While Hughton fears injuries to his paper-thin squad, he has no fears about the dressing room spirit which has carried his team through a troubled few months at St James's Park.

"We have a great spirit here now, and a great togetherness in the team," Hughton told the Gazette.

"That's what got us the result at Sheffield United, and recently against Doncaster Rovers. There's always a nice feel when you get that type of result.

"Arguably, it's a better feel than when you win a game by four or five goals quite comfortably. It's because you know that it's taken a lot of character.

"There's been a lot of team-work to get that type of result, especially at Sheffield United, because we knew we had some injuries.

"We've had Tamas Kadar playing as a young lad, and he's done very well given his experience. He's blended into the team spirit around him.

"There are a lot of pluses, but we have to make sure we grow and improve on that."

A two-week international break follows this afternoon's game against Peterborough United, and those players not on duty with their countries will welcome a breather ahead of Newcastle's visit to Preston North End on November 23, such are the demands of the division.

He went on: "What we've learned this season is that every period of the season is important – you can't switch off or play catch up.

"We've had so many weeks of two games in a seven-day period, or sometimes three.

"You know from Saturday to Saturday it's not about three points, like the Premier League.

"It can be about six or nine points, so two losses can see you six points adrift from where you were the week before. It's always tough."