 CHRIS HUGHTON is eyeing Saturday’s home game with Swansea City as the ideal opportunity to hand Fabrice Pancrate his Newcastle United debut. The Frenchman’s first taste of life in the Coca-Cola Championship came at Preston North End on Monday night where he looked on from the bench as an unused sub at Deepdale. Hughton has admitted it crossed his mind a couple of times to hand the 29-year-old former Paris St Germain winger his Toon bow, but with the game turning out to be a tight affair, he resisted. Now, though, with Hughton’s medical staff nursing injuries to Ryan Taylor (calf), Danny Simpson (thigh) and Nicky Butt (calf), the United gaffer’s hand could be forced – although the Toon boss is still hopeful Taylor and Simpson will be fit. Hughton is keen to keep his squad as fresh as possible with the busy festive period fast approaching, and has never been the type of manager to take chances. But he was relaxed about his options in midfield ahead of the encounter with the Swans, and if Andy Carroll fails to shake off the bout of illness that forced him off just after the hour in Lancashire, Pancrate could find himself on standby to play in a 4-4-1-1 system, with in-form attacking midfield man Kevin Nolan joining either Marlon Harewood or Nile Ranger in attack. Hughton told the Chronicle today: “Pancrate comes into the reckoning for Swansea. “We only just got his registration through on Monday morning, but he had spent some time before the game getting to the know the lads at the hotel. “That will do his confidence good because he’s already seen what a close-knit group of lads we’ve got here and he is already becoming part of that. “We’ve got Saturday’s game with Swansea coming up very quickly, and a lot of games in the next few weeks, so I’m certain he will be involved very soon. “He’s ready to play now because his all-round fitness was good when he arrived due to the pre-season training he had with Paris St Germain. “He just needs more match practice, which he’ll get.” And Hughton feels Carroll will pull through in time to face Paulo Sousa’s Swans. He said: “Everybody knows that Andy’s a tough Geordie lad. “He wants to do well for this club and wanted to play the other night. “We’ve got a few days yet so we will see.” | 
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