Source: Northern_Echo
Don’t take your foot off the pedal, Harper warns Magpies
NEWCASTLE UNITED might not be certain of Premier League football if they overcome Nottingham Forest on Monday night, but Steve Harper admits three points would leave the whole squad thinking about life back in the top-flight again.[LNB] It is only ten months ago since the Magpies suffered the ignominy of relegation and spent the summer in crisis during owner Mike Ashley's unsuccessful attempts to sell the club.[LNB] In the prevailing period since then, Newcastle manager Chris Hughton has orchestrated a dramatic turnaround in fortunes on the pitch, with the members of the squad who avoided forming part of a close-season cull leading the charge out of the Championship.[LNB] Tuesday's victory at Doncaster Rovers was sealed with a club record-breaking 19th league clean sheet of the season.[LNB] Under Hughton they have lost just four of their 38 matches in the Championship and their solid record has left them sitting pretty at the top of the table, with ten points separating them from thirdplaced Forest.[LNB] Winning for the 16th time at St James' Park this season on Monday would increase that advantage to 13 points and with Forest having played a game more it is highly improbable that Newcastle would slip out of the automatic places.[LNB] And Harper said: We're really looking forward to the Forest game. They won again last week and they would have hoped the gap would be down to seven points by the time we play them at St James' Park.[LNB] But we've kept it at ten and we have a game in hand so it was a big win for us at Doncaster.[LNB] I'm sure we'll have a huge crowd on Monday night roaring us on because if we win that game, we really will be in pole position in terms of promotion.[LNB] It would be nice to get up to capacity at St James' Park.[LNB] We've been up in the mid-forties a lot, but to get over 50,000 backing us that night would be brilliant. This is a decisive game for us.[LNB] Harper is urging his teammates to k e e p g o i n g u n t i l the end of the season even if Newcastle can defeat Forest.[LNB] If we were to beat Forest we'd be in a great position, but until it is mathematically impossible for them to catch us we won't rest easy, he said.[LNB] We won't be taking our foot off the pedal. They've had a really good season and have beaten us at their place so they will be difficult opponents.[LNB] They will come up to our place with nothing to lose and we are under no illusions as to how tough that game will be.[LNB] Having said that, it's one we are excited about.[LNB] Newcastle are likely to still have Andy Carroll leading the line against Forest.[LNB] Carroll had an alleged training ground bust-up with team-mate Steven Taylor at the training ground last Sunday, two days before he scored the winner at Doncaster.[LNB] Taylor, who has a suspected fractured jaw, has been quizzed by Northumbria Police over the incident but no complaint has been made by the defender.[LNB] The situation has led to suggestions that Taylor might not be still at St James' Park next season, with Fulham, Birmingham and Aston Villa thought to be keen.[LNB]
