Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor is confident avoiding relegation.

Taylor - who experienced relegation in 2009 - instead tried to stay upbeat about the situation and said there is enough class in the ranks to avoid disaster even though they are dangling above the drop zone.

He told the Evening Chronicle: "I am confident in my team-mates.

"I look around the dressing room at the players and who I train with every day - and I am sat around is top-class.

"This definitely makes me believes we are going to do well.

"We are not looking down - we are looking up."