GORDON: WE ARE JUST TOON TIRED

ANTHONY GORDON says fatigue has sent Newcastle’s season into a slide.

Eddie Howe’s side slipped to 10th in the Premier League and face a real fight to book a place in Europe.

Toon’s form is alarming, with just two wins and eight defeats in the last 10 games. Those wins came against 10-man

Fulham and

Championship

Sunderland.

Newcastle still showed flashes of last season’s form in taking the lead against

Manchester City but they are being too easily unlocked.

Gordon, who put Newcastle ahead against City with a fantastic goal (top, and celebrating below), said: “The reality is we are really tired.”

Howe has given his squad several days off this week to mentally switch off before the FA Cup trip to Fulham on Saturday week followed three days later by the visit of Aston Villa. Gordon (below) said: “We have to be hard on ourselves because our ambition is to compete and, if we are not hard on ourselves, we won’t be able to.

“I can’t wait for our break. It has been a long season and it will be a mental relief to get away from football.

“There is a gap to the top four but I think we can get there if we get back to what we have been doing.”

Gordon said Toon deserved more from Saturday’s clash with title favourites Manchester City.

“We handled City well in the first half and and hurt them,” he said. “In the second half we sat back too soon.

“We have had more time to train in recent weeks and our last two performances have been good, but we’ve lost to two bits of quality.”

Toon’s injured midfielder Joelinton had his house burgled on Saturday while he watched the game.