Newcastle navigate Storm Éowyn after fears of flight problems for Saints game
Newcastle navigate Storm Éowyn after fears of flight problems for Saints game
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Newcastle have avoided the prospect of a storm-enforced late arrival on the south coast of England ahead of Saturday’s match at Southampton. Eddie Howe and his players arrived in Hampshire on Friday afternoon after their plane proved one of only a handful cleared to take off from Newcastle as Storm Éowyn forced the cancellation of a raft of flights to and from the airport. The north-east spent Friday under an amber weather alert and was battered by dangerously wind speeds sometimes in excess of 80mph.
Newcastle’s manager had earlier admitted the prospect of the team arriving in Southampton on Friday was highly uncertain. “We could end up flying tomorrow morning,” he said. “We have travelled on the day of the game before, especially if the airport is close to the ground. Sometimes, if it’s a 5.30pm kick-off, that’s the easiest because you fly straight in and out. A 3pm kick-off is unusual but I don’t see it as an issue.”.
Howe had ruled out the possibility of travelling south by road. “It’s a long journey,” he said. “And there’s no guarantees. The wind and the conditions could mean that an eight or nine hour road trip could turn into a 12- or 13-hour journey.”.
Newcastle hope to have Nick Pope back in the squad at Southampton after the goalkeeper’s recovery from the knee injury that has sidelined him for the past month. Although Martin Dubravka is expected to keep his place in the starting XI Pope could be on the bench as they aim to recover from last weekend’s’s chastening 4-1 home defeat by Bournemouth.
