Ferguson will be in the squad for Sunday’s game at West Bromwich Albion and is likely to be handed a slot on the bench.
He has endured a frustrating season, which started in nightmare fashion at Darlington in pre-season when he shattered his ankle in a tackle by Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster!
He played in the Carling Cup game at Nottingham Forest before being struck by niggling muscle injuries which have restricted his season to just a handful of sub appearances.
Alan Pardew: “Shane Ferguson has a good chance for the weekend.
“He has been out for two or three weeks.
“And he’s not played much for us this season. But he had a great game for Northern Ireland against Norway and he’ll be feeling a lot, lot stronger for it.”