Nolan still the toast of the Toon as Newcastle thirst after a double

Jason Mellor
Friday 14 January 2011 01:00 GMT
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It is the de rigueur DVD on Tyneside, a real Wearside weepy, but the man cast in the starring role has still to secure his own copy. No self-respecting Newcastle supporter is without their cherished edition of the 5-1 derby demolition of Sunderland in October, which proved to be the perfect festive gift for thousands of Toon Army foot soldiers keen to relive the finest victory over the old enemy in living memory.

After scoring three of those famous five, Kevin Nolan was not asking too much to expect one to appear in his Christmas stocking. Three weeks on and the captain is still waiting, with the return fixture at the Stadium of Light looming on the horizon this Sunday.

Nolan's stand-out display will live long in the memory of all those there to witness it – which if you take at face value everyone who insists "I was there" makes the St James' Park crowd in excess of 100,000 that day for Sunderland's Halloween nightmare.

The amiable Scouser, however, has been unable to settle down in front of the TV to relish those three goals in 49 minutes which ought to have ensured he never has to stand another round on Tyneside. "You thought I might have one by now, but to be honest, I haven't got a copy of the DVD," the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder revealed. "I've got the ball at home and the shirt from that game, but as far as remembering the goals, I've had to keep it all up there in my head.

"To be honest, I was surprised no one bought it me for Christmas. I thought someone would. In fact, I was going to buy my mum and dad a copy but I didn't get round to it so I haven't got one at all now." Perhaps it is the impressive number of drinks he's been offered in the wake of his derby heroics that have got in the way of poring over his near single-handed dismantling of Newcastle's noisy neighbours? "People kept joking that I'd never have to buy another round again during my time up here, but to be fair I have done a few times since," said Nolan.

Or it's all down to Andy Carroll, who hopes to recover from the thigh problem that kept Newcastle's 11-goal top scorer out of the last three games. Nolan, with nine goals to his name, has already matched his two previous most prolific Premier League campaigns. He added: "You get used to it if you go out for a drink with Andy, so I've been putting my hand in my pocket plenty. Luckily I'm not one to be out on the town all the time even though we had a good night after beating Sunderland.

"It's not so much buying you drinks, it's just people wanting to speak to you more when you're out and about. They come over and shake your hand and just say: 'Thanks for a fantastic day'. There's nothing more pleasing when that happens but I suppose I'll have to score again on Sunday, then maybe the drinks will start coming my way a bit more."

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