserve outing

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Peter Ramage is desperate to help Newcastle in their relegation battle after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Ramage picked up the problem against Middlesbrough in August and has had to watch on as The Magpies have slid down the table in recent months.

The defender played for more than an hour as the club's reserves drew with Bolton on Tuesday night, and he is confident of turning out in the Premier League again soon.

"I am dying to get back into the first-team picture - it has been a long seven months," Ramage told the Evening Chronicle.

"All I want to do now is be part of the Newcastle team that gets out of trouble in the Premier League.

"The aim is to finish on a high, and hopefully I can help the team finish well and get out of this situation."

Frustrating

Newcastle came from behind to draw with Birmingham on Monday but they remain very much in the scrap for survival and Ramage admits it has been a difficult time for him on the sidelienes.

He said: "It's great to be back and good to play that first game.

"It's been a long time, a frustrating time for me, especially the way the season has gone.

"At Birmingham we couldn't lose - and we didn't. There were plenty of positives.

"In the first half on Monday we did OK, and in the second half we improved. We deserved a point overall."