Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan will be ready for a rest when an eventful season finally draws to a close.

The 57-year-old was thrust back into the limelight in January when Magpies owner Mike Ashley sprang a major surprise by re-appointing him to the job he had relinquished some 11 years earlier.

For two nerve-shredding months, Keegan looked on as his side battled in vain for the victory they needed to lay the foundations for a recovery.

But having stopped the rot of four successive defeats with a 1-1 draw at Birmingham on March 16, they have not looked back since and head into Monday's Chelsea clash on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run.

Keegan said: "I was thrown in a little bit at the deep end when I took the job, so I am ready for a break, to be honest with you.

"But had the last six or seven games been at the start of the season, we would have been up at the top of the Premier League and looking forward to trying to stay there."