Tiote glad to be back

Influential midfielder Cheick Tiote admits he was delighted to pull on a Newcastle shirt again after an eight-week absence.

Ivorian happy to return straight into heart of Newcastle team

Influential midfielder Cheick Tiote admits he was delighted to pull on a Newcastle shirt again after an eight-week absence. The Ivory Coast international made his return from a knee injury in the Magpies' goalless home draw against Swansea City. Tiote, 25, missed six important Premier League games, with Newcastle winning just two of them, during his spell on the sidelines. And he was delighted to be thrown straight back into the thick of the action by boss Alan Pardew.

Wait

"It's good to be back because I haven't played for a long time," he told Newcastle's official website. "I was happy to play today. It was good. "You have to get back into the game straight away. You cannot wait to get into the game. "I needed to work for the team and for my midfield partner Yohan Cabaye because it has been a long time since I have been alongside him."