JOHN CARVER has launched a staunch defence of his presence at a charity golf day on Monday, claiming it had absolutely no impact on Newcastle United’s preparations for Sunday’s relegation decider against West Ham.

Some Newcastle fans have criticised Carver’s decision to support CHUF, the charity that raises money for the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, along with coaches Steve Stone and Andy Woodman and midfielder Ryan Taylor.

However, Carver is adamant he was right to honour a club commitment that was made more than nine months ago, and claims he would have come in for even more criticism had he opted not to attend.

Carver said: “When you attend a charity golf day, you do it because we made over £500,000 for the heart foundation to buy at least five scanners to save childrens’ lives, and I’m proud of that.

“It didn’t affect our preparations, and I’ve spoken to quite a lot of managers, and they weren’t in on Sunday or Monday either. I have a clear conscience.

“We pulled out of this charity day two years ago and were criticised, so you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. It’s a tough time, but you have to relax as well to get yourself ready for the challenge ahead.”

Newcastle go into their final game of the season with just a two-point gap separating them from Hull City in the final relegation position.

While a win over West Ham will guarantee their survival, a draw or a defeat could see the Magpies drop into the Championship for the second time in six years if Hull beat Manchester United at the KC Stadium.

The situation could hardly be more serious, but despite a run of just one point from the last ten matches, Carver is confident his players have enough in them to survive.

He said: “I can’t really believe it’s come to this, but we have to deal with it. There’s going to be a lot of media hype, and I’ve had a chat with the guys to keep off the internet and social medial. I’ve told them to watch wrestling, not football.

“It can fatigue you mentally, so I’ve told them to stay away from social media and TV as much as they can.

“I have enough players in that dressing room who realise what this game means to this club. It’s the biggest game for six years, let’s face it, and I expect them to step up and perform and keep this club in the Premier League.”