Taylor made to stop Drogba

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has set his sights on shutting out Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba to further enhance his growing reputation.

The 21-year-old will go head-to-head with the man who, during his time at Marseille, denied the Magpies a place in the UEFA Cup final, when the title-contenders arrive at St James’ Park tomorrow.

Drogba has plundered 31 goals to date this season, the last of them in Wednesday night’s crushing 4-1 victory over West Ham at Upton Park.

However, Taylor is relishing the chance to pitch himself into battle with one of the most dangerous frontmen in Europe.

He said: “Drogba has had an unbelievable season. He has scored a lot of goals and he will cause problems for any defence in the world.

“As a player, you want to test yourself against the best, and he falls into that category.

“But they have got so many quality players, it is not just Drogba. It is no surprise they have done so well this season. They are still in the Champions League and the FA Cup and it looks like the title race is going to go all the way.

“We have just got to be positive ourselves in what we do. We have caused them problems in the past, and we know we are capable of getting a result.”

It will be the third time the two sides have met this season with Drogba securing 1-0 victories for the reigning champions on both occasions – a Barclays Premiership clash at Stamford Bridge on December 13 and a Carling Cup quarter-final on Tyneside a week later.

However, Taylor and his colleagues may prefer to recall the final game of last season when a Titus Bramble strike handed the Magpies all three points and booked their place in the Intertoto Cup.

Bramble could be recalled to central defence alongside the England Under-21 international as manager Glenn Roeder attempts to engineer a positive finish to a difficult campaign.

However, with the former Ipswich man, Craig Moore and loan signing Oguchi Onyewu unlikely to be at St James’ Park next season, it is Taylor who is looking to finally provide a solution to the problem which has dogged the club for years.

His no-nonsense approach to defending and his ability to contribute important goals have gone down well with the fans, although individual ambitions are secondary for the player.

Taylor said: “We have got four games left and we know what we have to do. We are looking for a strong finish to the season.

“We go into the game as underdogs – and I do not think too many people will fancy us – but that does not bother us.

“We have played well against Chelsea twice this season and been unlucky to lose both times.

“We have got a good record against them under Jose Mourinho at home, and we want to continue that. We beat them at home last season and there is no reason why we cannot do it again.”

That would go down well with Magpies midfielder Nicky Butt’s old friends at Manchester United, who currently enjoy a three-point lead over their only challengers for the title.

Butt has revived his career on Tyneside after returning from a season-long loan spell at Birmingham, and has been one of the few conspicuous successes this term.

However, while the 32-year-old knows former boss Sir Alex Ferguson would be delighted to see him emerge from tomorrow’s game with something to show for his efforts, Newcastle’s needs will come first.

Butt said: “We probably could do Manchester United a favour, but I am more worried about us. I just want to try as hard as I can for Newcastle United.

“You always look forward to playing one of the big guns, especially at St James’s Park. If we can finish seventh or eighth this season, it will be a good season considering everything.”