SHOLA AMEOBI is back where he started tomorrow when he lines up for Newcastle against Chelsea at St. James' Park.

The England Under-21 striker, who defied a thigh injury to face Marseille in Thursday's goalless UEFA Cup semi-final first leg on Tyneside, is aiming to fight fatigue and keep his place for a fixture that will always be close to his heart.

Nigeria-born Ameobi made his senior debut against Chelsea as a substitute in another 0-0 draw at St James' over three-and-a-half years ago.

Ameobi answered Sir Bobby Robson's distress call ahead of the Marseille clash when he passed a late fitness test after missing more than a week's training.

Craig Bellamy's absence with a hamstring problem and Michael Bridges' struggle against a virus, left Newcastle desperately short of attacking options.

Ameobi, who eventually succumbed to exhaustion and cramp late in the game, revealed: "I had a fitness test at the last minute and it's great for me and Newcastle that I've come through without making things worse.

"I haven't trained properly for two weeks. I felt the pace early on, but I think I did myself justice.

"I knew it was going to be tough to keep going for 90 minutes, but I wanted to play because I love playing for Newcastle.

"I was happy to last as long as I did. I was enjoying it out there and I was unlucky that I had to come off.

"I'm hoping to rejuvenate my legs for Sunday. They are all big encounters now - they are all FA Cup finals for us. We want to get fourth spot in the Premiership and we're in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

"I made my debut here against Chelsea when I was only 18 and it's always nice when I play them to look back at how far I've come. It's fantastic for me to be involved.

"It's a massive game for us and it's going to be a great encounter, but if we play like we did here against Arsenal a couple of weeks ago when we drew 0-0, I think we have a great chance of three points.

"The lads have been terrific over the last three or four games in terms of work ethic and digging in.

"It was tough for them at Aston Villa last weekend, going down to ten men early on when Andy O'Brien was sent off and losing four players in one game to injury, but they fought hard for that point.''

While Ameobi missed two great early chances against Marseille, the 22-year-old forward still made a nuisance of himself and once again showed that the European stage is to his liking.

Ameobi is joint third in Newcastle's all-time European goal chart with nine, one of which was against Barcelona at the Nou Camp in last season's Champions League when he produced an outstanding display.

"European football seems to suit me,'' said Ameobi. "Strangely, some of my best performances have come in Europe. I give the same in every game, but Europe seems to bring out the best in me."

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.