Pardew up for the Cup

28 January 2012 08:16

Danny Guthrie is convinced manager Alan Pardew's love for the FA Cup will see Newcastle mount a genuine challenge for glory this season.

The Magpies head for a potentially difficult fourth-round tie at npower Championship Brighton on Saturday evening having come from behind to see off Barclays Premier League rivals Blackburn in the previous round.

Guthrie said: "The manager really likes the competition, he has always put strong teams out. He took West Ham to the final and nearly won it, so he does like that competition."

Pardew himself admits the FA Cup gives him a real buzz and a different challenge to the one presented weekly by the Barclays Premier League.

He said: "It does. The passion that comes around a cup game - they are those one-off occasions when anything can happen.

"There are no points to play for, it is just purely being in the hat for the next game, and that's the most important thing for us in this particular fixture, to be in the hat for the next round."

Brighton, of course, won their place in the fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory over non-league Wrexham, a game which left Guthrie with mixed feelings.

He said: "I don't know which one is better looking at Wrexham's pitch, but Brighton are very good at home.

"I have seen them a couple of times and they are a good passing side."

Source: PA