Shola Ameobi says Newcastle United can’t let their season peter out.
Ameobi was in the side beaten 3-0 in the Tyne-Wear at St James’s Park last weekend.
The club’s fans reacted angrily to the defeat, which was United’s third successive loss to Sunderland and came in the week Yohan Cabaye was controversially sold and not replaced.
Newcastle, however, remain eighth in the Premier League.
And Alan Pardew’s side take on title-challengers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow looking to draw a line under a dark fortnight on Tyneside.
Long-serving striker Ameobi is confident United can recover from the Sunderland game.
“Being a local guy, I know what it means,” said Ameobi, speaking at the launch of the new Toon Times exhibition.
“It does hurt. Ultimately, as a professional, you’ve got to try to draw a line under it and move on.
“The quicker you can do that, and get into a positive mode, the better.
“We have to do that for the next game.
“We have the next game to look forward to. We want to put it right, and hopefully we can do that.
“When you have disappointments, it’s important to react and stay positive.
“Ultimately, we look at where we are over the course of the season. We’re not in a bad position.
“We don’t want this season to dwindle out. We know what it means to the city.
“It’s important that we fight in every game. I’m sure we’ll do that.
“After a disappointing result, what matters is how you react. Saturday gives us an opportunity to do that.”
Ameobi - Newcastle’s long-serving player - was at the Discovery Museum at Blandford Square, Newcastle, this week along with a number of past and present players to see the new Toon Times exhibition, which takes supporters on a journey through the club’s history.
“It’s fantastic to put pictures to memories that I had growing up,” Ameobi said.
“I don’t think anything like this has been done, and it’s great to see the history of what came before us.
“Hopefully, it will inspire the next generation of kids.
“Growing up my heroes were Peter Beardsley and Alan Shearer. There was Tino Asprilla and his hat-trick against Barcelona. That really inspired me.
“These types of players, for me, were my heroes. It’s great to see past and players, and hear the stories of how they did things.
“It’s great to have something like this to see what this club really is, and where it all started.”
Toon Times was commissioned by the Newcastle United Foundation in partnership with Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums.