Last Updated: Thu, 01 May 2008 10:15
Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is to risk playing Nicky Butt against Chelsea on Monday despite him running the risk of a four-match ban.
Butt has been booked more times than any other Premiership player this season with 14 yellow cards to his name and one more would see him hit with the ban.
Butt would then miss the last game of the season and the first three of the next campaign so it was thought he would be left out, but Keegan is going to risk him.
"I will have a chat with Nicky about it all, but my feeling is that he is a vital player for us," Keegan said.
"Nicky is always the sort of player who is going to get booked because he is so competitive and he goes in there and tries to win challenges. He has got to handle that.
"When you are doing as many as he does over 90-odd minutes, you are going to mistime some."