Pardew targets third for Magpies

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is targeting a third-place Premier League finish to fulfil Mike Ashley’s unlikely Champions League dream.

The Magpies tackle relegation-threatened Wigan at the DW Stadium today looking for a seventh successive league victory, a run which has seen them climb into fourth and to within three points of Arsenal with a game in hand.

While the odds remain against Pardew’s men ending a remarkable campaign as the closest challengers to top two Manchester United and Manchester City — they still have to go to Chelsea and face Roberto Mancini’s team on Tyneside — they remain genuine candidates for Champions League qualification.

Pardew said: “Mike is very determined that we push as hard as we can for the Champions League, and we are going to try to do that for him because he has been very supportive to us this year.

“We are just trying to win every game. We know we have got a difficult run — on paper, you could say more difficult than the other contenders — but the teams have still got to beat us and we are in pretty good form. But we have got a possibility of finishing third, so that’s what we are going to try to do.”

Meanwhile Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi has a personal reason for keeping Newcastle’s sharp-shooters at bay today.

Al Habsi was at Coventry on Monday night to witness his fellow countrymen from Oman suffer Olympic heartbreak against Senegal.

And he has no wish to endure more disappointment at the DW Stadium when Senegal internationals Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba are leading the Newcastle charge.

“I will make sure to save their shots,” he said.

“Senegal beat us at Coventry, so I want to make sure they don’t score any goals against me.”

“There are three big three games to the end of the season and we must maintain our performance level.

“We have had some good wins for us.

“Even against Fulham last week we did well but were just unlucky to lose in the last minute.”