Ciaran Kelly

I performed an exclusive interview with Jonjo Shelvey. As Shelvey said himself: "I don't tend to talk to the media or anything like that as you probably well know. I have never been one to do interviews." That is what made this piece for me as Shelvey spoke in depth about his Newcastle United exit and his time at the club for the first time since leaving back in January. Outsiders have often rushed to make sweeping judgements about Shelvey over the years, and his persona on and off the field, but I felt this interview actually gave you an insight into what he is really like and how the club and the city got under the skin of his family. That was the aim, anyway.

I also worked on an in-depth, 'inside story' style feature after Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League for the first time in more than 20 years. I had been working on this long read for several weeks as Newcastle edged ever closer to sealing their place in the top four and spoke to a number of key figures on and off the record, including manager Eddie Howe, assistant Graeme Jones and players Fabian Schar and Dan Burn. The aim of the piece was to look at some of the secrets behind the achievement, whether it was the group's fearless mentality; the culture Eddie Howe and his staff have built; the hierarchy's support off the field; or the detail and intensity behind every drill at the training ground. Having everything in place meant we were able to publish it literally the day after Newcastle secured Champions League football with a goalless draw against Leicester City.

Finally in an exclusive interview with Graeme Jones, who is Newcastle United's assistant manager. This remains the only sit down Jones has done since his appointment at Newcastle in January, 2021 and took place ahead of an event for St Oswald's Hospice earlier this year. Graeme is an ambassador for the charity, after the hospice looked after his late mother, Rita, and bravely spoke about the loss of his parents in depth for the first time as well as what has been an eventful spell at his boyhood club. It is not easy to talk about grief, particularly for those working in football, but I have no doubt that Graeme's words will have inspired others.