Derek Wright parked up at the training ground and made the same walk through reception that he had thousands of times before. This time was different, though: Newcastle United's head physiotherapist was saying goodbye after deciding to retire following an incredible 38 years of service to the club.
Newcastle were not going to let Wright slip out the back door, of course, and players and staff gathered in the canteen last Friday to give the 63-year-old a proper send-off. Eddie Howe and club doctor Paul Catterson both stood up to say a few words before Wright addressed his colleagues one last time. Although Wright managed to 'hold it together', the physio admitted it hit home, there and then, 'how much I'll miss it'.
"The players all stood and gave me a round of applause for what seemed an age," Wright told ChronicleLive. "That was quite emotional. I was finding it difficult to keep a grip. It was like a wedding after that because they came over one by one and said their piece and then I said my piece.
