Newcastle duo back for Birmingham clash

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will have central defenders Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson back from suspension for tomorrow’s Premier League trip to Birmingham.

Coloccini was sent off during the 5-1 defeat at Bolton and Williamson also picked up a three-match ban after being found guilty of violent conduct against striker Johan Elmander following the use of video evidence.

Their return could prove timely with Sol Campbell struggling with illness, while striker Shola Ameobi is likely to miss out with a hamstring injury.

Keeper Steve Harper, who was an unused substitute in last week’s 3-1 victory over Liverpool on his return from shoulder surgery, is pushing to replace Tim Krul in goal but Dan Gosling (knee), Ryan Taylor (ankle ligaments) and Hatem Ben Arfa (double leg fracture) are still out.

Team (from): Harper, Krul, Simpson, Perch, Ferguson, Enrique, Coloccini, Williamson, S. Taylor, Campbell, Kadar, Barton, Tiote, Smith, Routledge, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Nolan, Vuckic, Tavernier, Donaldson, Carroll, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Xisco.