i'll keep my Ed down

EDDIE HOWE has told his Newcastle players to embrace the bus journey to Sunderland ahead of today's crunch showdown at the Stadium of Light.

- BY LEE RYDER

Former boss Glenn Roeder, who guided the Toon to a 4-1 win over the Black Cats in 2006, spoke of the changes in expression from a warm ovation leaving their Tyneside training ground to the angry faces of Sunderland fans once the bus hits the streets of Wearside.

Howe acknowledged the heightened atmosphere surrounding the trip, including the infamous bus ride.

The Toon manager said: "I think that's part of it, it's all part of the game.

"It's part of what we have to manage, but we've seen all that many times before. It's part of the excitement of the games."

From the moment Howe's players step off the bus and even on to the Sunderland pitch for a look around, they will be hit with jeers from home fans.

Howe said: "You want to be the ones that go there and impose yourself on the game and quieten the crowd, use the crowd to our advantage. All these things we'll look to do.