SIR Bobby Robson described the UEFA Cup draw with FC Basle as "one of the toughest we could have got".

The draw was divided into sections of 12 teams, with six seeded and six unseeded from that 12 being paired together, and after being pulled out against the Swiss side the Magpies manager knows his side face a real test to make further progress.

"It's a real toughy, that was my first reaction when I watched the draw," he said.

"They had a great season in the Champions League last year, and they've had a fantastic start in their championship this time around.

"I think Swiss footbal has improved dramatically over the last few years, they have some excellent players and it's proof of how strong they are when they do well in the Champions League.

"The draw is a real tough cookie, probably the hardest one we could have got from the teams we had in our section. But we can't change it, and we'll look forward to it now.

"We're delighted to be in the next stage after beating Breda, and I'm sure the players will look forward to the next test. Everyone knows it was disappointing to go out of the Champions League, but we can focus on the UEFA Cup now.

"There were some great teams in that draw this morning, and when the teams join from the Champions League it will an even tougher competition to win but we'll be doing our best to go as far as we can in it."