Toon in town

ATHLETIC are to host Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly at Boundary Park, the club have announced.

Alan Pardew’s Premier League outfit will roll into town on Tuesday, July 15 for a glamour game which could feature a host of top-flight stars, including Hatem Ben Arfa, Tim Krul and Papiss Cisse.

Newcastle yesterday rounded off their top-flight season by going down to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. The club finished the season 10th in the Premier League.