Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer believes he is still two weeks away from fully fitness after he played his first part in a Newcastle game for nearly 8 months on Sunday.

Dyer replaced Nolberto Salano for the final 10 minutes of Newcastle’s 1-0 win against Ipswich on Sunday, and hopes to play some part in the club’s Worthington cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday.

Dyer told the Journal "It is good for me that we have so many games in December, because if I can get ten and 20 minutes under my belt then the quicker I'll get fitter.

"The manager's not stupid, he knows I can't play for 90 minutes, but I'll be on the bench again against Chelsea this week and that's all I need at the moment.

"I'm getting my feel and my sharpness back and hopefully I'll be pushing for a starting place in a couple of weeks." He added.