Ciaran Clark has warned Newcastle there will be more twists to come this season after helping them move clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone. Back-to-back wins over West Ham last weekend and Bournemouth on Saturday had eased the Magpies into 11th place and seven points clear of the bottom three.
However, 30-year-old defender Clark has been around long enough to know that fortunes in football can quickly take a turn and has urged his team-mates to take nothing for granted.
He told NUFC TV: “We spoke about that between ourselves. We knew that the league was tight and two wins on the bounce will throw you a few places up the league. That’s the way it’s going to be this season. “Other teams are going to do the same and there’ll be a lot of chopping and changing.”
Bournemouth took the lead at St James’ Park courtesy of a sublime short corner move which saw Harry Wilson sweep them ahead after Ryan Fraser and Josh King had caught the Magpies cold.
They levelled before the break when DeAndre Yedlin powered home a header from Allan Saint-Maximin’s deflected cross, and Clark won it seven minutes into the second half when he scuffed home from fellow defender Federico Fernandez’s knock-down.
It was the first time he had scored in successive Premier League games and meant seven of the club’s last nine goals have come from defenders.
Clark couldn’t put his finger on why the defensive players are doing the job of the strikers at the moment, but just praised the quality of crosses from the wide men who “put the ball into great areas”.
And with players willing to attack the ball in the middle, it is the aerial threat from the back which is reaping the benefits in the opposition penalty area.
Clark’s improved for the Magpies in recent weeks has also resulted in him winning a place in the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly clash with New Zealand and the crucial Euro 2020 qualifier against Denmark next week.
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