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Newcastle were left in the bottom three of the Barclays Premier League with one game to play after they were beaten 1-0 at home by high-flying Fulham.

Mark Viduka was controversially denied a precious second-half equaliser after Diomansy Kamara’s 41st-minute strike proved to be enough for the points at St James’ Park.

The Australian thought he had levelled five minutes after the break to give his side a lifeline.

However, referee Howard Webb harshly chalked off his effort for a foul by Kevin Nolan on keeper Mark Schwarzer to dump the Magpies, who played the last half-hour with 10 men after defender Sebastien Bassong had been sent off.

Newcastle, who had soon to be out of contract skipper Michael Owen missing with a groin injury in what might have been his final game for the club, went close 12 minutes from time, but Schwarzer pulled off a fine save to deny Obafemi Martins, who had earlier hit the post, and then kept out Nicky Butt’s injury-time effort.

They now face a trip to Aston Villa next Sunday knowing even victory might not be enough if other results go against them and with their Barclays Premier League status hanging by a thread.

Tyneside was shrouded in dark clouds, both literally and figuratively, as the final whistle sounded and a crowd of 52,114 filed out not knowing whether they will return to watch top-flight football next season.

The euphoria of Monday night’s 3-1 victory over derby rivals Middlesbrough, which dragged the club out of the bottom three, had quickly been put to one side with no-one in the Newcastle camp in any doubt the job was nowhere near done.

For much of the first half, Shearer’s men looked the more likely to take the initiative, but when they left the pitch at the break, they were trailing and back in trouble.

It might have been so different had Martins’ 15th-minute shot not come back off the post after he had played a neat one-two with Nolan, or had Viduka managed to hit the target when presented with a free header, albeit from distance, by Danny Guthrie’s cross 10 minutes later.

However, Fulham, who arrived sitting in seventh place in the table and in with a real shout of securing a place in the Europa League, had not just come along for the ride, and served warning of their intent six minutes before the break.

Erik Nevland ran on to Kamara’s clever back-heeled pass and curled a shot towards the far post, and keeper Steve Harper was delighted to see it drop inches wide as he flung himself across his line.

But the Magpies did not heed the warning, and they fell behind two minutes later in controversial circumstances.

Danny Murphy’s pass found Nevland in acres of space on the right and with the home defence appealing in vain for an offside flag, he raced away before squaring for Kamara, who evaded Bassong and Steven Taylor on the line to fire into the roof of the net.

Former Magpie Aaron Hughes blocked a Jonas Gutierrez shot as Newcastle attempted to hit back immediately, but St James’ was once again bathed in anxiety as the players left the pitch at half-time.

Shearer’s players returned in determined mood and might have been back in it within two minutes when Martins volleyed a Guthrie cross towards goal, but could not hit the target.

However, they thought they had levelled with 50 minutes gone after Viduka twice got the better of his former Middlesbrough team-mate.

The striker saw his header from a Guthrie free-kick cleared off the line by Dickson Etuhu, but there was nothing anyone could do to keep out his header from the resulting corner with 50 minutes gone.

But the Australia international’s joy turned to misery within seconds when Webb ruled Nolan had impeded Schwarzer on the line, although television replays suggested the decision was harsh with the keeper not even appealing.

Newcastle laid siege to the Fulham goal as they sensed the time had come, but they were wasteful in promising positions with Gutierrez particularly guilty.

However, disaster struck on the hour when central defender Bassong was sent off for hauling down Kamara 40 yards from goal, and the Frenchman could have few arguments.

Martins got in 12 minutes from time only to be denied by Schwarzer, and the keeper pulled off a superb injury-time to keep out Butt’s effort.

Obafemi Martins and Peter Lovenkrands climbed off the substitutes’ bench to hand Alan Shearer a first victory and Newcastle a Barclays Premier League lifeline with a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough.

The Nigeria international struck within seconds of replacing Michael Owen with 20 minutes of a pulsating encounter remaining and the Dane secured the points with four minutes left to drag the Magpies out of the relegation zone and send Hull into the bottom three.

It was Newcastle’s first home win since December 21 and just their second anywhere in 18 attempts in what Shearer had described as the biggest match of his career, and he celebrated accordingly on the final whistle.

But opposite number Gareth Southgate could have few complaints about the effort his players put in as they fought for their top-flight lives to the death, although their plight now looks desperate after an 11th successive away league defeat.

They had taken a third-minute lead when the unfortunate Habib Beye bundled the ball into his own net after goalkeeper Steve Harper had blocked Tuncay Sanli’s close-range shot.

Steven Taylor celebrates his equaliser against Boro - GettyImages

However, defender Steven Taylor levelled within six with a bullet header after Boro old boy Mark Viduka had hit the post on a night when both sides enjoyed spells of control in front of a passionate crowd of 51,252.

Owen, who admitted his disappointment at being dropped for the trip to Liverpool last time out in his programme notes, returned to the starting line-up in one of five changes as Shearer went for broke.

However, with Boro also having reached the point of no return, Southgate too adopted an attacking approach with record signing Afonso Alves partnering Marvin Emnes in attack as the Dutchman was handed a first league start, and Stewart Downing lined up on the right in an attempt to test makeshift full-back Damien Duff.

The first goal arrived within three minutes of the kick-off, but for Shearer, it came at the wrong end and with a good deal of misfortune.

Tuncay turned well on Alves’ pass, but looked to have overrun the ball.

He got there just ahead of the fast-advancing Harper, who blocked, only to see the rebound ricochet back off Beye and into his own net.

Newcastle’s luck did not improve at all three minutes later when Viduka blasted a shot towards Brad Jones’ top corner, but with the goalkeeper looking on helplessly the ball cannoned back off the post.

But if there was any sense of despondency at St James’ it disappeared with nine minutes gone when Taylor rose to meet the first of a series of Danny Guthrie corners and guided a header past Jones.

The home side took the game by the scruff of the neck and Jones had to pull off a vital fingertip save to keep out Owen’s flicked 27th-minute header.

But Boro gradually eased their way into the game and with Downing and Tuncay prospering on the wings and Emnes causing all kinds of problems to stretch the Magpies defence, they threatened to restore their lead.

They very nearly did just that when the Dutchman benefited from Mohamed Shawky’s tackle on Viduka deep inside his own half and blasted in a shot which Harper blocked with his legs, and the striker wastefully dragged the loose ball wide.

Alves later departed on a stretcher to be replaced by Marlon King, but the game was very much in the melting pot as the players headed for the dressing room.

Viduka might have put the home side ahead with the cheekiest of efforts when he back-heeled Beye’s 46th-minute cross wide of the far post, and Nicky Butt drilled a free-kick into the defensive wall as the Magpies started brightly once again.

But Boro’s response was concerted and as the home side completely lost both their shape and concentration, it took an excellent save from Harper to keep out Gary O’Neil’s goal-bound 57th-minute strike.

The Teessiders were by now looking the more likely to break the deadlock, and Shearer decided the time had come to replace Jonas Gutierrez with Lovenkrands.

But it was Martins’ arrival as a 70th-minute substitute for Owen which proved the turning point.

Viduka headed on a high ball past Kevin Nolan and the Nigerian stepped inside Matthew Bates before dispatching the ball past Jones despite slipping as he shot.

The noise inside St James’ almost lifted the roof, although the game was far from over as the home fans settled down for an agonising finish.

But Lovenkrands calmed the nerves with four minutes remaining when he thumped home Nolan’s cross to seal a win as important as any in the club’s recent history.

Michael Owen passed up the chance to fire Newcastle to a potentially life-saving victory as Alan Shearer was left staring down the barrel of a gun after a 0-0 draw with Portsmouth.

The 29-year-old striker was denied by veteran goalkeeper David James’ legs after he was played in by Mark Viduka 63 minutes into a pulsating encounter, which both sides had chances to win.

James had earlier saved from Damien Duff, and Viduka and Obafemi Martins both went close on a night when the Magpies needed all three points to rekindle their hopes of Barclays Premier League survival.

However, it might have been even worse for Shearer’s men with Peter Crouch firing straight at Steve Harper with 11 minutes remaining and Richard Hughes heading against the foot of the post three minutes later.

Shearer had set his side the task of winning their remaining three home games to drag themselves out of relegation trouble but, having fallen at the first hurdle, they now face the daunting prospect of having to get something at Liverpool on Sunday.

The 38-year-old made a series of statements ahead of kick-off when he named all three of his big-name strikers – Owen, Viduka and Martins – in his starting line-up and left Kevin Nolan and Ryan Taylor, two of the three men signed during yet another disastrous January transfer window, out of the 18.

He had appealed in advance for passionate support from the stands and he got just that, with the help of a rousing rendition of Blaydon Races from opera star Graeme Danby moments before kick-off.

But what he needed most was a response from his players and he got that too.

Newcastle took the game to Pompey from the off and, what they lacked in guile and craft in the middle of the park, they made up for in effort and commitment.

That they went in at half-time with nothing to show for their efforts was down to a combination of poor finishing, good defending and one excellent save from Shearer’s former England team-mate James.

However, the applause they received as they left the pitch could only serve to increase their determination not to be denied once they returned.

With Pompey fielding Crouch as a lone striker and, at times, getting all 11 men behind the ball, the Magpies had to remain patient.

Alan Smith, still waiting for his first goal in a black and white shirt, had optimistic appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Mike Riley when his driven 30th-minute shot was blocked by Hermann Hreidarsson’s arm, and the former Manchester United midfielder fired just over five minutes later.

In the meantime, Viduka only just failed to turn a low drive from substitute Danny Guthrie, on for injured full-back Jose Enrique, past James.

But Newcastle’s best two chances of the half came inside the final seven minutes, James making a fine save to push Duff’s goal-bound effort around the post, while Martins saw a close-range shot deflected over the bar with seconds remaining.

Pompey created little as they attempted to hit their hosts on the counter-attack, although Harper had to tip a 33rd-minute curler from Sean Davis over the bar.

Viduka was presented with a glorious chance to open the scoring within seconds of the restart after Owen cleverly back-heeled Martins’ pass into his path.

However, the Australian could only stab his effort straight at James as the blue shirts closed on him.

Fabricio Coloccini endured a heart-stopping moment when Crouch went to ground inside the box under his 50th-minute challenge but, again, Riley was in no mood to award a spot-kick.

James was alert enough to prevent Martins from reaching a long ball four minutes later, if only just, but, as the game became increasingly stretched, play switched rapidly from end to end.

The Pompey keeper almost handed Newcastle a glorious chance on a plate when he dropped Duff’s cross with Viduka and Owen close at hand, although he redeemed himself with 63 minutes gone.

Viduka managed to squeeze the ball through the Portsmouth defence, despite having been wrestled to the ground, to leave Owen with just the keeper to beat, but James blocked with his legs to leave Shearer with his head in his hands.

The manager introduced Andy Carroll and Jonas Gutierrez for Viduka and Nicky Butt in a desperate attempt to find a winner but it was Nadir Belhadj who forced a fine fingertip save from Harper after a lightning 73rd-minute break.

Carroll looped a 77th-minute header high over but it was Pompey who staged the grandstand finish that might have resulted in victory had Crouch been able to beat Harper or had Hughes’ header landed six inches to the right.

Newcastle full-back Jose Enrique could return for Monday night’s Barclays Premier League clash with Portsmouth.

The Spaniard, the club’s only senior specialist left-back, has missed the last two games with a knee injury but was due to resume full training over the weekend and could figure.

Strikers Obafemi Martins (groin) and Mark Viduka (Achilles) have suffered no reaction to their returns to action at Tottenham last Sunday, but Steven Taylor (ankle) and Joey Barton (fractured metatarsal) remain doubts.

Portsmouth are waiting on forward David Nugent and defender Younes Kaboul with the pair suffering thigh injuries.

Nugent failed to come out for the second half against Manchester United on Wednesday after a challenge by Nemanja Vidic while Kaboul missed the game following a knock in the win over Bolton five days earlier.

However, both are expected to benefit from the few extra days rest.

Kaboul’s return would enable Glen Johnson to revert to midfield at the expense of Jermaine Pennant

Midfielder Niko Kranjcar, however, is unlikely to feature although medical reports on his damaged ankle – also sustained against Bolton – suggest he will return before the end of the season.

Pompey boss Paul Hart believes the Alan Shearer factor will have little bearing on Newcastle’s bid for survival unless the former England captain’s players share the responsibility with their new boss.

Hart was already more than six weeks into his own rescue job at Fratton Park by the time Shearer decided to leave the comfort of the pundit’s sofa and return to St James’ Park.

While Hart has won three and drawn four of his first nine matches, taking Pompey to the relative respectability of 14th place in the table, Shearer has managed just one point from his first three games in charge.

But Hart, whose side are seven points clear of their hosts with just five games to go, insists his own players have rebuilt such belief in themselves over the past two months that it will take a special performance to beat them.

“I said when Shearer took the job at Newcastle, and I’ve said it many times, was that Alan Shearer was a great player and I’m sure he’s going to become a great manager if he wants to be.

“But it is just the same at Newcastle as it is here. It is players who make teams play.”

Shearer said: “Without doubt, they will be a tough nut to crack. Paul Hart has gone in there and done a really good job.

“They will certainly be a threat from set-pieces, but I believe if we look at ourselves and do it right ourselves, then we will have a big chance.”

Newcastle United and Alan Shearer were plunged closer to relegation after Darren Bent fired Tottenham to a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane.

Bent struck after 24 minutes to leave Shearer without a win in his first three games as temporary manager, and he now has five matches to keep his club in the Premier League.

Fortunately for them, they have home clashes against Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Fulham – but judging by this performance they will not be straightforward.

Darren Bent scores for Tottenham Hotspur

They struggled to impose themselves on Spurs until Obafemi Martins came on and had a goal disallowed and a huge penalty shout turned down.

It means Newcastle are now four points from safety and it looks like their survival bid will go to the wire.

The fact the Magpies had won their last six matches against Spurs mattered little in the context of staying in the top flight – Shearer was drafted in because they have only won a single game since Christmas.

It was also unfortunate for them they faced a Tottenham team who have been solid at home since the arrival of Harry Redknapp last October.

They have only conceded nine goals there all season and are still in the hunt for Europa League qualification.

Michael Owen endured a frustrating afternoon and provided little to persuade Fabio Capello, who was in the stands, he is worthy of an England recall. Read the rest of this entry »

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe could make a shock return to the squad for the clash against Newcastle.
Defoe is back in full training after injuring his foot at the end of January and is pushing for a place, even though it was originally thought the game would come too soon for him.

Roman Pavlyuchenko (back) and Jermaine Jenas (hamstring) are struggling but Wilson Palacios is back from suspension and Alan Hutton (foot) is fit again.

Jermaine Jenas admits he expected Alan Shearer to be appointed Newcastle boss earlier in the season – and he just hopes there is enough time for him to save their season.

Shearer has six games to get the club out of relegation trouble and travels to Tottenham looking for his first win as a manager – one of three tough away games as they also face Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Hopes have been pinned on the remaining three games at St James’ Park, although there are fears Shearer may have been brought in too late.

Spurs midfielder Jenas, Shearer’s former team-mate, said: “I wasn’t surprised when he came in, I was expecting it all season.

“I’m sure he will do really well. I was reading that Shay (Given), another of my old team-mates, was worried that they may have left it too late. You hope it isn’t too late.”

Unfortunately for Shearer, Spurs have a place in Europe to play for and have also conceded the least amount of home goals in the Barclays Premier League this season.

Jenas has been a regular since Spurs went on a run that turned them from relegation candidates to European hopefuls, although he is struggling with a hamstring injury.

If he does not make it, Jenas will tell his team-mates how Newcastle will be “scrapping” for survival.

“If you look at the size of the club, nobody would have said at the start of the season they could have gone down,” Jenas said. “It’s unfortunate they are in that position and they will be scrapping.

“For a club like Newcastle to drop out of the Premier League is massive. We need to make sure we are up for the fight ourselves.”

Jenas saw Shearer develop managerial qualities while he was still playing.

“Sir Bobby Robson was the main man, the manager, but anywhere else you looked in the club it was Alan Shearer running it,” he said. “I had no doubt in my mind that he would be manager soon. He is a leader.”

Newcastle manager Shearer will make a series of late decisions on his injured players.

Shearer has asked striker Obafemi Martins (groin) to play through the pain barrier, while defender Steven Taylor (ankle) and midfielder Peter Lovenkrands (chest infection) were due to resume full training on Friday.

Left-back Jose Enrique (knee) remains a doubt but striker Mark Viduka (Achilles) is included in the squad.

Andy Carroll is fulfilling a dream as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of his hero.

The 20-year-old Newcastle striker’s late header at Stoke last weekend snatched a vital point for the club and sent Shearer into raptures on the sidelines.

That represented a major reversal of roles for a man who just a few short years ago was worshipping Shearer from the stands.

Whatever else happens over the remaining six games of a traumatic season on Tyneside, no-one will be able to take away what could prove a formative few weeks in his career.

Carroll said: “Playing for Alan Shearer is unbelievable. I used to watch him when I was younger, and he was a hero to me.

“He’s the manager now and I have just got to try to impress as much as I can.

“I know what he used to do. I have just got to try my best and do what I can do.”

Two of Carroll’s three senior goals to date for the club – his equaliser at Stoke and an earlier leveller at home to West Ham in January – have secured important points.

However, it is perhaps the trouble the 6ft 3ins hitman’s physical presence causes defenders which could be most useful between now and the end of May.

Shearer has been impressed with the way he has staked his claim with his performances for the reserves, and Carroll knows if he continues to impress the manager and assistant Iain Dowie, he will enjoy further involvement.

He said: “I have just got to try to impress them both and get a first-team place.

“They have come in and changed a lot of things. They have got the respect of everyone, which is what was needed.

“Everyone wants to play for them. Whether I play or not is up to them – I have just got to keep doing what I can do.”

Shearer has accepted that Martins was injured and will take no action against him.

Newcastle manager Alan Shearer will not take disciplinary action against Obafemi Martins, despite doubts over the injury which forced his late withdrawal from the squad to face Stoke. Striker Martins was a surprise omission from the 18 on duty ahead of the 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium, with Shearer later revealing the Nigerian had pulled out at 11am with a groin injury.

“He rang up and said he had a sore groin and unable to play,” said Shearer.

“We got the doctors and physios to go and have a look at him, and he couldn’t play.

“But there was no evidence earlier in the week he had the injury.

“After working on a particular system over the previous few days, then it was obviously disappointing to find out so late in the day he couldn’t make it, so we had to reshuffle the pack a little.”

The suggestion after the game was Martins had overslept, breaking a regimented routine implemented by Shearer, so fabricating the groin injury as a cover-up.

Dismissing the threat of disciplinary action, Shearer added: “No, he didn’t sleep in at all. That’s not true.

“We met just after 11 o’clock, so he never broke any curfews or anything like that.

“I personally spoke to him and I’ll speak to him again tomorrow morning, and we’ll have another look at him.”

Asked whether he believed Martins’ story, Shearer said: “You have to,” only to then underline his displeasure at the situation.

“I wasn’t happy I got the call at 11 o’clock, particularly after we had trained all Thursday and Friday, had massages Friday evening, and there was no sign of it.

“But it’s happened and we’re hopeful it’s not going to be too serious because he has a big part to play.”

It required an 81st-minute header from substitute Andy Carroll to give Shearer his first point as Magpies manager after Stoke captain and former United old boy Abdoulaye Faye had opened the scoring.

Shearer certainly felt Martins’ absence was a significant loss as he pointedly remarked: “Possibly we could have won the game if he had been fit.”

Michael Owen could not prevent Newcastle from slipping deep into relegation trouble as Arsenal closed the gap on the Barclays Premier League’s top three with a 3-1 victory.

The England striker, who started the game on the bench, arrived just in time to see the Gunners earn some breathing space at St James’ Park, and there was little he or anyone else in a black and white shirt could do about it.

It might have been different had Obafemi Martins converted a 23rd-minute penalty – which Owen would have taken had he started – but Manuel Almunia kept out his spot-kick to provide the platform for a clinical second-half display.

Nicklas Bendtner opened the scoring with a 57th-minute header, but Martins levelled within seconds to give his side hope.

However, goals from Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri within a devastating three-minute period wrapped up a win which saw the Gunners close the gap to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, and at the same time, dump Newcastle into the mire.

The home side ran out knowing they had slipped into the bottom three as a result of victories for Stoke and Portsmouth earlier in the day, and that did not make an already difficult task any easier.

In the circumstances, they knew there was little margin for error as they attempted to upset the odds to drag themselves out of trouble.

What was required was a spirited 90-minute display, and caretaker manager Chris Hughton will have been delighted with the way his players approached the game before the break.

That they ended the half with a clean sheet was down to two superb blocks by Steven Taylor and a fine save by goalkeeper Steve Harper, who was excellent throughout; that they did so without having taken the lead will trouble Martins for some time.

The Magpies were handed a gilt-edged chance when referee Mark Halsey pointed to the spot after Almunia had bundled Ryan Taylor to the ground after failing to collect a high ball.

Martins stepped up and calmly stroked his penalty low to the Spaniard’s left, but the goalkeeper guessed right and made a comfortable save.

The miss might have proved even more costly within three minutes when Andrey Arshavin wormed his way into the box and shot firmly towards goal, and could not believe his luck when Steven Taylor arrived out of nowhere to block.

But it took an equally fine last-minute challenge by Gael Clichy at the other end eight minutes later to deny Peter Lovenkrands.

Arshavin almost capped a superb 35th-minute run from his own half with a goal when he sent a blistering long-range shot just over, but Lovenkrands only just failed to find a finishing touch to convert Kevin Nolan’s driven cross four minutes later.

Martins, who had earlier gone close with a header, sent a fizzing snapshot just wide six minutes before the break, but it was the Gunners who finished the half with a flurry.

Harper had to dive at Van Persie’s feet to keep him out with a minute to go and Steven Taylor once again performed heroics in injury time after Bendtner had made the most of Fabricio Coloccini’s slip to pick out the Dutchman in front of goal.

Arsenal returned in determined mood and retained possession with ease as they tried to open Newcastle up, and it took a good block from substitute Habib Beye, a first-half replacement for the injured Sebastien Bassong, to see off Bendtner with 50 minutes gone.

Newcastle responded by forcing a series of corners, and from one of them, Steven Taylor had a header cleared off the line by William Gallas.

But the fireworks started in earnest two minutes later when Bendtner climbed highest to head home Arshavin’s free-kick.

However, the home side were level within seconds when Martins refused to give up on a ball into the box and when it sat up nicely for him, he fired a left-foot shot past Almunia to level.

Arsenal treated the setback as a minor irritation, and the result was put beyond doubt with a quick-fire double.

With Steven Taylor off the pitch receiving treatment, Diaby waltzed through an under-strength defence to blast his side back into the lead with 64 minutes gone, and when Nasri thumped a third past Harper three minutes later, the game was over.

In the meantime, Owen had replaced the injured Taylor, but all the action was taking place at the other end with Harper pulling off a fine double save from Denilson and Bendtner, and then keeping out Van Persie once again with his defence in tatters, and only a post denied Diaby a fourth in injury time.

By Craig Hope

NEWCASTLE United hitman Oba Martins has vowed to score the goals which keep the Magpies in the Barclays Premier League this season.

The explosive frontman was making his first start in nearly three months at Bolton on Sunday but had a mixed afternoon after seeing two glorious first-half chances go begging.

And United ultimately paid the price for their profligacy in front of goal as Ricardo Gardner struck just after half-time to snatch a 1-0 win for the Trotters.

The Geordies must now pick themselves up ahead of an 11-game survival run-in and Martins is determined to rediscover his scoring touch in that time.

“It’s been a long, long time, but I think I’m over my injury now,” said Oba.

“I’m happy I’m back with the team, and I hope to score a lot of goals before the end of the season.

“But the Bolton game was disappointing. I tried as hard as I possibly could to score, but it’s a little bit difficult when you come back.

“I had a chance, but I missed it. I just have to continue to play my football.

“For me, we didn’t play well at all. It’s not good at all, because we have to put maximum effort into our football.”

Newcastle United’s Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith could return for Sunday’s meeting with Everton.

The trio have been absent for much of the season and their comebacks could not be more timely, with the Magpies 13th in the Barclays Premier League but just four points above the relegation zone.

Chris Hughton, who along with Colin Calderwood is in charge of team affairs following manager Joe Kinnear’s heart surgery, told the club’s official website: “Oba Martins, Alan Smith and Mark Viduka will all be fit to make an impact in the run-in and that’s a good boost for us.

Obafemi Martins

“It’s very important to have them back in the frame. It’s immensely beneficial to us – they could be very important for us in the coming weeks.”
Australia striker Viduka has been limited to five appearances all season by an Achilles problem but came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of the 3-2 defeat of West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns as Newcastle ended a winless run of eight matches.

MAKING PROGRESS

Nigeria striker Martins has been out since mid-December with a hernia, while England international Smith has had foot and ankle problems and has not featured this term.

Hughton believes the presence of three seasoned internationals will benefit the entire squad, even if they are not fully fit.

“The group of lads we’ve got, they’ll look around them and see senior, quality and experienced players with them,” he

Alan Smith

added.

“Even if they are not quite up to full fitness, the lift they give the rest of the lads is obvious.

“Alan Smith has played in two friendlies and will play in the next one, while Oba will have had some training under his belt by the time of the next match.”

Brazil international defender Claudio Cacapa is also making progress in training, having been unavailable in 2009 due to a knee injury.

“Among the minuses there are plenty of pluses,” added Hughton.