Cisse can fire Newcastle ro Premier League safety

Cisse came off the bench in Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against West Bromwich Albion.

The relegation-threatened club went into freefall during the striker’s seven-game ban for spitting.

Cisse – who had a screw removed from his knee during his suspension – could only watch in frustration as John Carver’s side every one of the matches for which he was suspended.

And the striker is now looking make up for lost time in the remaining two games of a troubled season, with Newcastle needing a win from one of their last two games to secure their top-flight status.

United are two points clear of third-from-bottom Hull City, who lost to Burnley at the weekend.

“It’s good to be back – it’s a very good feeling,” said Cisse, who came off the bench for 21 minutes against West Brom.

“I’m happy to be back because it’s been a while since I was able to play. After my ban, I had my injury and had to have an operation, but now I feel OK. I’m just happy to be back playing.

“I’m feeling pretty good, and I’m just happy to be back because I need to play. It’s not just my job to keep us safe, but I know that my team needs me and now I’m here, hopefully I can play in the next two games.

“It has been really hard having to watch what has been going on.

“For half of the time, I have been in Paris, because I stayed there to recover from my injury. It’s been very hard for me, because it is not easy to see your team losing every week.

“You know the people well, and you know how hard it must be for them.

“But they have good, strong heads. I know some people where if they had lost all these games, they would be struggling to cope.

“But this team keeps going, and keeps working very hard on the training ground.

“Now they have stopped the losing run, the next thing is to win.

“Now my injury is done. I still felt something in my knee after my first operation, but now everything is sorted.”

Cisse was banned for spitting at Jonny Evans in Newcastle’s home defeat to Manchester United in early March, and the Senegal international – who apologised for his actions at the time – says there will be no repeat of the incident.

“I don’t really like to speak about the suspension anymore,” said the 29-year-old. “I can’t take back what I did, but I will not be doing it again.”

Forward Ayoze Perez claimed a point for United against West Brom with his seventh goal of the season.

Carver had been under intense pressure after a club-record run of eight successive Premier League defeats.

Cisse said: “It’s very hard for John, because he works very hard at his job.

“I’m not very happy to have just got one point, but it was important for John to get something out of the game.

“We all need to win, and if see John on the bench or on the training ground, you see how important it is for him to have something good. It was positive to get one point.

“It was important to get something.”

because the team have been losing every game.

“But the players have been sticking together and now we know we have to do something to save the team. I think it is a very good point, but we know we need to win a game.”