Last updated on .From the section Newcastle

Fans display the 'Pavel is a Geordie' flag at St James' Park

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper has called for the return of a flag which pays tribute to his late team-mate Pavel Srnicek.

Goalkeeper Srnicek, capped 49 times by the Czech Republic, died in 2015, aged 47, following a cardiac arrest.

He played 190 times over two spells at St James' Park between 1991 and 2007.

A flag displaying the 'Pavel is a Geordie' chant was taken at the end of Newcastle's 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.

Harper - an academy coach at Newcastle - wrote on Twitter: external-link "Could whoever has taken the 'Pavel is a Geordie' flag please return it ASAP.

"The big man meant so much to so many people and it's only fitting he's remembered whenever NUFC play."

Srnicek played under Jim Smith, Ossie Ardiles, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish during his seven-year first spell at Newcastle.

While Keegan was in charge, Srnicek helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League and was an integral part of the squad that came close to winning the title in 1996.

Srnicek - who also played for Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth and West Ham - returned to the club on a season-long deal in September 2006 as cover for the injured Shay Given but was released in May 2007.