COMEBACK kid Robbie Elliott has admitted that he "feels a foot taller" after being given an unexpected chance to resurrect his Newcastle United career this season.

The 30-year-old was drafted into Sir Bobby Robson's side to face Middlesbrough on the opening day of the campaign, despite failing to make a single first-team appearance in the whole of last season.

Elliott, who is currently in his second spell with the Magpies after a four-year stint at Bolton, was frozen out entirely as the likes of Steven Taylor and Peter Ramage leapt above him in the pecking order.

But, after impressing in the 2-2 draw at the Riverside, Elliott has found himself restored to the starting line-up for successive wins over Blackburn, Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin and Southampton in the absence of the injured Titus Bramble and the recently-departed Jonathan Woodgate.

He even kept Northern Ireland international Aaron Hughes on the bench at St Mary's and, after being handed the captain's armband for last week's UEFA Cup tie, the Gosforth-born defender is savouring every minute of his sudden revival.

"I feel a foot taller now and I'm walking around with my head held high and a big smile on my face," said Elliott, who made his Newcastle debut under Jim Smith in March 1991.

"I'm growing in confidence with every game I play and I'm feeling great about my football again.

"It was like making my third debut for Newcastle when I played against Middlesbrough on the first game of the season.

"It's fantastic to be playing first-team football again, and to be involved is all I've ever wanted.

"That's been good enough, but to captain the side last week was fantastic - what a great honour it was. I didn't expect it, but it was one of the great moments."

Elliott's unexpected recall was one of Robson's final acts as Newcastle boss, but the former United manager was given little choice because of Bramble's long-term problem and the eye infection that swept through St James' in the final week of pre-season training.

There was an expectation that the full-back cum centre-half would find himself back in the reserves once Robson's defensive ranks returned to full strength.

That could still happen of course but, with Souness praising Elliott's contribution so far and highlighting him as one of the senior players he expects to play a mentoring role this season, the defender's run in the side could be longer than expected.

"The slate's been wiped clean for everybody with the new manager coming in," said Elliott. "But I just don't know which way it's going to go.

"You never know in football - in a few weeks I could be back to square one and back playing with the reserves. But, at this moment in time, I'm in the picture and I'm loving every minute of it.

"It feels like a new era. It's going to take time for him (Souness) to get his whole point of view across but, at the minute, things are going great guns.

"You're coming to the training ground on a morning and not really knowing what to expect, and that keeps you on your toes."

Elliott's next action is likely to come in Saturday's Premiership home game with West Bromwich Albion, a game that could see the Magpies go as high as fourth in the Premiership table if they win and other results go their way.

That match precedes next week's UEFA Cup first round second leg tie in Israel, with Newcastle sitting pretty after their 2-0 win on Tyneside.

"I think we created enough chances in the first leg and the most important thing was that we didn't concede any away goals," said Elliott. "That means we're set up nicely for next week's game.

"But we've got a big game against West Brom to think about before that. We've got to keep the momentum going now and make sure we continue to climb the table as quickly as we can.

"The longer we can keep things together and keep this run going the better. It's important for us to build up a bit of momentum."

l Newcastle's newest recruit, Ronny Johnsen, revealed he was all set to make a permanent return to his Norwegian homeland with his family until Graeme Souness made him an offer he could not refuse, writes JACK LESLIE.

Johnsen is undergoing double training sessions in a bid to earn a contract until the end of the season and insists Newcastle will be his last club as a professional footballer. He agreed a short-term deal until the end of December after Souness' arrival as manager.

But the Champions League winner, from his days at Manchester United, is determined to keep playing until May and wants to finish his career on a high with the Magpies.

''I'm doing double sessions at the moment, firstly training with the lads as normal and then working on my fitness in the afternoons. This is my pre-season,'' he said.

''I'm enjoying it so far, I'm getting to know the lads and my aim now is to get myself in shape for the team. I'm getting there, and maybe in a couple of weeks or so I'll be ready.''

Johnsen also admitted he was surprised when Souness made enquiries about his services, following his release by Aston Villa in the summer.

''I had a few offers over the summer after I left Aston Villa but I have a wife and six-month-old daughter to consider so we were planning on settling down back home in Norway.

''But once I got the call from Newcastle, I knew I couldn't really turn it down and we had no worries about coming here.

''To get this chance to play at a club of this size at this stage of my career was simply too good to refuse."

* UEFA have confirmed that Nicky Butt will today discover his punishment for the red card he was shown in Newcastle United's UEFA Cup clash against Israeli side Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin.

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.