Wholesome Martin Dubravka & Anthony Gordon moment cameras missed after Newcastle United 2-1 Burnley
Martin Dubravka returned to St James’ Park for the first time since his summer move from Newcastle United to Burnley.
Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka received a warm reception on his return to St James’ Park with Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The Slovakian conceded directly from a corner taken by Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon added a second from the penalty spot in the first half. Zian Flemming pulled back a consolation penalty for Burnley in stoppage time as the match ended 2-1.
But throughout the afternoon, Dubravka was given a warm reception by the supporters and his former teammates. The goalkeeper’s name was cheered by both sets of fans as it was read out over the PA ahead of the match.
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St James’ Park shows its love for Martin Dubravka
Newcastle supporters chanted ‘oh, Martin Dubravka’ during the match and the Burnley man responded with an appreciative clap.
After the match, the likes of Sandro Tonali and Fabian Schar were seen speaking to the goalkeeper while Dan Burn embraced his former teammate. There was also a wholesome moment between Dubravka and Gordon after the Newcastle winger sent him the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Dubravka pointed at the Newcastle No. 10 before giving him a hug, to show there were no hard feelings despite his obvious disappointment with the result for Burnley.
Eddie Howe on Martin Dubravka’s return
Ahead of the match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe hailed Dubravka as a club ‘legend’ given his contributions during his time on Tyneside.
Dubravka made 179 appearances for Newcastle between 2018 and 2025 before joining Burnley in the summer to secure regular first-team football. While Burnley sit second bottom of the Premier League table, Dubravka has already made an impression at Turf Moor and has made the most saves of any goalkeeper in the division so far this season.
Dubravka signed a new contract at Newcastle at the start of the year after a good run of form in Pope’s absence before leaving the club months later.
Newcastle then signed Aaron Ramsdale on loan as Dubravka’s replacement in the squad. The 27-year-old is set to face Burnley on Saturday after breaking into the line-up in Pope’s absence.
Looking ahead to Dubravka’s return, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe spoke very highly of a player he regards as a ‘legend’ of the club.
“He’s an unbelievable professional and a very good goalkeeper,” Howe said. “Long before I came to the club, he etched his name into legend status here for what he did for such a long period of time, and how dependable and reliable he was for the football club, in difficult moments.
“He comes back, and I’m sure he’ll get a warm welcome from all the supporters. I probably won’t get to see him because that’s just the nature of my job, but I think he deserves a warm welcome.”
And he certainly got one, though the three points for Newcastle may have helped with that.
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Martin Dubravka admits Newcastle United frustrations
Dubravka’s return to the Newcastle starting line-up last season coincided with an impressive run of form as the side climbed up the table and reached the Carabao Cup final.
But Nick Pope’s return from injury saw Dubravka drop back out of the side and benched for the cup final.
Dubravka had verbally agreed to join Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia in January before signing a new deal at Newcastle.
“You cannot compare the contract in Saudi financially with the one in Newcastle, but for me it was always Newcastle first and I was delighted to stay,” he told The Times. “It was official on the Thursday, and then on the Saturday Eddie dropped me!
“I didn’t expect that because I just signed a new deal with Newcastle instead of one which would completely secure my life in Saudi Arabia. I was shocked. We had a conversation after the game, and it was not a nice conversation.”
On his move to Burnley, Dubravka added: “I’m loving playing every week and we have been so close in games. The good thing is the gap between us and the other teams is not too big.