Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe reveals why he supported Everton

Howe is preparing his third-placed team for tomorrow night’s Premier League fixture at Goodison Park, and Newcastle United’s head coach was asked ahead of the game why he followed his team’s opponents as a youngster.

“The connection was the 1984 FA Cup final, the first game that I remember watching on telly,” said United’s head coach. “It was that game, I remember. Everton won, and that was the team I followed from there.”

Everton beat Watford 2-0 at Wembley in the 1984 final thanks to goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray.

Meanwhile, Sean Dyche’s side are 18th in the table ahead of the game, and Howe said: “I think Everton have got some very strong players. They’ve had a difficult season – and a change of manager.

"Sean’s come in, and he’s vastly experienced. He’s almost the perfect man for the job, because he’s been there many, many times, and he’s always found a way to keep his team up.

"Now (he) comes in at Everton, and, I think, he has his style and his way of playing, and I think the positive thing for them is that he has the player to execute that plan.

"So we’re going to need to be very strong, mentally and physically. We’ll need to be robust and stand up to the challenges that we face, and then show our quality.”

Newcastle are third in the Premier League table following Sunday’s 6-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.