Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has admitted that he has been surprised by the high standard of his side's recent performances.

The Magpies have lifted the pressure on the 53-year-old following their difficult start to the campaign as they have won their last four games in all competitions, which have included victories over Manchester City and Liverpool.

Pardew told the club's official website: "We have deserved the victories that we have had and we have given ourselves and the fans confidence that we can grow. We have a lot of young players in the group and they are really benefiting from this spell.

"There hasn't really been a secret ingredient for this run but it's about doing the right things enough of the time.

"We were doing that at the beginning of the season but not getting the results, so I was confident that if we got a win then we could get the points we desperately needed. I didn't think we could play to the level that we have been but that has been a really nice surprise."

Newcastle face West Bromwich Albion in their Premier League clash later today.