Leaving Newcastle United team WhatsApp group was sad but I had to move on

They say that all good things must come to an end but for Paul Dummett leaving Newcastle United was never going to be an easy process.

The Kenton lad had been at the club since he was just eight-years-old, made his debut as a raw youth player, watched the Magpies go from Europe to the Championship, experienced relegation then promotion and celebrate ambitious owners after years of decline. But after 213 appearances for Newcastle the curtain had to come down for the defender who knows he still has plenty to offer in the professional game.

Dummett has swapped black and white for blue and white and Tyneside for Greater Manchester. After putting pen to paper on a new deal with Wigan Athletic his initial aim is to help former Celtic star, and his new boss Shaun Maloney, transform a relegation battle into a promotion charge.

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Dummett told Chronicle Live: "It's a Premier League set-up and infrastructure here at Wigan because they have been there in the past. It's a club that have been in the Premier League in the recent past too so as soon as I got the call about going to Wigan it was a no brainer for me.

"I know everybody wants to play at the highest level they can and I have had a good career at Newcastle but it has been a tough few months without a team. So when when I got the opportunity to play for Wigan it was just a no brainer to try to make a good go at it here.

"Shaun Maloney is the manager at Wigan and he told me a lot of good things, the way he wants to play, how he wants to pass the ball, he wants a good style. He is a good young coach and has learned and played with some good managers, he's worked with Belgium as well.

"He has his own ideas and I am excited to work with him. He also understands my situation and has been in this position.

"Hopefully, I can have a good relationship with him. At the moment we aren't in a good position in League One but the main issue is the team have not scored enough goals. They have been defensively solid and hopefully I can add to that.

"I am not renowned for scoring goals but I will try my best to weigh in! We are 10 points off the play-offs and if you win a handful of games in a row it can change very quickly."

Dummett's departure at Newcastle sparked an emotional response from supporters and marked the end of an era. On the day he left Dummett did not think of himself, instead he messaged everybody who had "believed" in him when others hadn't.

He opted against doing any big interviews on his time at Newcastle as he started to process more than two decades at the club. Rather than Instagrammable training camps in sunnier climes, Dummett was humble enough to go back to the club's youth team and train with Newcastle's youngsters.

Why? Because he wanted to put something back into the same Academy that had given him his career to begin with.

Reflecting on his emotional ending at Newcastle, Dummett said: "Leaving Newcastle was weird because as the season finished I still didn't know what would happen, whether I'd stay or go.

"I had a lot of chats with Eddie Howe building up to the summer which were all positive. I still didn't know if I'd be here or not and it was positive.

"I was hopeful (of staying) and even though I have not had many minutes in the past few seasons, being at the club when they were back in the Champions League, seeing the club attracting the best players from around the world as well.

"Being a player from Newcastle, growing up here and being a fan, it is still difficult to just walk away especially if you are being offered a contract. Even though I wasn't playing it was an ambition to continue and stay at the club. I was obviously gutted at having to leave Newcastle."

Then there was the modern phenomenon of the WhatsApp group chat in which players and staff share thoughts and comments as they experience the highs and lows of life at St James' Park together.

The Academy product said: "In terms of the WhatsApp groups, there are a couple, one for the players and one with staff members in. Some people get removed from them but I didn't! I was thinking they'd either forgot or they didn't want to!

"In the end, I just got to the stage where I thought: 'I'm going have to go!' There were new signings being added that don't even know me.

"So I left myself. The other group, I got a message saying: 'We're going to have to remove you. .But I was like don't worry I'm not offended I've left the club!"

Although, Dummett did not leave the organisation completely and spoke of his work with youth squad and head of the Academy Steve Harper.

Dummett said: "I have been working with younger players too and trying to help them by being a role model. Even though I am not a big name or produced fancy flicks from corners or been a player that takes defenders on all the time or scored goals, the time I had at Newcastle was long and younger players at United look up to me because I have done what they are trying to go on and do in coming through the Academy.

"I done a few lectures alongside Steve Harper and the nutritionists to work with the young players. It has been good and quite rewarding to help others on their journey.

"They all want to achieve what I did and I would like to help them in any way I can. It's been good to be involved in that side of thing."

But Dummett admits that in even when you leave Newcastle, Newcastle never leaves you. He was a fan before he walked into the Academy at eight, remained the fan who got the chance to become a first-team player and admits continuing to support the club remains his passion.

Dummett said: "I have been in a fair few times now and seen the lads and the manager for chats at the training ground. It feels weird going back. Watching the team is in the blood. I've been to all the home games and I was on the terraces in the away end at Everton.

"And like I say, I grew up a Newcastle fans, even though those lads were all my team-mates a short time ago, I am still a fan and at the weekend you want to go to watch Newcastle play. With away games I just go with my mates, I am a Newcastle fan at heart, if Wigan aren't playing I will be at away games near here."

Dummett has had to be patient in his search for a new club, there were conversations with Sheffield United and Portsmouth. But Wigan felt like the perfect fit for a 33-year-old who has plenty of football to play and a thirst to learn from managers and coaches around him.

The defender said: "It has been tough because there were other opportunities to go to other places. I have met a few managers. It's been difficult for me because I have never been in the position of leaving a club before. It was a weird time for me.

"I have been to clubs and training grounds to talk to managers and meet people, I thought deals were going to happen but they ended up not going through. It has been a weird time.

"Keeping fit has actually been all right for me and I'd have to thank Steve Harper because he allowed me to train with Newcastle U21s. So since pre-season started I have been in there with the U21s.

"The odd time I didn't train as a possible move neared and I didn't want to risk them but I have had some good training under my belt. Without that, and had I been training at home or running around on a field alone, it would have been more difficult. But with Newcastle helping me still it has been great. I can't thank them enough and as I say Newcastle will always be in my heart."