The 27-year-old – who hasn’t played in the Premier League since April after being frozen out by Alan Pardew – played in a behind-closed-doors game against West Bromwich Albion.
Hull manager Steve Bruce is looking to quickly get Ben Arfa up to speed ahead of Monday night’s home game against West Ham.
Ben Arfa netted in a 2-2 draw against West Brom, and he could now make his competitive debut against Sam Allardyce’s side at the KC Stadium.
GEORDIE VOTE ON SCOTLAND
We know the voting is neck-and-neck in Scotland for independence.
But just as a matter of interest ... from a Geordie point of view (and we are their neighbours) ... please vote on whether YOU want them in the union.
Vote here please:-
http://www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk/interactive/voting_polls.asp
Toon Got Their Figures Wrong On Screen?
United are to put up a 60-metre screen in the corner of the Leazes End in time for the Leicester City match. Or have NUFC got their figures wrong?
The 60-metre screen, which will be manufactured by sports technology firm ADI, will be used to broadcast match footage, instant replays, statistics and SPORTS DIRECT during games.
It will be put up in the north east corner of the stadium at the Leazes End.
Managing director Lee Charnley: “We have wanted such a facility for a long time now and we are delighted to have joined forces with ADI to install this state-of-the-art giant screen within St. James’ Park.
“It will significantly improve the matchday experience for supporters and greatly enhance the interactivity and information we can provide to them at the stadium before, during and after the game.
“The North-East corner on the stadium was the optimum location where the positioning of such a large screen was structurally possible, while at the same time providing a sight line for the majority of supporters.”
60 Metres?? The width of the field in SJP is 68 Metres!
It would get into the Guiness Records with that one, it's probably 60 square metres.
Arsenal have 2 x 72m Sq. screens, and the ones in Wembley are about 8m x 24m (194.6m sq.)
NEWCASTLE UNITED'S LAST GAME ...
NEWCASTLE 3 CRYSTAL PALACE 3
NEWCASTLE
1. Tim Krul
22. Daryl Janmaat 79'
6. Mike Williamson
2. Fabricio Coloccini
19. Massadio Haidara
7. Moussa Sissoko
14. Jack Colback
20. Remy Cabella
10. Siem de Jong 79'
11. Yoan Gouffran 67'
29. Emmanuel Riviere
Subs
8. Vurnon Anita 79'
16. Rolando Aarons 67'
17. Ayoze Perez 79'
21. Rob Elliot
25. Gabriel Obertan
27. Steven Taylor
36. Paul Dummett
CRYSTAL PALACE
1. Julian Speroni
3. Adrian Mariappa
6. Scott Dann
27. Damien Delaney
34. Martin Kelly
42. Jason Puncheon
15. Mile Jedinak
2. Joel Ward
7. Yannick Bolasie 83'
29. Marouane Chamakh 52'
16. Dwight Gayle 70'
Subs
11. Wilfried Zaha 70'
4. Brede Hangeland
10. Fraizer Campbell 52'
13. Wayne Hennessey
17. Glenn Murray 83'
20. Jonny Williams
25. Barry Bannan
We reported before this game that Alan Pardew's Magpies had only won five of 22 league fixtures, and the fans had been very kind to the former West Ham boss considering the damning banners of last season.
But, having bought nine players, the jury was put on hold to see what he had brought to the club.
Sadly he didn't do himself any favours by saying his ambition for this season was to finish tenth.
He will have been at the club FOUR years and what improvement is TENTH? Chris Hughton - the guy he replaced - would have given us tenth four years ago.
Have we moved on under Pardew? Have we hell!
Have we improved from last season?
We lost at home to Man City the last campaign, so nothing lost there. But we won at Villa Park and beat Palace at SJP, so we are already four points down on last term.
Wilfried Zaha snatched a point for new manager Neil Warnock as Crystal Palace - tipped by many for relegation - were not the cannon fodder Pardew expected.
Zaha, on loan at the Eagles from Manchester United, struck five minutes into stoppage time at the end of a dramatic encounter just as is looked as though the Magpies had secured their first league win of the season.
For the neutral it was a cracker - for Toon fans it was another kick in the teeth as two points were snatched away.
Zaha and Newcastle counterpart Rolando Aarons lit up a nail-biting conclusion to the game with fine cameos after Daryl Janmaat and Aarons had cancelled out earlier efforts from Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon.
Mike Williamson's 88th-minute finish - his first goal for Newcastle - looked to have secured the points, but Zaha dashed the home side's hopes in front of owner Mike Ashley and a crowd of 49,226.
Having failed to score in either of their first two league games and won in the Capital One Cup at Gillingham by virtue of John Egan's own goal, Alan Pardew said victory against Palace was a must!
But whatever his game-plans was, it was blown out of the water within 30 seconds as Gayle handed Warnock the perfect start to his reign, pouncing on the rebound after goalkeeper Tim Krul could only turn Marouane Chamakh's shot on to a post and blasting into the roof of the net.
The visitors, who were also looking for their first three-point haul of the campaign, predictably retreated deep inside their own half as the shocked Magpies started the process of fighting their way back into the game.
In a frustrating passage of play, the home side dominated possession, but simply could not find a cutting edge as lone striker Emmanuel Riviere was well-marshalled by the Palace rearguard, which repelled a series of insipid set-piece deliveries from Remy Cabella and Jack Colback with little difficulty.
Warnock's men might have increased their lead when the recalled Puncheon, whose infamous spat with his new manager appeared to have been forgotten, fired just over after a rare break.
However, as the half wore on, Newcastle started to make an impression, with Janmaat heading wide from a Cabella corner and Moussa Sissoko drilling inches past a post after enterprising set-up play by Siem de Jong and Riviere.
But the equaliser finally arrived seven minutes before the break from an unexpected source, and courtesy of a slice of good fortune.
Riviere laid off Cabella's ball into the box and it eventually fell to Janmaat, whose initial effort pinballed between defenders before the ball sat up nicely for him to stab past keeper Julian Speroni with the help of a deflection off defender Damien Delaney.
The Magpies had an opportunity to go in ahead at the break when Cabella squared a free-kick to Colback on the stroke of half-time, but the midfielder failed to celebrate his call-up to the England squad in style when he spooned his effort high over.
There is little doubt Pardew will have exhorted his troops to raise the tempo on their return, but in the event, they started just as sloppily and were made to pay once again.
Yannick Bolasie was allowed to pick up possession wide on the left and square for Puncheon, who controlled neatly before sending a volley across Krul and into the far corner.
Newcastle were almost caught out once again with 57 minutes gone when full-back Martin Kelly exploited the space left by opposite number Janmaat as he pushed forward to surge down the left before cutting inside and testing Krul from distance with a rasping drive.
But it took a good save by Speroni to deny Yoan Gouffran a 62nd-minute equaliser after De Jong had combined with Riviere to allow Colback to feed the Frenchman.
Pardew introduced Aarons in a bid to add much-needed invention, but it was fellow newcomer Zaha who almost extended his side's lead 18 minutes from time when he waltzed through the home defence before seeing his effort blocked by Krul.
But Aarons did make a swift impact two minutes later when he stooped to head home a second equaliser at the far post after Cabella's left-wing corner had been flicked on.
Zaha was proving to be a serious nuisance and he perhaps should have scored nine minutes from time when he blazed wide of the far post after Krul had parried his first attempt.
Williamson must have thought he had won it when he tapped home from close range after Aarons' audacious effort had come back off a post, but Zaha finally got it right to ensure it finished all square.
Newcastle United Fixtures
Sunday August 17
NEWCASTLE 0 MAN CITY 2
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Colback, Anita (63' Obertan), Cabella, Sissoko, Gouffran (74' Aarons), Riviere (83' Perez).
Subs: Haidara, Elliot, S Taylor, Abeid
Saturday August 23
ASTON VILLA 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Anita (70' de Jong), Colback, Cabella, Sissoko, Gouffran, Riviere (77' Perez - 90+2' S Taylor).
Subs: Haidara, Elliot, Obertan, Abeid
Tuesday August 26
LC GILLINGHAM 0 NEWCASTLE 1 (Egan OG)
Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, S Taylor, Haidara, Sissoko, Abeid, Obertan, de Jong (68' Perez), Aarons (60' Cabella), Riviere (86' Gouffran)
Subs: Anita, Ferreyra, Elliot, Dummett
Saturday August 30
NEWCASTLE 3 CRYSTAL PALACE 3 (Janmaat, Aarons, Williamson)
Krul, Janmaat (79' Perez), Williamson, Coloccini, Haidara, Sissoko, Colback, Cabella, de Jong (79' Anita), Gouffran (67' Aarons), Riviere
Subs: Elliot, Obertan, S Taylor, Dummett
Saturday September 13
Southampton v Newcastle United
Saturday September 20
Newcastle United v Hull City
Monday September 29
Stoke City v Newcastle United
Saturday October 4
Swansea City v Newcastle United
Saturday October 18
Newcastle United v Leicester City
Saturday October 25
Tottenham v Newcastle United
Saturday November 1
Newcastle United v Liverpool
Sunday November 9
West Brom v Newcastle United
Saturday November 22
Newcastle United v QPR
Saturday November 29
West Ham United v Newcastle United
Tuesday December 2
Burnley v Newcastle United
Saturday December 6
Newcastle United v Chelsea
Saturday December 13
Arsenal v Newcastle United
Saturday December 20
Newcastle United v Sunderland
Friday December 26
Man Utd v Newcastle United
Sunday December 28
Newcastle United v Everton
Thursday January 1 2015
Newcastle United v Burnley
Saturday January 10 2015
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Saturday January 17 2015
Newcastle United v Southampton
Saturday January 31 2015
Hull City v Newcastle United
Saturday February 7 2015
Newcastle United v Stoke City
Tuesday February 10 2015
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United
Saturday February 21 2015
Manchester City v Newcastle United
Saturday February 28 2015
Newcastle United v Aston Villa
Wednesday March 4 2015
Newcastle United v Man Utd
Saturday March 14 2015
Everton v Newcastle United
Saturday March 21 2015
Newcastle United v Arsenal
Saturday April 4 2015
Sunderland v Newcastle United
Saturday April 11 2015
Liverpool v Newcastle United
Saturday April 18 2015
Newcastle United v Tottenham
Saturday April 25 2015
Newcastle United v Swansea City
Saturday May 2 2015
Leicester City v Newcastle United
Saturday May 9 2015
Newcastle United v West Brom
Saturday May 16 2015
QPR v Newcastle United
Sunday May 24 2015
Newcastle United v West Ham United
LEAGUE CUP - Ties to be played on September 23-24.
Chelsea v Bolton
Arsenal v Southampton
West Brom v Hull
Crystal Palace v Newcastle
Leyton Orient v Sheff Utd
Cardiff v Bournemouth
Sunderland v Stoke
Derby v Reading
Liverpool v Middlesbrough
MK Dons v Bradford
Man City v Sheff Wed
Burton v Brighton
Swansea v Everton
Shrewsbury v Norwich
Fulham v Doncaster
Tottenham v Nottm Forest
SKY SPORTS GAMES
SEPTEMBER
Sat 13: Liverpool v Aston Villa (5.30pm)
Sun 14: Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers (4pm)
Mon 15: Hull City v West Ham United (8pm)
Sat 20: West Ham United v Liverpool (5.30pm)
Sun 21: Leicester City v Manchester United (1.30pm)
Sun 21: Manchester City v Chelsea (4pm)
Sat 27: Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm)
Sun 28: West Bromwich Albion v Burnley (4pm)
Mon 29: Stoke City v Newcastle United (8pm)
OCTOBER
Sat 4: Aston Villa v Manchester City (5.30pm)
Sun 5: Chelsea v Arsenal (2.05pm)
Sun 5: West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers (4.15pm)
Sun 19: Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool (1.30pm)
Sun 19: Stoke City v Swansea City (4pm)
Mon 20: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United (8pm)
Sat 25: Swansea City v Leicester City (5.30pm)
Sun 26: Burnley v Everton (1.30pm)
Sun 26: Manchester United v Chelsea (4pm)
Mon 27: Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa (8pm)
NOVEMBER
Sun 2: Manchester City v Manchester United (1.30pm)
Sun 2: Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (4pm)
Mon 3: Crystal Palace v Sunderland (8pm)
Sat 8: Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City (5.30pm)
Sun 9: West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United (1.30pm)
Sun 9: Swansea City v Arsenal (4pm)
Sat 22: Arsenal v Manchester United (5.30pm)
Sun 23: Crystal Palace v Liverpool (1.30pm)
Sun 23: Hull City v Tottenham Hotspur (4pm)
Mon 24: Aston Villa v Southampton (8pm)
Sat 29: Sunderland v Chelsea (5.30pm)
Sun 30: Southampton v Manchester City (1.30pm)
Sun 30: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (4pm)
BT SPORT GAMES
SEPTEMBER
Sat 13: Arsenal v Manchester City (12.45pm)
Sat 20: Queens Park Rangers v Stoke City (12.45pm)
Sat 27: Liverpool v Everton (12.45pm)
OCTOBER
Sun 5: Manchester United v Everton (12pm)
Sat 18: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur (12.45pm)
Sat 25: West Ham United v Manchester City (12.45pm)
NOVEMBER
Sat 1: Newcastle United v Liverpool (12.45pm)
Sat 8: Liverpool v Chelsea (12.45pm)
Sat 29: West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (12.45pm)