ALAN PARDEW wants Steve Harper's Newcastle United team-mates to use the supporters' fitting tribute to the departing goalkeeper yesterday as an incentive to make up for a depressing campaign when the action restarts in August.

Harper, handed the captaincy, played his last game for the Magpies in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal when St James' Park was an emotional place as the long-serving shot-stopper often had tears running down his face.

The 38-year-old, wearing the number 37 and leaving at the end of his contract this summer, could not hold his feelings as the supporters chanted his name and gave him a memorable minute's applause in the 37th minute of yesterday's final Premier League match of the season.

Harper then returned to the centre of the pitch after the full-time whistle with his three children - James, aged 9, Olivia, 7, and Leo, 2 - before heading in to the tunnel to speak to his team-mates in the dressing room.

He said: "Everybody started clapping and a couple of the lads looked around to see if I was all that, I was wobbling. Seeing my dad just before we went out, he was a miner for 30 years, supposed to be hard as nails, but he was wobbling too and that got to me.

"(Lukas) Podolski then smashed me in the family allowance and that snapped me out of it. The lads made a presentation to me afterwards and I told them that's what you get at this club if you give it your all.

"I have not got half the ability of some players in that dressing room but I have always given it everything. I will miss the intensity of the club, it's a heavy shirt to wear and amazing club to play for if you can handle it."

Losing to Arsenal meant Newcastle finished 16th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone after conceding 68 goals, which is the poorest defensive record they have had in the Premier League era.

Now Pardew wants the players who are still around next season to remember the fans' send off to Harper yesterday to help move Newcastle forward.

"We paid our own tribute to Steve in the dressing room and he spoke very well," said the Magpies boss.

"The importance of the fans here, I want to highlight. They have been magnificent for us after the season we have had. In the 20 years he has been here, he has touched on that.

"We are very lucky to have fans like that. We owe them a debt next year to serve up a better standard of football and results. In terms of the season we know we should have done better."

Pardew is confident he will be retained by owner Mike Ashley and allowed to continue in the role as manager, although he accepts things need to improve after such a challenging campaign.

"It's been the toughest season in terms of workload I have had because of the Europa league campaign and the stress it has had on the squad, the staff," he said.

"Again, today, it has been a reflection of the season. If we had (Moussa) Sissoko or Shola (Ameobi) to come off the bench then that would have helped. But that's like our season. We have had too many big players missing. When we finished fifth, the team hardly changed."

He added: "If you were an outsider at this game you could not see there were 12 places between the two teams. It's obvious that the Europa league campaign, which we did terrific in, we went out to a very good Benfica side, that the Thursday to Sunday schedule really hurt us.

"It is the depth and quality we need to improve on, next year we will not have that pressure so we can go week to week in the Premier League. We will not be foolish to think we do not have issues to sort out. One or two players to come in to offer a different look."

Pardew is now expected to meet up with Ashley this week to thrash out pressing matters, but he reiterated a desire to keep unsettled Fabricio Coloccini, who was solid once more against the Gunners.

He said: "Colo is someone we want to stay. He is very important. It's not a business decision, a contractual decision, it is a personal decision and that lies with Colo."