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Nothing has been decided yet, says Rafa
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez insists that nothing has been settled in the Sky Bet Championship promotion race ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Reading.
The Magpies followed up last week’s dramatic win at Brighton & Hove Albion with a 3-1 victory at Huddersfield Town on Saturday, opening up an 11-point lead over the third-placed Terriers.
Tomorrow, they face a Reading side beaten just twice on their own turf all season, the Royals currently well on course for a play-off berth with two months of the campaign remaining.
Though they have already overcome two major hurdles in the past seven days, Benitez has warned the Magpies against complacency as they gear up for another testing away clash.
“When you play against the teams at the top of the table and you get results, they are even more important, because they are not taking points from you. But, in one week, anything can change. Hopefully, nothing will change and we can carry on winning games, but you have to be sure that it will not be easy,” he said.
“At the same time, we have to be sure we do not have over-confidence or over-complacency. We have to be sure that every single player, every single member of staff and every single fan has the same feeling – that there is still nothing won or done, and we have to carry on.”
Should they pick up another three-point haul at the Madejski Stadium, Newcastle will set a new club record for wins on the road in a single season.
Victory at Huddersfield equalled their previous best of 13, which has stood since the 1992/93 campaign, when United earned promotion back to the top-flight under Kevin Keegan.
This time out, the Magpies have racked up 41 points away from home, netting 32 goals and conceding just 12.
Asked as to why they have flourished as they have on their travels, Benitez’s response was clear.
“The players. You cannot win games – at home or away – without the commitment of the players, and their understanding of the things you are trying to do. As a manager, you are always trying to do this or do that, but it depends on them – and their response has been fantastic during the whole season,” he said.
“The other day, the work-rate of the team was fantastic. Looking at the players at the end – the way that they celebrated, the connection with the fans – you could see that everybody was pushing. It is really pleasing, because you can see the response from your players.
“If you have an idea of how to play a game, they make the difference, and they did really well.”
"We have to be sure that every single player, every single member of staff and every single fan has the same feeling – that there is still nothing won or done, and we have to carry on."