Darren Ambrose on signing for Newcastle after meeting Alan Shearer in Jesmond restaurant

Former Newcastle United midfielder Darren Ambrose has revealed a conversation with Alan Shearer in an Italian restaurant in Jesmond convinced him to sign for the Magpies. The then Ipswich Town youngster was not convinced after an original round of negotiations and looked set to return to Portman Road.

Sir Bobby Robson told the midfielder to get some food and return for negotiations, but it was a chance encounter with the Newcastle legend that convinced him to sign. Ambrose told talkSPORT: "When I first signed for Newcastle, I wasn't going to. I was young and I kind of wanted to go back to Ipswich and Bobby Robson said 'Go out, get some dinner and then come back and we'll discuss again - negotiate.'

"I went to an Italian restaurant in Jesmond in Newcastle. Alan Shearer walks in with a few people and introduces himself. I'm thinking 'blimey Alan Shearer, he obviously knows who I am.'

"He said: 'When you signing, are you going to sign now?' I was like 'Yeah, I'm going to sign now.' At the end of it I was like 'Can we have the bill please?

"The waiter said 'Mr Shearer has sorted it.' He was that powerful he put his hand up and put it on me. He dealt with the bill and it was brilliant. I went back and said 'Alan Shearer has told me to sign so I'm going to sign.'