Spirits high at Pardew´s Newcastle

Alan Pardew said his Newcastle team are confident ahead of Sunday’s clash with Norwich despite suffering late disappointment at Arsenal.

Newcastle were on course for a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their English Premier League match away to Arsenal on Monday, before Thomas Vermaelen’s 90th-minute winner snatched all three points for the home team.

While going home empty-handed was a cruel blow after Newcastle’s considerable efforts at the Emirates Stadium, Pardew claims his players’ morale has been unaffected.

“We were disappointed with the result, but we can be proud of the commitment and the effort that we put in,” Pardew said.

“I think we’ve only played three or four sides this year who have been at full tilt, like where Arsenal were and with their movement … they were very good on the evening.”

“So, I think in terms of us, we came out of the game with dignity intact and our confidence intact and we’ll take that into the game against Norwich City. But the result wasn’t what we wanted.”

According to Pardew, Newcastle will be looking for maximum points to revive their flagging hopes of Europa League qualification when they host Norwich City at St James’ Park on Sunday.

“Well, we’re not even interested in the teams that are in and around us,” he said.

“We have a healthy cushion at this stage of the season between us and the teams below. But what we have to focus on is, can we get into Europe?”

“That is where we will now focus. We’re going to need to win four or five games to do that out of ten, which is going to sound like a lot if we don’t win on Sunday.”

“If we win, then suddenly three or four wins from nine games doesn’t sound so bad. So it is an important game and that is how we will focus it.”