Tickets:
Watford FAC (h) Public sale now
Manchester City (h) Public sale now
Spurs (a) SOLD OUT
Wolves (a) Member sale now
Huddersfield (h) ST holder sale now

County cup:
Senior Cup: all off

All three of this season's Northumberland Senior Cup Quarter Final three ties scheduled for tonight have been postponed due to the weather.

Grass pitches at both Heaton Stannington and Newcastle Benfield were ruled unfit at lunchtime, with the artificial surface used by West Allotment Celtic belatedly going the journey at 6.45pm. 

New dates:

30.01.2019 Heaton Stannington v Morpeth Town
30.01.2019 Newcastle Benfield v North Shields
tbc West Allotment Celtic v Bedlington Terriers 

Senior Cup holders Newcastle U23s will host Blyth Spartans at Whitley Park on Tuesday February 5th (7.45pm)

(NB: that tie is subject to possible postponement should Spartans require a replay of their FA Trophy tie against Leyton Orient).

FAC:
Watford (h)

Newcastle will attempt to end a sequence of five FA Cup Fourth Round defeats when fellow Premier League side Watford visit SJP this Saturday.

Kick off against the Hornets is at 3pm and tickets are now on public sale priced £10 adults and £5 concessions, with only lower bowl areas initially on sale. The visitors have an initial 6,000 allocation. 

As was the case in the Third Round, those prices will rise to £20 adults and £10 concessions around 24 hours before kick-off. 

The winners of the tie will feature in the draw for the Fifth Round, staged during BBC1's One Show from 7pm on Monday evening.

NUFC: Fitness updates on Karl Darlow, Mo Diame, Paul Dummett and Jonjo Shelvey are awaited. Kenedy and Federico Fernandez should both be available following illness.

Yoshinori Muto remains on international duty, while Ki Sungyeung has returned but is out injured.

Paddy Power have a new customer offer of a free £2 FA Cup bet on all 13 ties played on Saturday and Sunday for any new sign-ups placing a £5 bet on Friday's Arsenal v Manchester United tie.

Find that online here

Deposits using credit/debit cards or PayPal only. Free bets are only valid for the specified matches and are awarded at 10am on Sat 26th of January. Free bet stakes not returned with winnings. T&C's Apply. 18+|Gamble Aware.

WFC: The Hornets reached this stage thanks to a 2-0 Third Round victory at non-league Woking.

Coral matchday betting is online here

Coral's new punter offer is bet £10 receive £30 in free bets. Terms & conditions apply online here





The Ware Rooms on Carliol Square will have these offers on Saturday:

Pizza and a pint £7
Two Dine for a Tenner
20% discount for NUFC season ticket holders before and after the Watford FAC game.

The Ware Rooms are at 17 Carliol Square NE1 6UQ - 5 minutes walk from both Monument and Manors Metro.

Stats: 

The Magpies have won just two of the last ten all-Premier League FA Cup ties they've played in:

2004/05 Spurs (h) won 1-0 QF
2004/05 Manchester United (n) lost 1-4 SF
2005/06 Chelsea (a) lost 0-1 QF
2007/08 Arsenal (a) lost 0-3 R4
2008/09 Hull City (a) 0-0 (lost replay 0-1) R3
2011/12 Blackburn Rovers (h) won 2-1 R3
2013/14 Cardiff City (h) lost 1-2 R3
2014/15 Leicester City (a) lost 0-1 R3
2015/16 Watford (a) lost 0-1 R3
2017/18 Chelsea (a) lost 0-3 R4

However they've lost just one of their last ten FA Cup Fourth Round ties against all sides at home: 

1989/90 Reading won 4-1 (replay)
1990/91 Nottingham Forest drew 2-2
1992/93 Rotherham United won 2-0 (replay)
1993/94 Luton Town drew 1-1
1994/95 Swansea City won 3-0
1996/97 Nottingham Forest lost 1-2
1997/98 Stevenage Borough won 2-1 (replay)
1998/99 Bradford City won 3-0
1999/00 Sheffield United won 4-1
2004/05 Coventry City won 3-1

NUFC v Watford - FAC meetings:

2015/16 Lost 0-1 (a) R3
1988/89 Lost 0-1 (a) R3R3
1988/89 Drew 0-0 (h) R3R2
1988/89 Drew 2-2 (a) R3R
1988/89 Drew 0-0 (h) R3
1931/32 Won 5-0 (h) QF
1923/24 won 1-0 (a) R3

Hornets in Toon - all time:

2018/19 won 1-0 Perez
2017/18 lost 0-3
2015/16 lost 1-2 Janmaat
2009/10 won 2-0 Lovenkrands, Pancrate
2006/07 won 2-1 Martins(2)
1999/00 won 1-0 Gallacher
1992/93 won 2-0 Peacock, Lee
1991/92 drew 2-2 Hunt, Clark
1990/91 won 1-0 Quinn(pen)
1989/90 won 2-1 Quinn, Gallacher
1988/89 drew 0-0 (FACR)
1988/89 drew 0-0 (FAC)
1987/88 won 3-0 O'Neill, Wharton, Tinnion
1986/87 drew 2-2 Anderson, McDonald
1985/86 drew 1-1 Gascoigne
1984/85 won 3-1 Megson, Cunningham, Reilly
1981/82 lost 0-1
1980/81 won 2-1 Hibbitt, Shinton
1979/80 lost 0-2
1931/32 won 5-0 Allen 3, Boyd, Richardson (FAC)

Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire) last seen when making his Premier League debut last April - a 0-1 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion.

Coote is no stranger to Cup games involving NUFC, taking charge of a 4-1 League Cup home success over Northampton Town in 2015 and our terrible 0-3 FA Cup defeat at Oxford United in 2017.

Travel:

Metro: There will no service between Tynemouth and St James in either direction all day Saturday (and until around 6.30pm on Sunday). The usual service 900 replacement buses will operate.

Trains: 

There's yet another RMT strike, which will reduce the amount of Northern Rail services that operate across the region, especially post-match. 

Road:

Road closures start one hour before kick-off on:

Leazes Terrace and area around the East Stand
Strawberry Place between the junction with Barrack Road and the Strawberry Pub/ Strawberry Lane at junction with Strawberry Place.

Closures will remain in place until approximately 30 minutes after the end of the match.

Road closures start about one hour after the start of the match on:

Strawberry Place at junction with Leazes Park Road
Leazes Park Road from Percy Street and Strawberry Place junctions
Terrace Place

Closures will remain in place until approximately 30 minutes after the end of the match.

Parking: 

Northumbria University offer weekend car parking to the public for £4 all day (or £1 per hour). 500 spaces are available at Lipman and City Campus East: book online here or turn up to pay & display.

Dedicated match buses run from Metro Centre (X50) and Gosforth Great Park (Q3) More details here

UK TV: None

Overseas TV: 
Astro SuperSport 4/Go (Malaysia)
6'Eren (Denmark) +HD
DAZN (Germany)
Digi GO (Czech Republic)
Digi Sport 7 (Slovakia)
ESPN+ (USA)
EuroSport 2 Sweden HD
EuroSport Player Den/Swe
SportKlub 4 Serbia
Sportsnet Now Canada
SuperSport 3/5 Za +HD
Viaplay (Fin/Nor) +HD
ViaSport 2 HD (Norway)

UK Radio: None (tbc)

Local Radio: Live on BBC Radio Newcastle

FA Cup Fourth Round ties:

Fri 25.01.2019:
Arsenal v Manchester United (7.55pm) BBC

Sat 26.01.2019:
Accrington Stanley v Derby County (12.30pm) BT
Swansea City v Gillingham (3pm)
Shrewsbury Town v Wolves (3pm)
Brighton v West Bromwich Albion (3pm)
Bristol City v Bolton Wanderers (3pm)
Doncaster Rovers v Oldham Athletic (3pm)
Newcastle v Watford (3pm)
smoggies v Newport County (3pm)
Manchester City v Burnley (3pm)
Portsmouth v QPR (3pm)
Millwall v Everton  (5.30pm) BBC
AFC Wimbledon V West Ham (7.45pm) BT

Sun 27.01.2019:
Crystal Palace v Spurs (4pm) BT
Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday (6pm) BBC

Mon 28.01.2019:
Barnet v Brentford (7.45pm) BT

CentrAle 2019  opening hours:  Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00 Sat 09:00-19:00 Sun 11:00-17:00 It's all about the Wylam:  Brewery 'specials' now in stock include Hank Marvin (an 8.6% Double IPA) and Searching for the Joys Again (a 4.7% 'Smashable Pale'). Plus, their supercharged iconic IPA Jakehead is in cans for the first time.

U23s:
Point salvaged

Notts County U23s  2  Newcastle U23s  2

Match report

Premier League:
Triple boost?

Ahead of Newcastle's Premier League visit to Wembley next month, our opponents Spurs are experiencing several personnel issues.

Already without Harry Kane with an ankle problem, Mauricio Pochettino must now reckon without the services of hamstrung Delli Ali until March.

And while we've lost Ki Sungyueng due to injury, South Korea's progress in the Asian Cup looks increasingly likely to rule out Heung-Min Son.

After taking 120 minutes to see off Bahrain on Tuesday, South Korea meet Qatar in the Quarter Finals on Friday - the winners of that tie facing either Australia or UAE on Tuesday 29th.

The Final is on Friday week, February 1st,

PS: Moussa Sissoko is pencilled in to return from a groin strain against former club Newcastle. 

Premier League:
Absolutely Fab-ulous

Newcastle  3  Cardiff City  0

Match report

Loan move:
Seasider Sorensen

Newcastle reserve striker Elias Sorensen has agreed a loan move to League One side Blackpool for the remainder of the current season.

The 19 year-old has scored 19 goals for United's U23 side to date and marked his U21 debut for Denmark last week by netting twice in two friendly matches against Mexico.

Blackpool currently sit eighth in the table - eight points off a playoff spot - and Sorensen could be in line for a senior bow at Coventry City on Saturday.

Having appeared for Newcastle in the Checkatrade Trophy derby last month, his adopted side are due to play at the stadium of plight in February. 

Before that there's a visit to Accrington Stanley, bringing possibility of playing against Newcastle loan pair Liam Gibson and Dan Barlaser.

Elias is the latest Magpie to make a temporary switch to the Tangerines, with midfielder Sean Longstaff spending the last season there and amassing nine goals from 45 appearances.

Previously, midfielder duo Liam Smith and Dan Gosling both spent time at Bloomfield Road. 

Sorensen joins a club who remain in turmoil, with the antics of Blackpool's owners leaving many fans in open revolt and boycotting home games.

Internationals:
Ki KO

Update: NUFC confirmed on Tuesday that Ki had been recalled from international duty due to injury. 

Having sustained a hamstring injury during South Korea's Asian Cup opener against the Philippines, Newcastle's Ki Sungyueng has been ruled out of the remainder of the competition.

The midfielder is now set to return to Tyneside, while in his absence, South Korea are in last 16 action on Tuesday facing Bahrain in Rashid.

United's other representative at the tournament in the Middle East is Japan's Yoshinori Muto, who has played twice and scored once so far.

Japan's last 16 opponents were Monday are Saudi Arabia and our man completed 90 minutes before being replaced as his side won 1-0 in Sharjah.

Japan's reward is a Quarter Final tie against Vietnam in Dubai on Thursday. 

The event runs through until February 1st.

Update:
Speech therapy

Update: The Chronicle's take on Saturday's Rafa - Ashley meeting was more of the "talks about talks" variety, with the owner seeking a meeting to discuss transfer-related business.

With two thirds of the transfer window already gone, should that meeting not have been held in December - before the owner went on holiday?

From the Mail, Saturday:

Mike Ashley and manager Rafa Benitez held talks at St James' Park on Saturday night, Sportsmail can reveal.

The Magpies were 3-0 winners over Cardiff City to move out of the relegation zone and two points clear of danger.

And after full-time a beaming Ashley headed for Benitez's office to offer his congratulations and re-open a dialogue with the Spaniard.

Sportsmail reported on Saturday that the owner was keen to re-engage with the boss, who remains frustrated by a lack of progress in the transfer market this month.

But with Ashley now close to conceding defeat in his effort to sell the club, the pressure is on to provide the players Benitez believes they need to stay in the Premier League.

Ashley was joined by close aide Justin Barnes during the discussions with Benitez, and supporters will be hoping promises were made.

Benitez's contract expires at the end of the season and he would need the team to survive and guarantees from Ashley over future investment before he commits to a new deal.

Ashley was last at St James' Park in November, since when he has been unable to sell the club with none of the interested parties having the financial means to fund a deal.

This is the first time he has spoken to Benitez since the autumn.

(Photos of Ashley at the game on Saturday showed him in the company of Barnes and his PR man Keith Bishop, but Lee Charnley wasn't pictured. Rumours that Dennis Wise would attend proved incorrect).

U18s:
Derby deadlock

Newcastle U18s  1  mackem U18s  1

United's youngsters secured a second successive 1-1 home draw on Saturday at a chilly Little Benton, thanks to Thomas Cole's second half equaliser.

The midfielder beat visiting goalkeeper Adam Cameron at the second attempt on 75 minutes to cancel out Connor Slack's 62nd minute opener.

The first half saw Newcastle dominate possession without posing a threat in the final third - a familiar story this season for the league's lowest scorers.

Things were little different after the restart and a scoreless draw looked a distinct possibility until just after the hour, when home custodian Dan Langley spilled a low cross from Ryan Leonard out on the mackem left and Slack bundled the ball in.

A flowing move totally out of keeping with the rest of the game produced an equaliser with 15 minutes remaining - Jack Young, Kain Reed and George Rounsfell all involved before Cole saw his first shot saved, but was able to convert from the rebound.

Pressing for the winner, the black and whites hit a post following a 78th minute corner and Reed then rounded the 'keeper only for his goalbound effort to be cleared off the line by a visiting defender.

There was almost a sucker punch in the second minute of added time, but Langley atoned for his earlier error by blocking Ryan Leonard's shot after the midfielder broke into the United area.    

Team: Langley, Ebanks (Scott 87), Rounsfell, Joyce, Swailes, Allen, Cole, Young, Harrison (de Bolle 79), White, Reed. Subs n/u: Brown, Oliver, Anderson.

Loan lads:
Borrowers

Dwight Gayle (West Bromwich Albion)
A routine 2-0 success at Bolton Wanderers on Monday saw Albion move into third position in the Championship. Gayle played the entire game.

Henri Saivet (Bursaspor)
It ended 1-1 at home to Fenerbahce in the Turkish SuperLig on Monday with Saivet in the starting XI but failing to reappear for the second period.

Jack Colback (Nottingham Forest)
Martin O'Neil's return to Forest as manager got off to a poor start on Saturday, as the hosts lost 0-1 to Bristol City in the Championship.

Jack completed the full 90 minutes and inexplicably avoided his usual booking.

Dan Barlaser, Liam Gibson (Accrington Stanley) 
Both sides were down to ten men and the game scoreless after 90 minutes of Accrington's visit to Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday.

By full time though, the Addicks had won 1-0 - Dan penalised for handling in his own area and Charlton converting the resultant spot kick.

Barlaser played the entire game, while Liam was booked and then withdrawn after 85 minutes.

Premier League:
Manchester City (h)

The defending Premier League champions provide the opposition to Newcastle at SJP on Tuesday January 29th in an 8pm kickoff on BT Sport. 

Tickets are now on public sale. 

NUFC: To follow

Coral matchday betting will appear here

MCFC: To follow

Stats: To follow

Referee: Paul Tierney - third toon appearance of the season to date, following on from the 1-2 home defeat by Chelsea and 0-3 loss to West Ham on Tyneside.

UK TV: Live on BT Sport

Overseas TV: To follow

Internationals:
Three minute 
hero - again

Having marked his first U21 appearance for Denmark by scoring the only goal of the game, Newcastle reserve striker Elias Sorensen repeated the feat on Saturday.

The 19 year-old missed out on a possible first team selection for United in the FA Cup following his first international call-up at U21 level for a training camp in Mexico.

Coming off the bench at half time on Wednesday, Elias (the youngest player in the squad) took just three minutes to find the net in a 1-0 friendly win over the hosts in Mexico City.  

Included in the starting XI for a further kickabout on Saturday against the same opponents, Sorensen opened the scoring after three minutes when in the right place to turn home a shot which rebounded off the Mexican goal frame.

The hosts recovered however to win the game 2-1.

This training camp is part of the selection process to decide which players will represent Denmark at the European U21 Championship Finals this June.  

Deja ****ing vu:
You never learn

Update: Wise himself tweeted on Sunday to deny that he was currently acting in any advisory capacity at NUFC.

The Times newspaper report that Dennis Wise has once again reared his ugly head, reportedly back in cahoots with Mike Ashley - although it's open to question whether he ever actually wasn't.

Wise is believed to be working as an advisor to the Sports Direct owner and helped broker a deal that saw Rio Ferdinand's clothing range appear on the shelves - and Ferdinand appear on TV to spout complete nonsense about the situation at NUFC.

Details of the former England international's time in the employ of Newcastle a decade or so ago were published in Kevin Keegan's book last year, while more recently Wise was mentioned in court action between Ashley and ex-associate Tony Jimenez. 

Claims that Wise had met Lee Charnley recently have been denied by NUFC, but it's also reported that he's been in the company of Justin Barnes - another Ashley acolyte who is influential in club matters.

It's surely only be a matter of time before we get the full gang back together - and JFK returns....

Update:
"a regrettable remark"

From Bloomberg, Thursday:

Billionaire Mike Ashley, no stranger to details of his bar-room antics being discussed in court, faces an unusual new claim in a British lawsuit: He may have feared “being locked up in Dubai” over comments he made in a bar more than a decade ago.

Ashley - who has a “completely different” account of the events - feared the consequences of remarks in 2008 that were insulting to the Dubai royal family, the Islamic faith and the former soccer player and manager Kevin Keegan, a former associate told a London judge. Details of the allegation against Ashley, which he denies, emerged in a judgment published Wednesday.

Tony Jimenez, the former co-owner of Charlton Athletic Football Club, made the allegation in response to a London lawsuit filed by Ashley. Ashley “flatly denies that he ever made any comment about the Dubai royal family, the Islamic faith or Kevin Keegan whether as wrongly alleged by Mr Jimenez based on hearsay evidence, or at all,” his spokesperson said by email.

The Sports Direct International Plc owner “was shaking and saying he and his business empire faced ruin” after the incident, a court judgment in the early stages of a lawsuit between the two men said, citing Jimenez.

Jimenez says Ashley “came to see him at 4am. on 17 September 2008 in a panic worried about being locked up in Dubai and facing adverse press reporting in the U.K.,” after making comments at the Bahri Bar in Dubai where undercover journalists were present, judge Matthew Marsh said in a judgment Wednesday.

Ashley disputes those claims, saying he was “relatively unconcerned about the incident in the bar and its consequences” and more concerned about the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. at the time “and the risk that HBOS, in which he had substantial holdings, might fail,” the judgment says.

Marsh’s judgment on Wednesday was on a pre-trial issue about jurisdiction, and not on the case itself.

Ashley “now says that he may have made a regrettable remark in the Bahri Bar, directed towards those with whom he had been in negotiation earlier that day,” Marsh said in the judgment. Jimenez, who Ashley described in previous court filings as a former friend, says the comments were “more widely directed.”

A lawyer for Ashley declined to immediately comment.

A judge found in a previous, separate case that Jimenez had lied, but “the fact that Mr. Jimenez has told lies on previous occasions, and his evidence has been found to be unreliable, does not mean he is lying in this case,” Marsh said in the ruling.

FAC:
Cup of joy (?!)

Blackburn Rovers  2  Newcastle  4
(after extra-time, 2-2 FT)

Goals and highlights online here (BBC)

Match report