At Darlington on Saturday the Toon Army were true to the word when they chanted: “If Shola scores, we’re on the pitch.”
Chris Hughton: “A striker always wants to score goals, and Shola Ameobi is no different.
“Would a striker prefer to play well and not score, or play not so well and score goals? The answer is they would always prefer to score goals.
“What we had was a good performance from Shola at Darlington, plus good goals. It certainly won’t do him any harm.
“We’re in for a tough time in the Championship.
“All we do is make sure this group of lads are fit and ready for the rigours of a tough league, so far we’ve shown good signs of that and Shola is one of those players.
“I don’t think they’ll be any player that starts the season on August 8 that won’t be made aware of how physically, and mentally, tough this league is with the extra games.
“Newcastle will always be a big scalp for anybody.
“The challenge is for this club to come straight back up, whatever the circumstances and whoever’s in charge.
“That’s what the challenge is, because it’s the best option for the club.”