Hughton hoping for fresh momentum

NEWCASTLE boss Chris Hughton hopes to use today’s FA Cup third round trip to Plymouth as a springboard for a new winning run in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The Magpies head for Home Park sitting six points clear at the top of the Championship and favourites to make an instant return to the Barclays Premier League.

However, they took only two points from eminently winnable clashes with Sheffield Wednesday and Derby over the Christmas period, which allowed chasing West Brom to close a gap which at one point stood to 10 points.

The FA Cup may be a lesser priority for Newcastle this season, but Hughton knows the value of a victory this weekend ahead of next Saturday’s league trip to Reading.

He said: “Football is about confidence and momentum. We are on the back of a couple of draws, which by our standards is disappointing, albeit one of them was away from home.

“But it is about confidence and there’s no doubt the most important game for us is the next game, and if we are able to come away from a very difficult place to get a result – they are on a very good run at the moment – then certainly we will be the better for it going into our next league game.”

That said, Hughton is likely to make changes to the side which drew 0-0 with Derby on Monday evening with the likes of Tim Krul, Tamas Kadar and Nile Ranger among those who could be given a chance.

The former Tottenham defender understandably has a soft spot for the competition after winning it twice – in 1981 and 1982 – and reaching the final again in 1987 only to lose out to Coventry.

But it is the first final which features most prominently among his memories, Spurs eventually beating Manchester City 3-2 in a replay made famous by Ricky Villa’s stunning winner.

Hughton said: “For me, of course, as a player it was ’81, probably because it was my first. I was fortunate to play in ’82 and get to a cup final in ’87, but the first one is generally the most precious one.

“As a professional player, it was the first thing that I had won, and probably for the group of lads as well, it was their first domestic trophy in the game.

“Certainly, it was a wonderful spectacle and when you look back at cup finals over the years, it was probably one of the most entertaining.”