Crunch time for Newcastle survival hopes

There was a time when the launch of a new Newcastle United kit would guarantee lengthy queues of supporters eager to be among the first to wear it.

That was in the days when United regularly featured towards the top of the Premier League, played in Europe and twice played in FA Cup finals.

But this is now. Despite escaping from the relegation zone with the victory over Middlesbrough on Monday, Newcastle are still involved in a desperate fight to beat the drop.

And, just a day before their next game against Fulham, the relatively restrained response to yet another new shirt design was an indicator of how the fans’ relationship with the club has been strained.

Yet, while only a small percentage of the crowd will be wearing a new replica shirt at the clash with Fulham, the noise level will show the passion remains undimmed.

The 3-1 success over Middlesbrough fuelled the supporters’ belief that Newcastle will escape relegation, although the message from manager Alan Shearer was more cautious.

Amid the euphoria surrounding the success, Shearer quickly emphasised that it was only one tentative step towards safety.

It is a warning being echoed by the Newcastle players in the build-up to their final home game of the season.

Midfielder Kevin Nolan said: “The win over Middlesbrough will mean nothing if we don’t get something against Fulham.

“We probably need to win again, but we proved we can do it under pressure against Middlesbrough.

“Our destiny wasn’t in our own hands a couple of weeks ago. We were asking people to do us favours.

“Now, if we perform in the next two games and get the right results, we will stay up. It’s as simple as that.”

What won’t be simple, though, is overcoming a Fulham team whose own stay in the Premier League appeared to be over 12 months ago.

They survived against the odds on the final day of the season and are now in pole position in a four-club battle for the final place in the rebranded Europa League.

A competition where they would have to play 19 games to reach the final may lack some attraction for a club with one of the smallest squads in the league.

But, with little money to spend, manager Roy Hodgson has guided Fulham to some impressive results and, in the opinion of some, would be a worthy manager of the season.

The form of Mark Schwarzer, their Australian goalkeeper, has been a major factor in Fulham’s success, although he diverts much of the credit towards Hodgson.

“The manager has a strong belief in the team that he sends out every week,” said Schwarzer.

“Now we want to finish this season on a high and cap off a very good season, rather than let it slip by thinking about what we’re going on our holidays.

“We also have the big carrot of qualifying for a European spot.”

Schwarzer’s determined approach suggests there may be yet another twist in the survival tale for Newcastle, who hope that Jose Enrique and Alan Smith will recover from injuries and return to the squad.

Joey Barton is still banned and Shearer must decide whether to start with Michael Owen, who was substituted against Middlesbrough.

Owen made his St James’ Park debut for Newcastle against Fulham four seasons ago; now the same opposition arrive for what is likely to be his last home game for the club.

Fulham’s main injury doubt is Andrew Johnson. The striker has been out with a knee injury, but his replacement Diomansy Kamara scored twice last week in his first start of the season.