Colback's All Eyes On Fixture Release

By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor

When the 2014/15 fixtures are released at 9am on Wednesday, Jack Colback's eyes will immediately search for two matches.

And unsurprisingly, for the man who swapped Wearside for Tyneside earlier this month, those are the pair of local derbies against Sunderland.

Colback is no stranger to Tyne-Wear derbies, having been on the winning side with the red and whites on the last three occasions, including scoring at St. James' Park last season.

And he is hoping to inspire his new side to victory, in a fixture which he describes as the 'biggest in the country'.

"Let's see if Sunderland comes out first, maybe," Colback told nufc.co.uk ahead of the Wednesday's fixture release.

"The intensity of it is as big as any other game in the country.

"I don't think there's another derby which is bigger than Newcastle and Sunderland. They are the best and have a completely different feeling to any other game.

"The atmosphere is amazing and it's something special. I will really look forward to the first one of the new season."

Whoever Newcastle face first up in the Barclays Premier League, lifelong Magpies fan Colback is relishing the chance to realise his boyhood dream and run out at a packed St. James' Park wearing the famous black and white stripes.

"I can't wait for that moment - it's going to be one of the proudest of my life," he revealed.

"Pulling the shirt on and walking out in front of 52,000 Geordies is something I have always wanted to do.

"It's something I probably never thought would happen, but now it has it's quite surreal but very exciting."

Find out Newcastle United's fixtures for the 2014/15 campaign first right here at nufc.co.uk and at our official twitter page @NUFC.