Magpies plan takeoff after getting their feathers ruffled

NEWCASTLE midfielder Kieron Dyer is targeting a six-point holiday haul to ease his side's Champions League jitters.

Saturday's crushing 6-2 home defeat by Manchester United on the back of a controversial 2-1 reverse at Everton six days earlier has left the third-placed Magpies looking anxiously over their shoulders.

Chelsea in fourth have closed the gap to a single point after successive victories over relegated Sunderland and lowly Bolton.

But while Dyer admits that the weekend mauling by Alex Ferguson's title-chasers served as a reality check, he is determined not to let all the hard work go to waste.

"Everyone was upset after the game," he admitted.

"We were embarrassed and we thought we'd let the manager and the fans down.

"Obviously we were devastated, but we have to pick up now and have to get it out of our systems. At this stage, we're looking over our shoulders.

"If we're to make the Champions League, we must start to pick up and get back to what we were doing earlier in the season. We've got to bounce back, and we've done that in the past.

"We thought we could win the Man United game, but we were given a reality check in a way. To be fair, everyone in their team was on top of their game.

"Maybe it will work in our favour, but we've got a way to go. We've got to show the right effort in the title run-in."

Six points this weekend, with a win against Fulham at Loftus Road on Saturday and then Aston Villa at St James' Park on Easter Monday, would get Bobby Robson's side back on track. But while their run-in Sunderland and West Brom away and Birmingham at home remain after the holiday weekend is perhaps less taxing than those of their closest rivals, they will be taking nothing for granted.

"I would rather have our run-in than anyone else's, but we can't be complacent," said Dyer.

"I don't think our fans will allow that. All the hard work would go to waste. We desperately want to make the Champions League.

"It could be a bad time to play Fulham.

"They're still not safe yet and need to get the points, but we had one of our better performances this season when we beat them at St James' Park. It was 2-0, but could've been a lot more.

"We've got to go down there, play our normal game and come away with the three points.

"If we have six more points come Monday night, then that could secure our place in the Champions League and probably third place as well.

"If we do that, then we'll have progressed from last season."

Meanwhile, Bellamy will appear in court later this year over an alleged incident at a Cardiff nightclub. He has not been charged, but has been summonsed to appear before Cardiff Magistrates for an alleged public order offence.

A date is yet to be fixed for the hearing, although it will not be before the current Barclaycard Premiership season ends and probably not until well into the summer.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service told PA Sport: "He has not been charged. The incident has been reported and he will be summonsed to attend court, but because of the process which has to be gone through, that won't be before July."

The alleged incident happened after he met up with the Wales squad for their Euro 2004 qualifier against Azerbaijan at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Bellamy initially headed back to Newcastle but returned to the Welsh camp and voluntarily presented himself to police investigating the matter.

Through his solicitor, he later denied the alleged offence and particularly suggestions there had been a racial element to the incident, but was later reported for summons. After assuring Wales boss Mark Hughes he was ready to play against Azerbaijan, he scored the first goal in his side's comprehensive 4-0 victory.