Jack Colback braced for '˜horrible' week on sidelines at Newcastle

Jack Colback's tackle on Fabio Borini which earned him a booking

Colback picked up a two-game ban in the Tyne-Wear derby after being shown his 10th yellow card of the season.

And the midfielder will sit out tomorrow’s game against Norwich City at Carrow Road and the club’s visit to Southampton a week later through suspension.

Second-bottom Newcastle are battling to stay in the Premier League, and Colback is not looking forward to his enforced lay-off.

“It’s horrible,” said Colback. “I’ve missed a few games this season with little injuries, which I haven’t really had in my career.

“It’s always difficult to watch games on the sidelines. It won’t be nice.

“I’ll have to train hard and make sure I’ll be fit when I’m available.”

Newcastle came from behind to claim a point against Sunderland, Colback’s former club.

Rafa Benitez’s side remain three points behind 17th-placed Norwich.

However, Colback hopes Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late goal – the derby ended 1-1 – will prove to be a turning point in the club’s relegation battle.

“I think it’s a massive point in the end,” said the 26-year-old. “If you lose that, it’s going to be tough.

“Hopefully, we can work with the manager a bit more and get some confidence back in the team.

“When we play with confidence, I think we’re a very good team. If we believe in ourselves, I’m sure we get the points we believe.”

On the Norwich game, Colback added: “You’re only one win away from getting out of it.

“Every game’s tough, but we’ve got the teams around us to play.”