A former Newcastle United striker will make the final appearance of his playing career this weekend.
Newcastle United promotion winner Dwight Gayle has confirmed he is to bring down the curtain on his playing career just days after helping Scottish club Hibs secure European football.
The former Crystal Palace striker became one of Rafa Benitez’s first signings as Magpies manager when he made a reported £10m move to St James Park during the summer of 2016 as the Spaniard looked to guide United back into the Premier League at the first attempt. After netting his first goal for Newcastle in a 2-1 home defeat against Huddersfield Town, Gayle went on to score 23 goals across the season and was on target in a 3-0 home win against Barnsley that sealed the Championship title for his side.
Gayle spent time out on loan with West Bromwich Albion during the 2018/19 season in a deal that saw Salomon Rondon move in the opposite direction - but returned to St James Park at the end of the campaign and remained on Tyneside until the summer of 2022. Spells with Derby County and Stoke City followed before Gayle moved north of the border by penning a one-year deal with Hibs last summer.
The 35-year-old striker has scored six goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances in all competitions for the Easter Road club and scored the winner in their 2-1 derby win at Edinburgh rivals Hearts in December. Gayle also appeared in a 2-2 draw at St Mirren in midweek as David Gray’s side confirmed their place in the play-off round of next season’s Europa League.
Despite admitting he was ‘buzzing’ to help Hibs return to continental competition, Gayle has now he is set to retire this weekend and is focused on spending time with his family by bringing an end to a career that has taken him from non-league to the Premier League.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s season-ending home game with Rangers, Gayle told the Hibs website: “I am still fixated on retiring and getting back to my family. The most important thing for me is my family and spending time with them, especially while they are at a young age. I am going to come to the games as a fan next season for sure, and bring my little man to the away games abroad. The boys were buzzing to get the result on Wednesday and to get the job done. Now the fans can enjoy the day, get behind us and we can finish the season with a good result for them.
“You can see what every game means to the boys – we are all desperate to win. Our mindset hasn’t changed in terms of how much we want to win, we know how much it would mean to beat Rangers at home so I am sure the boys will be fully focused on doing that.”
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