Kinnear keen to keep forward focus

NEWCASTLE manager Joe Kinnear is refusing to abandon his attacking philosophy as he targets back-to-back league victories.

The 61-year-old heads into tomorrow’s clash with former club Tottenham determined not to be forced into a cautious approach after seeing his side leak costly late goals in each of their last two games at St James’ Park.

Both Wigan and Stoke left the north-east with a point after Magpies old boys Titus Bramble and Abdoulaye Faye scored last-gasp equalisers, depriving their former employers of four points which would have left them eighth.

However, Kinnear will tell his forward-thinking players to carry on attacking while attempting to eradicate the errors which have proved so damaging at the back.

He said: “We have gone cautious away from home (but) we have always gone straight for it, we have always played four or five attacking players in the home matches.

“But that has always been my philosophy anyway. If you are at home, you are expected to win, and we will continue to do that. We’ve been causing our own problems by conceding late goals.”

Ironically, Newcastle’s defensive resilience is exemplary on the road, where they have not conceded since Danny Murphy’s penalty at Fulham on November 9.

Kinnear’s men are now unbeaten in five games – they have lost only two of the 11 matches for which he has been in charge to date – and although that run includes just three victories, optimism is increasing on Tyneside. However, that would dissipate if Spurs, the side for which the former full-back made 258 senior appearances over a decade, repeated their Carling Cup third-round victory at St James’ on September 24.

Two very different sides contested that game – the Magpies had lost their previous three fixtures and then manager Kevin Keegan had departed, while the Londoners had won only one of their first six matches of the season, and that in the UEFA Cup.

Kinnear said: “Me and coach Chris Hughton spent 25 years between us at the club, so I am looking forward to it very much. They are in a good vein of form at the moment, but so are we. I have yet to lose at home so far, and hopefully that will continue.”

Meanwhile, Blue Square North side Blyth will be presented on the pitch at half-time after booking an FA Cup third-round clash with former boss Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn after a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in midweek.