Newcastle Club Focus – Magpies remain in top four
Newcastle go into the international break still unbeaten after holding off a second half fight back by Wolves. Through a combination of some fine goalkeeping, brave defending and more than a hint of good fortune, the Magpies returned from Molineux with all three points for the first time since 1990. The biggest controversy came near the end when the linesman ruled that a ball was out of play just seconds before Wolves thought they had equalised. There was also a controversial decision to not award a penalty that went the away team’s way in the first half. But Alan Pardew and his side will feel they more than deserved their good fortune following another impressive performance.
At the moment Newcastle are hanging on to the coattails of the expected title contenders and are only four points behind Manchester United. Given the gulf between the money spent and the squads at the different managers’ disposal, Pardew will rightly feel that his team are currently punching well above their weight. How long they can keep this run going remains to be seen with the next game at home to Spurs likely to give an indicator of how far they can go. A top four finish would be unrealistic but perhaps a place in one of the European spots is not out of the question based on their current form.
The latest player to make the headlines was goalkeeper Tim Krul who produced a fine display on Saturday. The Dutchman had been relatively untested in the previous two games but he showed he was not out of practice against the Wolves’ attackers. Krul made several top drawer saves to underline the progress he has made in the last couple of years. He can now be regarded as one of the standout performers in his position so far this season and at still a young age for a goalkeeper there is plenty of room to improve. Before the game, Krul revealed to the local media he does not consider himself the club’s number one yet but on the evidence of his current form he is one of the first names on the team sheet.
After the game, Krul spoke of his belief that Newcastle had earned their share of god fortune against Wolves. He told the club’s official website: “We got a bit of luck at times, but you write your own luck. Last year a lot of the deflections went in, and I'm just glad they didn't go in today because it meant three points. We had already shown at the start of the season that we are solid. We've been working hard on the defensive side of our game, and it's paying off now.” Krul will now be hoping to be involved for his country is the latest round of international fixtures. He has so far achieved two caps for the Netherlands since making his debut against Brazil earlier this year.
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