Peter Beardsley has broken his silence since leaving Newcastle United last week as U23 coach.

he Toon legend left his position as Newcastle Under-23 academy boss last week under a cloud after a probe into his alleged treatment of young players.

Newcastle failed to say why Beardsley had left or whether he was guilty or cleared of the accusations which he always vehemently denied. The FA have announced they're also investigating the allegations.

Beardsley, 58, spoke for 90 minutes at Gateshead's Hilton Hotel, next to the Tyne Bridge, at “An Evening with Peter Beardsley" event attended by around 170 fans and hosted by Newcastle Legends.

He said: “Everybody in the city of Newcastle has been amazing, for 15 months, they've been amazing.

“I know what I am and everybody who knows me, my family, my friends, knows what I am. I'm comfortable with what I am. It is what it is, I'm just ready to move on."

His stories were well received and he was given huge support form the audience remembering his 326 appearances and 119 goals for Newcastle - their sixth all-time greatest scorer.

He told the fans: “Thank you for coming, I really mean that. Most of you in this room will realise that I'm not a racist."