Our team spirit is shining through - Yedlin

As was the case against Swansea City last week, a header from skipper Jamaal Lascelles proved decisive at St. James’ Park, Christian Atsu’s early strike having been cancelled out by the Potters’ Xherdan Shaqiri.

All bar two of the 14 players who figured for United were members of last season’s Championship-winning squad, with Rafa Benítez’s side now sitting a lofty fourth in the top flight – for the time being, at least.

And, after making his first appearance in the Premier League as a Newcastle player, Yedlin described how the unity which saw the Magpies through last year’s marathon campaign is now making a difference at a higher level.

“Our team spirit is great right now, and I think that’s a continuation of last year,” he told nufc.co.uk. “If we can continue that and stick together, then I think we’ll do great this year.

“It’s one of the things the gaffer talked about before the game – we have to show team spirit and get the fans behind us. And they were behind us the whole game, credit to them. Even when (Stoke) tied it up, we kept fighting and the fans got louder and louder, and eventually we got the winning goal.

“For most of the game, we dominated, other than a couple of spells where we lost a bit of focus. They had some chances, but for the most part it was a deserved win.”

Yedlin hadn’t featured for Newcastle since July’s 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat at Mainz 05, where he was forced to leave the pitch before the break.

But, after completing 90 minutes against the Potters, the American international paid tribute to the efforts of the Magpies’ medical staff, before encouraging his teammates to keep their feet on the ground ahead of next Sunday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

“Obviously I injured my hamstring early in pre-season, came back for a little bit and injured it again. The thing with a hamstring injury, or any muscular injury in your leg, is that you have to be careful – especially the type of player I am,” he said. “It’s a big asset to me. Sometimes, it can be a little bit scary to go out and sprint and jump and do those athletic sorts of things, but I thought I was fine today. I think the medical staff have done a great job with me, so credit to them for getting me back fit and healthy. I’m looking to push forward from here.

“Anytime you win, you’re going to build some confidence, but the key is that we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. There are a lot of games left to play, and every game’s still going to be tough, so we have to go into every one prepared and ready to battle.”