Demba Ba’s ready to put in more hard yards for Newcastle

IN-FORM ... Newcastle striker Demba Ba scored his ninth goal of the season against Manchester United.

By MILES STARFORTH
Published on 01/12/2011 12:30

NEWCASTLE United have already run some hard yards this season – and Alan Pardew’s side are ready for more to come.

That’s the verdict of striker Demba Ba ahead of Saturday’s sold-out home game against Chelsea.

Ba netted his ninth goal of the season in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Injured Coloccini ‘could hardly walk’ on eve of Man U game

And the 26-year-old’s now got Chelsea in his sights when fourth meet fifth in the Premier League.

“It was a great result before the Chelsea game – it gives us confidence,” Ba told the Gazette. “This is a game we’re looking forward to – we know we can win.

“We’ll work like we did against Man United. We’ll try to win the game.

“If we keep on playing like we have been playing all season, we’ll be a good team until the end.”

Ba likens the work ethic at Newcastle to that at former club Hoffenheim, and he believes he and his team-mates deserve to be in the top four.

“When I was in Hoffenheim, we had a good team – we chased everything,” added Ba. “We worked so hard for each other and ran around the pitch.

“We did our best to win every game, and we have the same attitude at Newcastle.

“We are fourth in the league because we deserve to be there – we haven’t stolen anything from anybody, and we haven’t cheated anybody.

“We have just worked hard, and got what we deserved.”

Despite being close to double figures already, Ba isn’t setting goal targets.

“I don’t have a goal target this season,” he said. “My target is only to stay healthy and have fun playing for this team.

“I’m enjoying my football, and looking forward to every game.”

Follow Gazette Newcastle United writer Miles Starforth on Twitter

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Demba Ba’s ready to put in more hard yards for Newcastle

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