Willock eyeing a solid end to season

JOE Willock has sent a defiant message to Newcastle United’s relegation rivals that they “haven’t achieved anything yet” despite a now-ended nine-game unbeaten run propelling them towards safety.

The Magpies are not mathematically safe – though they are nine points clear of the bottom three – and the Newcastle midfielder knows that plenty of hard work lies ahead.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been one of Newcastle’s standout players prior to the international break, having been transformed under Eddie Howe.

The 22-year-old signed a permanent deal with the Magpies in the summer but struggled to recapture the his fine loan form. Willock has admitted he struggled to settle in after his move to Tyneside but has come through on the right side.

With a trip to Tottenham Hotspur today, the Newcastle midfielder is eyeing a solid end to the season to secure Premier League survival

Willock told NUFC TV: “We’re not going to let one or two games knock us. Since the manager has come in we’ve come so far and we’re looking to brush the Everton game off and go into the next game with clear minds.

“We know what we have to do and know what we can do to get the three points. We have a massive objective that we need to get before we can say that we’re safe. We need to go into this game with the mindset to win, we need the three points and continue striving to push up the table.

“We need to stick together and everyone take leadership and help each other. If one of the players is not feeling too confident going into it, we need to stick together. That’s how we got the unbeaten run and we can’t lose that.”