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'Back To Back Wins The Target' - Carver
Written by Newcastle Utd
United will be aiming to make it two wins out of two following John Carver's appointment as head coach
By Emily Bulmer
Newcastle United will be aiming to make it two wins out of two following John Carver's appointment as head coach, as they welcome Stoke City to St. James' Park on Sunday (2.05pm kick-off).
The Magpies face a Potters side who are just two points and one place above them in the Barclays Premier League table, so know that victory could push them back into the top ten
And on theback of a 3-0 victory at Hull, spirits are high on Tyneside.
"We need to build on last weekend's success by getting successive wins. That's what we're aiming for now," said Carver.
"I've seen some good work on the training ground and we want to go back to St. James' Park and replicate that now.
"We're going to have problems this weekend with leaving some people out of the 18 for the first time in a long time, but we're in a very healthy position at the moment.
"Stoke is going to be a huge game for us. We'll be looking to win the game to move above them and then we can look at attacking those further above us, like Swansea."
The reverse fixture at the Brtiannia Stadium last September saw an early Peter Crouch goal separate the two sides as United struggled towards the foot of the division.
However, things are very different now and Carver insists his side will be going out to make amends for that defeat in the Potteries.
"It was a difficult night under the circumstances," he added.
"It was a disappointing performance because we lost the game but I do recall Jack Colback having a great opportunity towards the end of the game and I've made sure I've reminded him about that for this weekend.
"We can enjoy our football now, but that doesn't mean we can relax. We're here to win - tenth place won't be good enough, ninth won't be good enough, we want to get as high up that table as we can."
"We have to win the physical battle this weekend but Stoke aren't as physical as they used to be. They have a variation to their game now, they have players who just get the ball down and play.
"Of course we have to match the physicality but once the game settles down after the first 15 minutes or so, that's when the skill can take over."
Tickets for Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture against Stoke are still on sale. To secure your seat at St. James' Park, click here.