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We have to carry on going - Dummett
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Paul Dummett is hoping for more of the same after Newcastle United produced a superb rearguard effort to see off Wolverhampton Wanderers and move back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship.
A close-range strike from Aleksandar Mitrovic proved enough to earn the Magpies an important win at Molineux, though Rafa Benitez’s side came under concerted pressure late on.
Wolves, however, encountered a United back-four in imperious form, expertly marshaled by returning skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
And, with another challenging trip – to Norwich City – coming up on Tuesday, Dummett is keen for Newcastle to take heart from their latest showing.
“The players who started – and those who came on – had to work tremendously hard to win that game,” he told nufc.co.uk. “It shows a different side to our play. We know we can pass the ball around and play teams off the park, but today, we had to battle. It wasn’t pretty, but these are the types of games we have to win to win the league.
“As a back-four, we defended well, but defending as a team is the most important thing. If we defend from the front, it helps the back-four. It’s a team effort, and we have to carry on going. We’ve got another tough game on Tuesday where we need to be the same as we were tonight, and hopefully we can get another win.”
United head to Carrow Road boasting the best away record in the division by some margin, having amassed 34 points from a possible 45.
Maintaining such form over the next month will be no easy task, however, with visits to Brighton & Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and Reading – currently sitting second, third and fourth respectively – also on the horizon.
Dummett, though, recognises he and his teammates have the chance to put distance between themselves and those hot on their heels, starting on Tuesday.
Remarkably, United have shipped just eight goals on their travels so far, a record of which their 25-year-old left-back is rightly proud.
“It’s a massively good stat – for us, as defenders, keeping clean sheets is what we pride ourselves on,” he said. “Where we are in the league has come from how solid we are as a team. The more clean sheets we get, the more wins we get.
“We play a lot of teams in and around the top now, and every game is massive for us. Every three points is a step in the right direction. We need to keep on going, and if we can win those games we can push ourselves further away from the pack.”
"It’s a team effort, and we have to carry on going. We’ve got another tough game on Tuesday where we need to be the same as we were tonight, and hopefully we can get another win."