Coventry could hand a debut to Stead, who has joined the Sky Blues on loan from Ipswich until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move in the summer.
He made 40 starts for the Mackems in 2006/7 and only scored TWO goals.
Fellow loan signing Freddie Sears will also be pushing for a starting berth after coming off the bench to make his debut in Saturday's 1-0 win over QPR.
Boss Chris Coleman has doubts over James McPake (back) and David Bell (shin) and it is unlikely that the duo will feature against the Magpies.
But Aron Gunnarsson, who missed out on Saturday with a leg injury, put himself back in contention for a place in the squad after returning to training on Monday.