UNDER pressure Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness was yesterday handed a timely boost ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie with Scott Parker declared fully fit to face Cheltenham.

Parker has been one of the few success stories on Tyneside this season and his availability for Saturday's clash against John Ward's League Two outfit could not have been better timed with Souness' squad still ravaged by injury and his job is hanging by a thread.

The Magpies have certainly missed Parker's industry and tenacity in the middle of the park since he limped off against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on New Year's Eve.

Newcastle can only boast a 1-0 FA Cup third round victory against League Two Mansfield during the 25-year-old midfielder's four-week absence.

Parker was initially ruled out for six weeks but the former Charlton and Chelsea man is a fortnight ahead of schedule, much to Souness' relief.

"We're hoping that Scott will be back for the weekend, as well as Emre and Shola Ameobi," said Souness prior to taking in Cheltenham's LDV southern semi-final against Colchester at Waddon Road last night.

"Hopefully Shola will get through the week without any reaction to the problem with his hip, but the signs were good on Monday when he didn't have any problems.

"We were hopeful Emre would have been OK for Blackburn last Saturday, but he just felt he wasn't quite right so he didn't figure.

"We will see how he is when the Cheltenham game comes around, and make a decision then."

Chairman Freddy Shepherd summoned Souness to St James' Park for talks on Monday.

But the olive branch offered to the manager is unlikely to extended by Shepherd should Newcastle lose the fourth round tie against the Robins, regardless of any compensation package the chairman is reluctant to fork out.

Albert Luque is the latest Newcastle player backing his under-fire boss to turn around the club's flagging fortunes.

Although Luque has hardly helped ease the pressure on his manager, with a series of under-par performances, he believes Souness can transform the Magpies from a side being dragged into a relegation dogfight to one challenging for a UEFA Cup place.

"There are 16 Premiership matches left for us to play and every single one of them will have to be treated like a cup final," said the £9.5m signing.

"The loss to Blackburn was a bad result because those are the type of games that we need to be taking three points from.

"But I still think we will be fighting for a place in the UEFA Cup by the end of the season.

"The manager is under pressure at the moment and I understand it is because the club has spent a lot of money on new signings and the fans expect better from the team. All I can say is that the results will come under Mr Souness.

"He is a very good coach to work with. I have always had good coaches and he is one of them. I think he understands football and the mentality of players very well."

The 27-year-old confessed he has never known a club suffer from so many injuries and insists it won't be too long before fans see the best of the team and why the club forked out so much for his signature.

"It was a big loss to lose Michael Owen because he is a fantastic player," said Luque on the Icons website. "He's proved his class at every place he's been. Michael's very quick and knows how to score goals, so I am proud to play alongside him.

"I think he will get fit and play an important role for England at the World Cup along with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney."

The Spaniard also reserved special praise for skipper Alan Shearer.

He said: "I have to say that playing with Alan Shearer is a great experience for me. When I first arrived I knew what an impressive striker he was, but having now been his teammate I am even more impressed by his attacking talent and football vision."

* Portsmouth defender Gregory Vignal has urged Newcastle to make a move to take him to St James' Park before the transfer window shuts.

He said: "My agent has phone calls with Graeme Souness, I want to work with him.

"He knows me, but, before hiring a left full back, the Magpies have to sign a forward and I know if Souness will remain in charge at the club I would like to go to Newcastle."

* Manchester United have suffered a second shattering injury blow in a matter of hours after John O'Shea was ruled out for up to six weeks with fractured ribs.

O'Shea, 24, was forced out of Sunday's win over Liverpool at half-time as he struggled to overcome the problem.

He apparently picked up the injury during the FA Cup-replay triumph over Burton Albion four days earlier.

The Republic of Ireland international had a scan on the problem yesterday, which confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson's worst fears on the same day Paul Scholes was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.