"Spirit And Quality" Key To Away Day Wins

By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor

Alan Pardew believes "spirit and quality" are the key ingredients to Newcastle United's success away from home this season.

Last term, it took the Magpies until the end of January to record a first win on their travels - and they only managed two in total throughout the whole campaign.

However, it has been a very different story this time around. As well as a Capital One Cup victory at Morecambe, Pardew's troops have picked up maximum points in Premier League trips to Aston Villa, Cardiff City and - most recently - Tottenham Hotspur.

And the manager explained it is character and class which has seen them through some tough periods.

"If you look at Cardiff, Villa and this one, in the last 15 minutes we've had to really hold on, dig in and show a bit of spirit and quality," Pardew told nufcTV following Sunday's triumph at Spurs.

"That's why you get those wins."

Loic Remy's solitary first-half strike proved the difference at White Hart Lane, and Pardew was delighted with the efforts of his players, including goalkeeper Tim Krul, whose astonishing performance thwarted the hosts time and time again.

"I thought we deserved to have the lead at half-time. For an away team we played very well," said the boss.

"In the second half we got deeper than I would have liked, conceded a bit of ground and therefore they started creating all sorts of chances.

"We had to defend well and Tim has had to have an outstanding day. He was absolutely brilliant.

"He was on fire and even though they had a couple of good chances, I still didn't feel they would score because of the form he was in. It was a great win."

To watch the full nufcTV interview with Alan Pardew, click here.