Hughton will make changes for tonight's fourth round clash at St James' Park as he attempts to keep his key men fresh for the little matter of Sunday's Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland. However, having seen an entirely different XI secure a second-round victory at Accrington and a much-changed side triumph 4-3 in spectacular style at Chelsea in the last round, he is confident the players he drafts in will do the club proud. The competition is far from the main priority on Tyneside this season with top-flight survival the overwhelming objective, but a win on top of Saturday's 2-1 Premier League success at West Ham would build confidence ahead of Sunday's showdown. Hughton said: "There is nothing that lifts and breeds confidence like winning football matches, and whether that's the same team, whether that's a completely different team or whether that's a mixture, it's a feeling that goes through the club. "That would see us going into the Sunderland game certainly more confident." The return to fitness of the likes of Danny Simpson and Danny Guthrie has given Hughton more options, while Alan Smith, Ryan Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands in particular have had too little football for their own liking in recent weeks. However, it is youngsters such as Tamas Kadar, Shane Ferguson and Haris Vuckic who could be the main beneficiaries of the manager's balancing act, and he will have no qualms about throwing them in once again after being rewarded for his faith in them earlier in the competition. Hughton said: "It's an opportunity for them, it's a challenge and we have had some young lads in the last two rounds who have very much accepted that challenge and come through it in very good shape. "Young Ferguson did very, very well in the last game; Vuckic, it's a tremendous opportunity for him, as it is for Tamas Kadar, who missed out on the last game, but is now back in contention again. "But the responsibility I have is to try to get the right balance. We are healthier at the top end at the moment and it will be a good opportunity for me very much to use the squad I have." St James' has not been the fortress it was last season to date in the current campaign despite the 6-0 demolition of Aston Villa in August. Blackpool and Stoke have both left the north east with all three points, and it took a concerted fightback last time out to secure a 2-2 draw with Wigan after old boy Charles N'Zogbia had fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead. A reversal of that trend this evening could prove the perfect preparation for Sunday.
