Demba raises the Ba for high-flying Magpies

NEWCASTLE striker Demba Ba gave Stoke a taste of what they missed out on with a hat-trick as the Magpies won 3-1 to move within a point of second-placed Manchester United.

The Senegal international would have been a Potters player in January as he had already agreed a move from Hoffenheim before the club pulled the plug on the move after he failed their medical.

Ba always rejected the suggestion he was not fit and subsequently joined West Ham before making his way to St James’ Park in the summer after their relegation. The 26-year-old arrived at the Britannia Stadium with a point to prove and he certainly did that as the visitors registered their first league victory at Stoke since 1985 and inflicted only the hosts’ second home defeat in 2011.