http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/ ... rd_knocks/Rafa Benitez thinks Cardiff victory is latest sign Newcastle can handle Championship hard knocks
RAFAEL BENITEZ thinks Newcastle United have shown they are up for the fight in the Championship after emerging from another tough afternoon by reaching the international break with an extended lead over the play-off zone.
The Magpies remain three points clear of second placed Brighton but, more crucially in the race to the Premier League, there is an eight point gap to the play-off zone going into the trip to Leeds United on Sunday, November 20.
Newcastle have managed to build up that healthy advantage courtesy of the seven-match winning streak in the league – eight in all competitions – and the last time they enjoyed such a positive sequence was when they won the Championship in 2010.