Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper admits they face a battle to beat the drop.

Harper, who signed a new three-and-a-half-year extension at the club last month, believes the club have a lot of work to do to avoid relegation.

"We looked at the table and it wasn't great reading. We realised that all the teams in and around us had tough games, so it was important to win and to give us a bit of breathing space," Harper said.

"The job is far from over and we've got to get as many points as we can between now and the end of the season."