Toon wait on FA Cabaye ruling

01/02/2012 09:54 +0100

On Tuesday night, the 26-year-old Frenchman formally denied an allegation after clashing with Brighton defender Adam El-Abd during the Magpies' 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat on Saturday.

An FA spokesman said: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has denied a charge of violent conduct.

"Cabaye was charged following an incident in The FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Brighton Hove Albion on Saturday, January 28.

"A regulatory commission will hear the charge on Wednesday, February 1, 2012."

Either way, Newcastle will know if Cabaye will be available or suspended for Wednesday night's Premier League clash with Blackburn well in advance.

The fixture will see full-back Danny Simpson complete a century of games for the club as he continues his mission to secure an unlikely European adventure with the Magpies next season.

The 25-year-old, whose current deal expires at the end of next season, is yet to agree a new contract with the Magpies, and fresh talks have been put on hold until the summer.

But as he prepares to make his 100th appearance, Simpson insists he is happy where he is and is determined to play his part in the charge for a top-six finish.

Asked about his contractual situation, the former Manchester United defender said: "It will be looked at again in the summer, but I have said I am happy here.

"It will be my 100th game tomorrow and I am happy. I am playing and I want to be one of the players who is involved in a Newcastle team which has reached Europe."

Simpson, along with a series of team-mates, had been linked with a move away from Tyneside during the January transfer window, but as Tuesday night's deadline passed, Alan Pardew's squad remained intact, with Senegal striker Papiss Demba Cisse having been added to it.

The Magpies head for Ewood Park on the back of a 5-2 league thrashing at Fulham and Saturday's disappointing FA Cup exit.

However, they remain in sixth place in the table and are determined to stay there as long as they can, something which would have far exceeded the hopes of many fans at the start of the campaign.

Simpson, who had a spell on loan at Blackburn earlier in his career, said: "We have got players coming back now who have been on African Nations duty and we have got 16 games left now in the league.

"Now we have got to February 1, we have got our squad and we are confident in ourselves that we can kick on, have a good run of games and pick up points and try to finish in the top six."

Senegal strikers Demba Ba and Cisse will indeed be back in England sooner than expected after their country's unexpectedly early exit from the African Nations Cup, although Pardew revealed on Tuesday that they will not be back in time to take their places in the squad for what will be the club's fourth meeting with Rovers this season.