Newcastle United v Birmingham City
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper Replay
8pm, Wednesday 17 January 2007
St James' Park
Live on BBC1
Winning clubs will receive £40,000 from The FA
Televised ties - Both teams receive £150,000 from The FA
Third Round ties and replays - Click Here

England Under-21 defender Steven Taylor would love to add to his three-goal haul this season against Birmingham City on Wednesday night, but insists that as long as Newcastle go through, he doesn't mind who gets the goals.

Taylor turns 21 next week and has already racked up over 40 appearances for the Magpies, with 27 of those coming this season as he looks to cement a regular berth under Glenn Roeder.

He's notched a trio of goals, too, and says that he will cherish the memory of his first Premiership goal against Blackburn last month forever, but just to play for Newcastle fills him with pride.

"It’s good just to wear the black and white shirt," he said, "I’m absolutely delighted to be playing each week and my aim is to keep playing.

"But more important is the team picking up points and winning matches, we’re still in The FA Cup so hopefully we can have a run in that. It just feels brilliant to represent Newcastle United.

"My first Premiership goal was a fantastic moment, I didn’t run as far as I did for my first UEFA Cup goal, but I’ll never forget that goal against Blackburn."

Newcastle go into Wednesday's replay against Birmingham on the back of a huge win at Spurs on Sunday and Taylor is hoping that that is the start of a winning streak.

In the first game at St Andrews, DJ Campbell put the Blues in front, but Taylor scored to level matters just before the break. With a man more following Radhi Jaidi's sending off for Birmingham, Kieron Dyer's goal looked to have settled the tie until Sebastian Larsson equalised with four minutes left.

"I scored the first goal and was buzzing. I was just in the right place at the right time, but fortunately for me I’ve been lucky enough to score three goals so far this season," continued Taylor, who has been with Newcastle since the age of nine.

"The main thing for us, though, is to get through to the next round of The Cup. It was disappointing seeing the first game finish in a draw. But, we’re still in the competition, which is the main factor so hopefully we can finish the job at St James’ Park."

He added: "We have a few players coming back from injury, and that's a big positive and we’re confident that on the back of a great win against Tottenham, particularly after coming back from behind twice, we can take that into Wednesday night’s game.

Taylor also had praise for the Magpies' front pair who have been in a recent run of scoring. Dyer has three goals in his last six outings, while Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins has seven in eleven, including an awesome strike at White Hart Lane at the weekend.

"Kieron’s had a lot of injuries and I think his performances have been great, he’s scoring regularly and has been one of our key players," said Taylor

"To have Oba in your side is massive. I know he only looks small, but he can’t half leap, he’s very good in the air and very quick. He’s another outlet with his pace and if you look at his goal against Spurs, 84 miles an hour, he’s capable of that too.

"We see it day in, day out in training, he produces things that other people can’t even try to do. He’s been fantastic for us."

He added: "I think Shearer’s irreplaceable, so I don’t think you can compare him with Alan Shearer. He’s obviously got the number nine shirt, but Oba Martins is Oba Martins, he’s going to be his own player.

"The way he’s performing now is fantastic, to adjust to the English lifestyle maybe took a little time, but now he’s getting goals for us and proving a lot of people wrong."