Source: PA
Hughton relishing derby tussle
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton will attempt to bring an "interesting" week to a rousing conclusion by masterminding a derby triumph.
The 51-year-old former Republic of Ireland international found himself at the centre of speculation that his time at St James' Park could be drawing to a close, with several bookmakers suspending betting on his future just days ahead of Sunday's eagerly-anticipated clash with arch-rivals Sunderland.
Newcastle responded by insisting they intend to re-negotiate his contract, which expires in the summer, by the end of this calendar year and it is a measure of the mutual respect between the Magpies' boss and his Black Cats counterpart that Steve Bruce reacted to the saga with utter disdain.
However, the gloves will be off when the pair go head to head at St James' Park with three points and local bragging rights up for grabs, and Hughton has a very definite scenario in mind.
He said with a smile: "It would be the perfect end to a very interesting week for me. I have been involved in big derby games throughout my career but I am aware of what this means up here and it is wonderful that we are in a position to be able to play this fixture because we weren't able to play it last season.
"We have a home support that has been waiting for this one and we just hope the match lives up to the billing."
