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    Newcastle United news: Eddie Howe believes fight to stay in the league will 'go down to the wire'

    Planet Sport writerStaff Writer25 February 2022
    Eddie Howe applauds the Newcastle faithful

    Eddie Howe applauds the Newcastle faithful

    Despite stringing together a six-match unbeaten run, Eddie Howe has warned Newcastle to expect a scrappy end to the season.

    Newcastle extended their impressive Premier League spell under Eddie Howe on Saturday, as they took a point home from their trip to West Ham.

    Craig Dawson opened the scoring for the hosts, but a first half equaliser from Joe Willock ensured the game ended 1-1.

    The Magpies now find themselves out of the relegation zone, two points clear of 18th-placed Burnley. But with the Clarets also finding form beneath them, survival is no guarantee.

    Newcastle travel to Brentford on Saturday, knowing a win is not only crucial to climbing up the table, but that it would also drag the Bees into the relegation dogfight.

    With such an important game on the horizon, Howe was eager to warn his players of complacency, and urged them to "take care of our own business".
    "It's going to go right to the end of the season in the sense of the relegation battle. The fight to stay in the league I think, will go to the wire," said Howe.
    "From our side, we have to take care of our own business, and that is consistently winning games or consistently getting points and trying to push ourselves and elevate ourselves away from danger.
    "But if we think it's going to be given to us by the other teams, that's absolutely not going to happen. This is the hardest league in the world for a reason and we're going to have to fight for every point.
    "Our destiny is still in our own hands, and that's where we want it and that's where we have to do our business first."
    Howe's first game in charge of the Tyneside club came against Brentford back in November, but a positive Covid-19 result meant he was forced to stay at home.
    Speaking of that match, Howe said it was one of the worst managerial experiences of his career.
    "That was one of the worst 90 minutes - or 95 minutes - of my football life because I was powerless to control a game that was so important."
    When asked about the potential return of Christian Eriksen for the home side, Howe reserved praise for the Dane, who suffered a cardiac arrest last summer.
    Howe said: "It would be great to see him back on a football pitch. From our side, during the game, we can have no emotion towards that, we all have to concentrate on our jobs.
    "But certainly it's great to see him fit and healthy and enjoying his football again."
    The two sides clash on Sautrday February 26, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 GMT. A win for the Magpies will see them leapfrog Brentford in the table, while a Bees win would give Burnley the chance to put Newcastle back in the drop zone.

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