Coloccini: Newcastle moving in the right direction

Newcastle skipper Fabricio Coloccini is looking upwards rather than over his shoulder after playing his part in a significant upturn in the club’s fortunes.

The 33-year-old Argentinian and his team-mates were denied a third successive Barclays Premier League victory when struggling Aston Villa left a rain-soaked St James’ Park with a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening.

However, a return of seven points from a possible nine against Liverpool, Tottenham and Villa has increased belief that the Magpies can drag themselves out of trouble during the second half of the campaign.

Coloccini, who fired Newcastle into a first-half lead with his first goal for 13 months, told nufcTV: “It’s always nice when you can help the team to take a point. That’s very important because we are still going forward – we didn’t lose the game – and that’s going to be important at the end of the year.

“It was a bit difficult. There was too much water on the pitch – that’s why we couldn’t play much football, like we normally try to do.

“But in the end, we got a point. If you look, it’s important. From the last nine points, we have taken seven, so it’s positive.”

The Magpies are now only three points behind 13th place West Brom.