KEVIN Nolan is keeping his fingers crossed that he won't have to suffer any more pain and punishment for losing his cool and landing himself with a ban.

The young Wanderer, who has already had to sit out one match, was sweating ahead of Monday nights derby duel with Manchester City.

"I just hope I get the nod and get back in the side," he said. "That's my main worry now.

"As soon as I found out I was suspended, I started thinking about how long it would be before I could get another chance to get back in. "

Hopefully with the result not going our way at Newcastle, I might have a little sniff at getting back in."

Nolan only knows what he has been told about the Newcastle game.

He could not bear to watch Wanderers so he took himself off to Cardiff for the day to support Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final - a year after the disappointment of losing there with Wanderers.

"It was a bad day all round," he said. "I couldn't have gone to Newcastle because I'm such a bad watcher.. I decided to stay away and just had my dad ringing me every 10 minutes.

"I enjoyed the day because when we were at the final last year, I didn't take so much in. This time I got to see from the other side what all the hype was about and it was fantastic, but seeing Liverpool get beat and knowing we'd been beat earlier in the day ruined it."

Nolan is still kicking himself for getting himself suspended after picking up his fifth booking in the closing minutes of the FA Cup tie against Fulham, "I didn't realise at the time that I was on four bookings," he said. "If I'd waited another week or so, they would have been wiped out, so I'm gutted, especially missing a game like that. I fancied we could go up to Newcastle and keep the run going,."

Recent history suggests Wanderers will have their work cut out if they are to bounce back against City.

"City have done us over the last three games," he said. "Last year they absolutely tonked us there, 6-2. We went one-nil up but we fell apart. Then they did us here 3-1.

"We played really well when we played them at our place but Barton managed to get them a goal and they hung on to it.

"Hopefully we can go there and get back to doing what we do best, keeping clean sheets and getting the basics right ."

Nolan's impressive form earned him a place in February's top 20 of the Actim Index list of Premiership players, along with Tal Ben Haim and Gary Speed.

The list acknowledges Wanderers' re-emergence as a Premiership force, but Nolan says they must be more consistent.

"It's flattering but that's only for one month," he said. "And the gaffer is looking for consistency throughout the season."

"Hopefully, March is going to be as good as January and February and not another nightmare like December."