Kevin Keegan admits that playing all three of his top-class strikers against Birmingham last month was a gamble that could have had "disastrous" consequences.

The Magpies looked set to be dragged into a shock relegation dogfight, but recent result have steadied the ship somewhat.

Faced with fellow strugglers Birmingham, Keegan admits that fielding three strikers - Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins - was a gamble that paid off as they grabbed a morale-boosting draw at St Andrews'.

Since then, the Black and Whites have started to play like the King Kev side of old but the veteran manager admits that it was a scheme that could have backfired.

"I just saw them in training and wanted to get more goals into the side," said Keegan.

"I just felt I'd like to play the team that I'd like to see play. Had it been pre-season, it would not have been in any way a risk, but it was at Birmingham, where had it backfired it could have been disastrous for us.

"But sometimes, in our situation, where we were up against the wall a bit, you have to take what looks a bit like a gamble."