Elliot Lee spoke to the media after the Reds secured a 14th place finish in the Championship.
The attacker reflected on a special day for him personally, playing at St James' Park which is a ground that means a lot to Lee and his family, following his Dad's special relationship with the Club.
“It was a great day, that Club means a lot to me and my family and it’s the second time I’ve got on here because I got on while I was at West Ham two seasons ago and it’s a good place for me to come.
“No one came in the end from my family, my Dad had a trip that was cancelled and he couldn’t make it in the end but I’m sure they’ve all heard the news back home. It was obviously great to get 20 minutes or so, I had one or two shots that might have gone in on another day but that’s how it is and well played to Newcastle for winning the league."
The Reds put in a solid performance and the scoreline was harsh, but ultimately Newcastle showed their class and finished as Sky Bet Championship champions.
“It was sort of what we expected, Newcastle, the stadium and the fans were all on top of us and it was always going to be difficult for us, I don’t think we played to our best but Newcastle got the job done and well done to them. We know we can beat anyone on our day so we never came here thinking we were going to lose but unfortunately it didn’t go for us today and it went for Newcastle."
Having returned to Championship action this season following promotion from League One, the Reds have secured a 14th place finish and defied plenty of pre-season expectations.
“It’s fair play to us for how well we’ve done in the league this year and they’re bringing on millions of pounds worth of players and it’s difficult to compete against that and they took the three points.
“The lads have been brilliant all season, I came here in the summer and was welcomed in straight away, it’s been a good environment all season, I would’ve liked to have played more but it wasn’t to be and well done to the lads for getting the job done."
Lee would have wanted to play more this campaign, but he has stated that he's still happy at Oakwell.
“It’s been one of the hardest season I’ve had in my career to date and you have to keep going, I come into training every day with a smile on my face so there’s not much more I can do.”
Elliot finished by telling the media that he and his teammates had given the coaching staff a special moment following a great season.
“We gave them a massive round of applause because it’s a great environment to be in and that’s what makes us able to perform on the pitch, we get everything we need and it’s been brilliant.
“I think we should got for a top half finish next season, it will be difficult again looking at the teams that are coming down but we can strive for that.”
