Karl Darlow has revealed he came within 24 hours of missing out on facing Wolverhampton Wanderers after his recent collision with Marcus Rashford.
The Newcastle United goalkeeper played on after the 4-1 defeat to Manchester United and helped earn a 1-1 draw at Molineux in the Premier League two weeks ago.
Darlow's absence would have meant a Premier League debut for Mark Gillespie between the posts while Dan Langley travelled to Wolves just in case.
Darlow has since shaken the injury off and starred in the 2-1 win over Everton, and said: "It was pretty close to be honest.
"It was 24 hours beforehand that we made a call that I was able to train fully and I was able to kick the ball.
"All my movement seemed fine so it was the right choice to play in the end.
"I felt fine throughout the game and I felt no repercussions since then.
"I have moved on and been able to put it behind me."
Darlow is looking forward to facing Southampton on Friday night when a place in the top three is up for grabs.
Darlow, speaking to NUFC TV, added: "As a team, we want to give away as little chances as possible.
"There are individual accolades for saves and bits and pieces are nice to go along with.
"As a team moving forward we need to stay a bit more solid and if we can put in performances and results like that it will put us in good stead."
