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Cheick Tiote came through his first competitive match of the season at the weekend giving Alan Pardew a much-needed and welcome boost.

The Newcastle United manager’s only true defensive midfielder started Saturday’s 2-1 win for Ivory Coast against Sierra Leone and unless he sufferers a set-back, he has another fixture in midweek, the 28-year-old will be available for the weekend’s trip to Southampton.

Which means he will surely make his first appearance for Newcastle of this campaign.

Tiote and his countrymen now have a massive game on Wednesday, in Cameroon, and then the vice-captain will return to Tyneside.

Tiote reportedly had a steady game on Saturday in which his county lost the first goal, but then came back to win their African Cup of Nations qualifier.

This is excellent news for Pardew.

Newcastle have badly missed Tiote so far this season - he injured a hamstring in a friendly against Sheffield Wednesday - and he will almost certainly go straight back into the team.

Pardew had intimated that his player would stay in Newcastle during this international break.

And whilst that didn’t happen, the manager will be pleased that such a key player for him is back.

Siem de Jong is looking at being out for months and there is a doubt over Jack Colback’s fitness for Saturday.

The summer signing was sent home after just a few days with the England squad, having not even taken part in a proper full training session.

So Tiote has become an even more vital cog in Pardew’s team, especially as he is the first line of a defence that has been shaky.

Another player who will start at St Mary’s is Rolando Aarons who followed up his goal and brilliant performance against Crystal Palace with another goal and another brilliant performance on debut for the England under-20s side.

The Newcastle man starred in a 6-0 win over Romania, scoring the first goal early in the second-half which opened the floodgates for his team.

And now he is ready to return to Newcastle and continue where he left off.

Aarons said: “I am just honoured to be involved and thrilled to get a goal on my England debut. You can’t really ask for much more than that.

“This summer I worked really hard. I didn’t go on holiday.

“I stayed where I was and did a lot of work with a conditioning coach, who is also my friend as well.

“I am honoured to be involved and thrilled to have got a goal on my England debut.

“It has really helped me so far this season, I feel so much stronger and fitter and it’s obviously paying off now.

“I feel so much better and quicker than I did this time a year ago, and it’s the work I did in the off-season that’s allowing me to be doing what I’m doing now.

“It has been an amazing week. The boys made me feel very welcome from the first day and I was part of the group straight away.

“Now I am looking forward to going back to my club, trying my best to make the squad next week and hopefully impact the game like I did last weekend.”