SEASON OF TWO HARVS

Barnes delighted to be back for run-in after missing 4 months

- SIMON BIRD

HARVEY BARNES feared his season was over when he picked up a worrying foot injury but he's now ready to fire Toon back into European contention.

The winger scored for Newcastle against Luton on Saturday, his first appearance since pulling up lame against Sheffield United in September.

Barnes opted not to have an operation after conflicting advice from specialists and says it was the "right decision." With Anthony Gordon out for a spell after twisting his ankle, summer signing Barnes (left) is set for a big role in the coming weeks.

He said: "It's been a tough period for me, the toughest I've had in football, so I'm delighted to be back.

"When you're a new signing, you just want to hit the ground running. Six games in, you're injured. That's hard. Then it goes on longer than you think with a couple of setbacks.