On 11 September 2013, Steve Harper took to the pitch at St James’ Park for his Newcastle United testimonial.
In modern football, very few players stay at one football club for 20 years, but Steve Harper can proudly say that he remained on Tyneside at his boyhood club for two decades.
Newcastle United now have Nick Pope as their starting goalkeeper, but the likes of Harper and Shay Given established themselves as legends at the club due to their commitment and impressive performances between the sticks.
Harper’s longevity earned him a testimonial in 2013 shortly after announcing his departure from the club he made 157 league appearances for. Newcastle legends like Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Tino Asprilla were part of a Magpies side that took on an AC Milan legends side including Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Christian Vieri.
The referee for the game was Consett-born Mark Clattenburg, who spoke exclusively to Geordie Boot Boys about why Harper’s testimonial is so special to him.
Steve Harper during his 2013 testimonial.
Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
Mark Clattenburg reveals Steve Harper was one of his Newcastle United heroes
Nowadays, Clattenburg enjoys watching Newcastle from afar, now that he has retired from his officiating duties. However, he still enjoyed the very rare occasion that he could work on a game involving Newcastle.
As he was a fan of the club, Clattenburg never got the chance to officiate a competitive game involving the Magpies, but was more than happy to take the opportunity to be part of a friendly game.
“I did not get many opportunities to referee at St James Park,” Clattenburg told Geordie Boot Boys
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“But I did get the chance to referee Alan Shearer’s testimonial match as well as Steve Harper’s 12 years ago, which was the last time I got the chance to walk out at this great stadium.
“To get the call to referee Harper’s testimonial back in 2013 was an amazing dream for me, especially as Steve was one of my heroes as a fan of Newcastle United.”
“Steve was a long-serving Geordie who was also a referee and was always respectful of the job referees had,” Clattenburg added.
“This match was played in a full stadium and featured an AC Milan legends team with the likes of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Christian Vieri.
“The match was always about making as much money for charity, and it was nice that the match was settled on a penalty shoot-out.”
Newcastle United’s fitting tribute to Gary Speed in Steve Harper’s testimonial
In 2025, Harper is doing a great job in Newcastle’s academy, helping to sign talented young players from the United Kingdom and beyond.
The 50-year-old is recognised as one of the best academy leads in the Premier League, having worked tirelessly to bring up new stars after the takeover in 2021. Pete Graves was complimentary of Harper for the ‘unreal’ work he is doing behind the scenes.
While Newcastle lost Harper’s testimonial on penalties, the former Toon shot-stopper will still be very happy with the more than 50,000 fans who came to St James’ Park for the game.
However, the most moving moment for Clattenburg was related to the late, great Gary Speed.
“The match would always be remembered for me with the introduction in the match of Ed and Tommy Speed, sons of the late Gary Speed, who played where their late father was so fondly remembered,” he added.
“As a Geordie and a fan, I still remember everything about this great night.”