Martin Dubravka insists he was FOULED for Wolves equaliser but Newcastle keeper's confidence remains undamaged by recent form

And the keeper is of the belief that he was RIGHT to attempt to catch the cross which led to Willy Boly's goal, and would do so again, if presented with the chance, despite recent criticism.

After an outstanding first 12 months at United, Dubravka come in for stick of late after seeming to cost United four points in eight days, following an error at Spurs, then again coming into question at Molineux.

But the Slovakian, who is ranked as one of manager Rafa Benitez's best signings in his three years at St James's Park, says the incident is not something he will dwell on - and his confidence in his own ability remains.

Speaking from the club's La Finca warm weather base, and discussing the incident for the first time in public, Dubravka said: "From my angle, it was definitely a free-kick. It was a foul.

"I remember seeing the ball come over and thinking, 'I can catch this'. Then, suddenly, I was blind, I had a hand close to my head, so I couldn’t feel the ball.

"Obviously, I thought the referee would whistle. I fell down on my back, so it was obvious. I was really surprised (there was no whistle). I did now know who was behind me, if it was a team-mate or their player. Then I saw the reaction of players, it was a goal. I still thought the referee would go to the assistant and say it was a foul. But he said, 'It’s a goal'. Everyone was very disappointed. We had controlled the game."

When asked whether he made the right call in attempting to catch the cross, rather than punch, Dubravka thinks he got the decision correct.

"I don’t think I would change anything," he said.

"I have analysed this moment 100 times, I have replayed and replayed this moment. I took one step back and went for the ball with my arms outstretched. I don’t think if I went with one hand it would change anything. Maybe it could be even worse, because if you go with one hand someone can knock you, and you can miss the ball. That is my opinion.

"Of course, I replayed it in my head. At the time, my team-mates did not know what had happened. But when they saw the video after the game, they realised. They were thinking, “Why didn’t he whistle?”. We complained a lot about it and were disappointed."

Lascelles and Dubravka were seen arguing over the incident in the aftermath on the park - Dubravka insists there was nothing sinister in the altercation, it was just two players who care about the cause, with their own views.

"There had been a goal in the last minute - he was angry that we had conceded a goal," said the keeper.

"I was angry that we had conceded a goal. But when you see what happened behind me… I don’t want to say that it’s easy to say that I should have caught it or punched it. It is better to watch the clips after the game and say whose fault it is, rather than at that very moment.

"But everyone has their feelings, that is normal. I respect that. I don’t have to agree with everything. But we had the same feeling after the game when we watched the clips together.

"The rules are really clear, you have to protect the keeper in the box.

"I’m not the kind of keeper who will complain too much and cry a lot, we have to look at the future.

"I have to approach the next game with 200 per cent extra strength. If the problem is coming at me from the front, I can come and punch it. If the problem is from behind, I have to be ready.

"You are trying to put it (the mistake) out of your mind as soon as possible. If you worry about what has happened, you are not focused on your job on the pitch."

So, will the incident and the recent errors against Spurs and Manchester United have an impact on Dubravka's performances moving forward?

"Personally, I would like to play the next game as quickly as possible," he said.

"The last game we played was not the best one - and I mean the result, we could have taken three points.

"I am the kind of person who analyses everything and watches the game twice. It can knock your confidence but I hope I did well enough in the previous games so I can build up my confidence again. If I look back, I’ve played well in many other games."