Rafa Benitez has praised his Newcastle United side for their recent performances, after a 0-0 draw with Reading maintained their position at the top of the Sky Bet Championship, reports the Shields Gazette.
A 2-2 draw with Bristol City on February 25th left Newcastle second in the Championship, a point behind Brighton and Hove Albion.
That started a vital week for Benitez’s side, where they faced Brighton, Huddersfield Town and Reading, all away from home.
Last night’s draw at the Madejski Stadium, gave the Magpies seven points from a possible nine against their promotion rivals, and a three-point cushion over second placed Brighton.
More importantly for Benitez will be the nine-point gap to third placed Huddersfield, which gives Newcastle a comfortable lead in the race for automatic promotion, with just ten games remaining.
Reflecting on a magnificent week for his side, Benitez told the Shields Gazette: “If we finish in the top two, I will look back on these three games and think we did well, but if we don’t then I will be thinking about other things.
“These seven points show we are strong enough to carry on. This division is complicated, you play a lot of games in a short space of time.
“It is not easy when you go away, you don’t have time to recover. I am pleased we will be at home on Saturday. It will be another top game.”
Following their run of away fixtures, Newcastle are back at St James’ Park on Saturday, when they face Play-Off chasing Fulham.