T’IS the season to be jolly eh?

From a festive programme that promised very little we’ve got two fantastic away points.

We were unlucky against a poor Liverpool side and put in two stunning performances to get draws at the home of the Premier League champions and at a place where Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the campaign came to an end.

And it’s not just results that matter.

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The performance at Newcastle United was nothing short of magnificent, especially given the fact we were forced into three substitutions in the first half and had fallen behind three times.

The spirit of the lads was there and when George Boyd struck the late equaliser, it perked up my day.

There was a hint of offside in his goal against Manchester City but there were no such worries this time.

It was no less than we deserved having hit the woodwork FOUR times and generally dominating the game for much of the second half.

Toon boss John Carver even had the good grace to say his side were lucky to take a point.

Losing Jason Shackell so early after going behind was a disaster but then to lose his sub Kevin Long not long after was catastrophic. Or so it seemed at the time.

Ben Mee moved across to partner Michael Keane in the centre with Kieran Trippier shuffled to left back and Steven Reid in at right back and I have to say that they coped superbly.

Reid was turned inside and out for the Newcastle third goal but that should not take away from a solid defensive performance in which Tom Heaton was a virtual bystander after the break.

We weren’t sure quite how much depth this squad had but now we can be a little more confident that those waiting in the wings are more than up to the task.

Our attention turns to the FA Cup tonight and a tie against Spurs.

A good cup run can help boost form but it can also be a curse as we saw with the likes of Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City, both of whom have enjoyed success in different competitions but then suffered a relegation in the same season.

I’m sure Sean Dyche will give some of the fringe players a run out and hopefully they’ll put in the kind of performance to give him a selection headache.

We can’t afford to be carrying anyone at this stage and the cup is a great chance to show your worth.