A winger and a prayer

We were sorry to learn that former Toon man Kevin Sheedy is suffering from bowel cancer. When lured to the club by Kevin Keegan in 1992, the Irishman was admittedly in the twilight of his playing career but it was still some coup to be a second-tier side able to boast someone who had picked up two league titles, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup during a golden period with Everton in the mid-1980s.

Arguably the most memorable moments of Sheedy's time on Tyneside were his winner at Peterborough in the midst of our record-breaking eleven-game winning streak at the start of the promotion season, and then his ferocious tackle on Leicester defender Simon Grayson that resulted in a red card and left the current Huddersfield manager with a hole in his shinpad. Hardly the most faint-hearted or dainty of wingers, then - and that fighting spirit should stand him in good stead now.

On a different note, Chelsea warmed up for our visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday with a win against Reading. The 4-2 victory was far from routine, though, with Danny Guthrie giving the Premier League new boys a 2-1 lead they held for a long portion of the match. There remains hope that we can reprise last season's extraordinary triumph - though perhaps not that it might be accomplished with such a flash of inspiration and brilliance. I'd take a deflection off Perchinho's arse if it gets us something to take back up the A1...