Simon Grayson is looking forward to another step-up in pre-season at Newcastle on Wednesday night - but was quick to re-iterate his stance that he will not be getting carried away with pre-season form.

For the biggest part Grayson's charges have performed well in the pre-season fixtures, and Saturday's clash with Blackburn fuelled further hope for a successful campaign.

But while the manager says he is more than happy with what he has seen so far, he is keeping his feet firmly on the floor.

"We've less than two weeks to go now and the opposition gets better, our players get fitter and we're working more within the principles of what we want during the season," he explained.

"It's about fine tuning now, quickening them up and getting them prepared for what we hope will be a successful season.

"There were parts on Saturday against Blackburn that were very encouraging and that's what we have to take forward.

"I thought the players settled in and showed their qualities. Some of our attacking play was excellent and our midfield caused problems.

"They had two good strikers in Jason Roberts and Benni McCarthy and we limited them and kept them quiet.

"I'm not getting carried away, but hopefully it's a sign of what we can achieve.

"We want to win every game we play, but there's no points at stake at this stage.

"It's all part of our build-up. When you've had one like ours, it's all about a platform for us."

Grayson will welcome goalkeeper Casper Ankergren back to his squad for Wednesday's trip to Newcastle.

You can hear full commentary from Newcastle live on LUTV...