Supporter anger as Newcastle United fixtures are switched for live television broadcast

Newcastle United have confirmed all four of their Premier League fixtures during February have been rescheduled after being selected for live television broadcast.

The Magpies will hope to continue their push for a place in Europe when they return to Premier League action with a Boxing Day visit to Leicester City, before bringing down the curtain on a transformative 2022 with a home game against Leeds United on New Year’s Eve.

As well as the FA Cup third round visit to League One club Sheffield Wednesday, Eddie Howe’s side face away days at Arsenal and Crystal Palace and a home game with Fulham during January - and they have now learnt they will face a number of changes to their February schedule after broadcasters BT Sport and Sky Sports announced their latest round of televised fixtures.

The home game with West Ham United, which was scheduled to be a 3pm kick-off on the first Saturday of the month will be broadcast on Sky Sports and will get underway at 5.30pm on the same day. Sky will also broadcast the long trip to Bournemouth seven days later, with Eddie Howe’s first return to his former club scheduled to start at 5.30pm. The eagerly-anticipated home meeting with Liverpool will also be a 5.30pm kick-off on Sky on Saturday 18th.

And BT Sport will round off the month by showing the Magpies home game with Brighton and Hove Albion on the final Saturday of February. That will now kick-off at 12.30pm, in a move that has provoked anger from Seagulls supporters as they are faced with an early morning 700-mile round-trip to and from Tyneside.

The changes means nine of Newcastle’s next ten Premier League and FA Cup fixtures have been selected for live broadcast.