Ritchie: Let’s create something here we can be so proud of

WINGER IS DESPERATE TO BUILD ON EARLY MOMENTUM

NEWCASTLE United star Matt Ritchie wants the current Magpies team to start creating an era which the Toon Army can look back on and be proud of.

The black-and-whites marked the 20th anniversary of the famous Champions League victory over Barcelona by climbing into the Premier League’s top four thanks to a 2-1 win over Stoke City.

United continued their good start to the campaign with their third victory in a row to make it three consecutive wins for the first time since 2014.

Ritchie was one of the many heroes against the Potters after weighing in with two assists to help set up a respectable victory against Mark Hughes’ side.

Afterwards, he told the Chronicle: “It is time to make new memories.

“You are as only as good as your last game and we are as good as we played in the Premier League on Saturday.

“We will try and build on that and there is a positive vibe around the place.

“We need to keep that and the only way we do that is through grit, determination and hard work. If you take your foot off the gas you will soon start being beaten and dropping points.

“We need to make sure we keep getting better and when you are doing well it is the time to stay focused and continue to work hard.

“That is the message the manager will give for sure and likewise all the players.”

When asked about his own excellent form. Ritchie was eager to underline the fact it is very much a team effort. He responded: “The assists are helping the team and that is fantastic and I am really delighted - but the team performance was really good.

“It was not quite the same as the West Ham game, where we were able to get on top straight away and take control.

“Stoke were very good in the opening 15 minutes and made us be patient in the way we wanted to play.

“We showed real patience and maturity in the first 20 minutes or so because we did not go and press when it was not on to do that.

“We wanted to get the fans behind us early in the game (by getting an early goal) but it did not work out that way.

“So it was a fantastic performance and I was really delighted with the result.”

Newcastle’s clever game plan warmed 50,000 United fans on Saturday with Ritchie delighted by the crowd’s understanding of what the team are trying to achieve at the moment.