- All flights out of Newcastle were cancelled on Friday morning
- Storm Eowyn has sparked red weather warnings all over the UK
Newcastle could be forced to fly to Southampton on the day of the game with Storm Eowyn likely to disrupt their travel plans.
Eddie Howe and his players were scheduled to take a chartered flight to the South Coast on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at St Mary’s Stadium.
However, winds of up to 80mph have battered the North East overnight and all flights out of Newcastle Airport on Friday morning were cancelled.
‘Our plan, as always, is to travel today (Friday),’ said Howe. ‘But we’ll seek advice from the authorities at the airport as to whether it’s safe to fly. If it’s not, we could end up travelling tomorrow morning.’
One alternative would be to journey by road, but Howe said: ‘It is a long journey, and also there’s no guarantee with the wind, and what you think might be an eight, nine-hour journey, might turn into a 12, 13-hour journey.
‘So we’ve got to be careful in that respect. But nothing is guaranteed. We’ll seek advice and try to make the right decision. We’ve travelled before on the day for a 5.30pm kick-off, especially if the airport is close to the ground. Sometimes that’s the easiest way, you’re in and you’re out.
Boss Eddie Howe has considered hitting the road to Southampton but is seeking advice
Strom Eowyn has battered the country and flights out of Newcastle were cancelled Friday
‘For a 3 o’clock kick-off, that’s slightly unusual, but it’s something we just have to adapt to.’
Meanwhile, Howe has warned that Newcastle’s squad is in need of reinforcement, especially in attacking areas, and fears ‘staleness’ could affect the group.
The head coach accepts those additions are unlikely to arrive this window because of PSR restrictions, but he is clearly hoping for movement come the summer. The Magpies last bought a first-team starter in 2023.
‘When you look at our squad at the moment, we’re a little bit heavy on defenders, which is not a negative thing, but the balance is slightly off,’ he said. ‘Our attacking players, we have lost Harvey (Barnes) and Callum (Wilson) to injury. So our attacking options from the bench are slightly limited.
Callum Wilson has made just four appearances for the Magpies this term
Harvey Barnes is expected to be on the sidelines for a month or so with a hamstring injury
‘We have real quality in a lot of positions, just maybe not in that top line. And when you’re looking to make attacking subs and change the game, they’re the ones that you want. That is a slight issue for us.
‘But in terms of the quality of the squad and players we have – we have 20 fit players available – I think they’re outstanding and our squad is really strong.
‘But when you go consecutive windows without freshening the group in any major way, you could run into difficult waters with staleness. I think healthy rotation of the squad with transfers in and out is important.
‘My wish has always been to try and recruit a player every window, to bring that fresh face, to boost everybody, to increase competition. There are loads of healthy reasons and research behind that.’
