Source: PA
Pardew issues apology over performance
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was left to apologise for a performance which belied his side's recent upsurge in Premier League form following the FA Cup defeat to Stevenage.
The League Two side claimed a 3-1 triumph against the Magpies with goals from Stacy Long, Michael Bostwick and Peter Winn - with Joey Barton scoring a second-half consolation for Newcastle.
Pardew, who believed the Christmas programme had exhausted his players, said: "The physical side of Stevenage's game was a problem for us all night.
"I can only say we are sorry for the result and for the performance because it was the performance level which was the problem.
"We were running on empty. It's been such a tough sequence of games. The team was a shadow of the team which played at Wigan and West Ham.
"Our energy level just couldn't match theirs. In both boxes we got dominated. The team looked tired. We had some key players missing through injury but I played the strongest team I could."
