Matt Ritchie on Newcastle's relegation fight, the transfer window '“ and the players' 'mindset'

Matt Ritchie says the transfer window is the last thing on the players' minds at relegation-threatened Newcastle United.
Matt RitchieMatt Ritchie
Matt Ritchie

Ritchie and his team-mates take on Burnley at St James’s Park tomorrow night looking for a first home Premier League win in more than three months.

The game is followed by the 11pm transfer deadline.

“It’s so tight, and it’s probably going to go right to the wire for all the teams in a similar position to us,” said Ritchie. “We just have to make sure we continue to work hard and look to improve, and hopefully we can secure our safety.

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“We’ve got a squad of players, we know that. We’ve got competition for places, and that’s going to be important in the rest of the season.

“We back ourselves to achieve what we want to, and everyone’s hungry for success.

“We need to keep that mindset, and, hopefully, if we stick to what the manager wants from us, that’ll be good enough to keep us in the Premier League.

Matt RitchieMatt Ritchie
Matt Ritchie

“We can’t control anything that happens in terms of transfers, or playing coming in. There’s no point thinking about it. We just have to keep working hard.”

Chelsea knocked United out of the FA Cup on Sunday.

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“I thought in the first half, although we conceded two goals, we held our own and did OK,” said the winger. “Obviously, when you’re 2-0 down away from home at Stamford Bridge, it’s tough, but there were glimpses of chances and we kept plugging away.

“The important thing is that there are positives to take from the game, and we have to make sure we take them into Burnley.

“For every team in the Premier League in a similar position to us, the league has to be the priority.”