[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle United have received an unexpected but welcome boost from Aussie defender Craig Moore.

When the 31-year-old central defender limped off with groin trouble in Saturday's dismal defeat by Manchester City at St James' Park, there was a fear that he could have played his last game for United.

But boss Glenn Roeder told me today: "By getting Craig off the field when we did, we prevented any serious damage to his groin.

"He will be back training with us again by Thursday and we feel that he has a genuine chance of playing against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

"Stephen Carr also took a knock on Saturday, but he will also be back on Thursday and will be OK for the weekend."

Moore has had his injury problems since Graeme Souness brought him to St James' from Borussia Monchengladbach on a Bosman in the summer of 2005.

But when he has been on the field he has never let United down, and it is surely no coincidence that within six minutes of him limping off on Saturday and being replaced by Oguchi Onyewu that Emile Mpenza scored City's winner.

Gooch certainly did himself no favours Saturday by failing to stop Mpenza and then missing what looked a most reasonable header at the other end of the field in injury time.

And with Titus Bramble not even making the bench against Manchester City and Peter Ramage not match fit, if he is OK Moore could again get the nod to again play alongside the impressive Steven Taylor against a Blades side who will be without their top striker in broken-leg victim Rob Hulse.

icNewcastle - There's Moore to come from defender Craig