Andy Carroll had scored three goals in 29 games for Newcastle United prior to the 2009-10 campaign, but it was his talismanic form during their Championship winning season that saw him propel his name into the spotlight.
The Newcastle academy graduate bagged a formidable total of 17 goals and 12 assists in 39 appearances as the Magpies lifted the Championship title with an astonishing 102 points.
Danny Simpson had joined Newcastle on loan until January 2010, and signed on a permanent basis after establishing himself as a key first team player under Chris Hughton.
The full-back, who would later win the Premier League at Leicester City, says that Carroll's sensational goal scoring form made it easy for him to settle into the side.
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“Andy came into his own didn’t he?” Simpson recalls. “Him and Kevin (Nolan) had their friendship on and off the pitch. It was massive. If you can get it right off the pitch, you take it onto the pitch," Simpson told true-faith.co.uk.
“For me as a full-back, you didn’t need to pick anyone out. You just saw his big legs galloping and you knew where to put it. He was so good at attacking it. He played to his strengths. He was great for us.”
Carroll was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year and was rewarded for his strong start to the following season in the Premier League with a first international call-up.
He registered 11 goals and eight assists in 19 appearances for the Magpies in 2010-11, before infamously leaving for Liverpool for £35 million in January 2011.
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