Pardew eyeing derby delight

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is eagerly awaiting his side’s clash with bitter rivals Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The Tyne-Wear derby remains one of the more heated rivalries in British football and Pardew believes the English Premier League match will pit two similar teams against one another, in terms of quality and character.

“I think it’s a game and a team that are not too dissimilar from ourselves and I think it will be a cut-and-thrust game,” he said.

“I think the referee will have to be astute and make sure that he makes the right calls at the right time, because there will be a lot of passionate players on the pitch. I think, if there’s one feature of the Newcastle and Sunderland teams, it’s that they’ve got characters in the team, and fiery characters at that.”

Pardew cast his memory back to last season’s derby at Sunderland – which ended all square at 1-1 after Asamoah Gyan’s stoppage-time equaliser – and predicted a similar atmosphere.

“The stadium was alive and kicking – we certainly felt that,” he said.

“It just makes everything energised, a football match like that. I really enjoyed it, I can’t wait for Saturday and obviously the welcome will be ferocious for us as it will be when they come to Newcastle.”

Firebrand midfielder Joey Barton landed himself in hot water again in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal after an altercation with Gunners forward Gervinho, and he could well have a large part to play in the derby.

Pardew did not disclose whether or not he would be in the starting line-up but said he asked only that the Barton – transfer listed after criticising club hierarchy via twitter – be a ‘team player’ and do his ‘normal job for the team’.