Alan Pardew has declared that Newcastle United will "dig deep and fight" in order to climb back up the Premier League table.
The Magpies, who take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium this evening, are currently 19th in the standings, having failed to win a single league game so far this season.
Newcastle followed up their 4-0 reverse at Southampton with a battling 2-2 draw against Hull City last time out, although Pardew acknowledges that more is still needed.
"Prior to Southampton we deserved more than we got and played reasonably well," the 53-year-old told Sky Sports News. "Southampton was nowhere near good enough but we've shown resilience.
"You have to be battle hard and you have to dig deep and fight. A win today puts us in a position where we're not far behind the bigger teams. It's an important night.
"A win would settle a lot of things down. We can't determine what happens off the pitch but a win gives you good confidence. If we can see the best from our players then we can win this game."
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