The Scotland star swapped Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium for St. James’ Park in the summer.
Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie delivered an honest response when asked by Talksport if he has doubts about moving to St. James’ Park.
Ritchie took the surprising decision to leave Premier League Bournemouth despite Newcastle’s relegation from the top flight.
The Scotland international’s plan looked to have been ill thought, initially, as the Magpies lost their opening two Championship fixtures.
However, a run of six straight victories, in which Ritchie has directly contributed towards three of his side’s goals, has seen Rafa Benitez’s side catapult up the table.
When asked by Talksport’s Jim White on Wednesday if he had any doubts about the move, Ritchie replied: “I wouldn’t say I had doubts, but I had to think about it.
“Obviously I loved my time at Bournemouth, I had a fantastic time there – from the day I joined there was success, and it was great to be a part of that.
“I have a lot of close friends there and as you know it’s a fantastic club. It was a tough decision but when someone like Rafa Benitez is wanting your services and a club like Newcastle… as a kid, to play in front of 50,000 fans is what you dream of. It really is special up here.”
Ritchie moved to Bournemouth from Swindon Town three-and-a-half years ago, with both clubs then in League One, and fired his side to the title inside four months.
Both the 26-year-old and his teammates adapted quickly to the second tier, and after a season of consolidation, Eddie Howe’s side were promoted for the first time ever to the Premier League, again as champions.
Ritchie was subsequently crowned FourFourTwo’s best player in the Football League, having scored 15 goals from the wing that season.
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