Hughton ready for Spurs return

Newcastle coach Chris Hughton is looking forward to returning to Tottenham Hotspur for the first time since being axed by his club. The long-serving coach was axed when Martin Jol left the club.

He said: “Of course it was difficult to leave once you have spent so many years at a club.

“It is always a wrench to leave but, I think from my point of view, the most important thing was that I stayed positive and looked for a new challenge.

“Certainly it becomes a habit, winning and not winning. I think what you want to be able to do is to build up a head of steam, and take the amount of confidence you can get from one win.

“I think that’s the stage we’ve reached at the moment and I’m very, very confident that we can go on from there.”