Dummett: Success of club is down to team, not just me

MAGPIES’ DEFENDER TALKS TO LEE RYDER ABOUT COLLECTIVE EFFORT NEEDED TO ACHIEVE TOP-10 FINISH IN PREMIER LEAGUE

PAUL Dummett has played down any personal praise during Newcastle United’s magnificent run of results in the Premier League.

The Academy product insists the Magpies’ success has been a “collective” effort andt nobody is downing tools to revel in any of the positive headlines which have followed three successive top-flight victories.

Newcastle go into their weekend encounter with Arsenal sitting in the top 10 of the Premier League - but Dummett is not taking anything for granted.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s match with the Gunners, Dummett said: “The results have been positive and we have seen a lot of stuff saying we have only lost to Man City twice and Liverpool this year.

“I just try to do my best for the team and give the manager what he wants.

“I have been playing well but it is not just down to me.

“It is everybody on the pitch at every level.

“It is every player and the subs, plus the rest of the squad - everybody involved here.

“The manager, the staff and the fans, everybody collectively has helped us push in the right direction to make sure we stay in the Premier League.” Newcastle’s efforts at the King Power Stadium resulted in a standing ovation for players at the end of the game with many supporters still in the ground long after the final whistle. Those scenes could be on an even larger scale if the Magpies can net the three points which will result in their top-flight survival against Arsenal. Dummett reflected: “It is always great for the club and at the end of the game you could see how much it meant to the fans. “When the whistle went you could hear how loud it was. “We could also hear how loud they were all the way through the game. “They appreciate how hard you work and it is nice for our fans to go to a club like Leicester and see us work hard and win. It is not easy for them travelling around the country watching us.

“When you are beaten it is hard for them but these are the type of days they travel to watch us and put on a show where they have something to cheer about.”

Newcastle’s win over the Foxes maintained the club’s push for a respectable finish to the season and Dummett felt the win was richly deserved.

He went on: “We went to Leicester to win the game and we did the job.

“It was not always pretty and we had to defend but we did it well for the majority of the game and scored two goals.

“We felt comfortable at 2-0 but when it gets to the last few minutes and you concede then you know just one more chance could lead to another goal then all the work is undone.

“I was just hoping and praying we could do enough to make sure we could see the game out.

“We defended for our lives because we knew how important the three points were.

“We worked our socks off to pick up three points.

“We have hit 38 points now which you could say is safe but we want to carry on going to see where it could take us.”

Rafa Benitez will surely be pondering whether to stick with the same side which beat the Foxes last weekend.

However, he also has intense competition for places going on in his squad.

Dummett said: “In any team, it is nice to have a bit of consistency because you are playing with the same players in every game and we know what we are good at and what to improve on.

“We just try our best in every game with the squad we have.

“We work hard to make sure we pick up three points in each game we play.

“We did have a tough spell in the middle of the season.

“However, we have picked up a lot of wins and points towards the back end of the season.

“You can see the table now but we have to keep on going with the rest of the games.

“We have hit 38 points and we are trying to push on and get as many as we can.”