THEY have won plaudits for their free-flowing attacking play on occasion this season, but DeAndre Yedlin claims the strength of Newcastle United’s collective character could be the key to their promotion prospects.

It has been a difficult week for the Magpies, with the club’s failure to sign anyone during the transfer window, and the subsequent fall-out surrounding Rafael Benitez’s long-term plans, combining with an FA Cup defeat at Oxford and the concession of a last-minute equaliser against QPR to set the nerves jangling.

Amid such a tempestuous backdrop, it was crucial Newcastle got back to winning ways against Derby at the weekend, and while they had to survive some nervy moments in the final ten minutes, Benitez’s side were eventually able to celebrate a victory that took them back to the top of the Championship table.

Newcastle’s players had to dig deep as Derby staged a late rally, but with Yedlin playing a crucial role as he cleared Darren Bent’s stoppage-time header off the line, their commitment and resolve enabled them to pull through.

“I think it was an important win,” said Yedlin. “As a whole, it was a good grind by the team. We were playing against a good team that created some good chances, but with a little bit of luck on our side and some good defending, we were able to hold out and get a clean sheet.

“It comes down to the character of the team, and I think our team has a great character. Sometimes, like in the QPR game, there is a down, but we come right back up and got a great win here.”

With Newcastle’s supporters keen to show their support for Benitez, the atmosphere at St James’ Park was as passionate as it has been all season.

The ‘Gallowgate Flags’ group staged one of their displays before kick-off, transforming the Gallowgate End into a sea of black-and-white, and having shared the supporters’ disappointment after Ciaran Clark’s own goal robbed Newcastle of two points on Wednesday, the Magpies’ players fed off the energy provided by the crowd three days later.

“It was a huge day,” said Yedlin. “One thing we talked about after the QPR game was just sticking together and that’s one thing we really showed on Saturday, the unity – not just amongst the team but the fans as well.

“They were behind us every second of the game and it helped us a ton. If it helps us, then it makes it tough on the other team, so credit to them.”

Having claimed the lead through Matt Ritchie’s deflected first-half strike, Newcastle passed up a number of opportunities to make Saturday’s game safe.

As a result, Derby were always in the game, and Yedlin was forced to come to his side’s rescue when Bent looked like converting a corner deep into stoppage time.

“It was an important moment, but it wasn’t just that,” he said. “The whole team in general defended well, and I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. I’m just pleased it helped us get the three points.

“We created a lot of chances, but sometimes they’re just not going to go in for you, so the most important thing was that we kept a clean sheet.”

Isaac Hayden limped off the field with an ankle injury at the start of the second half, but Benitez is hoping the midfielder will be available for this weekend’s trip to Wolves.

“He had a problem with his ankle, but he was also a little bit tired,” said Benitez, who left Jamaal Lascelles out of his starting line-up after the skipper reported some pain in his groin. “To be fair, we knew we had one less day to recover than Derby and we would maybe have some problems with players in terms of the intensity.

“But they were doing really well, and he was the only one we knew before the game could be a risk in terms of his fitness, and also his ankle.”

Benitez is also hoping Dwight Gayle will be available for Saturday’s televised trip to Molineux, with the striker due to return to full training this week.

“The competition will always help the players to improve,” he said. “If Dwight is available, then that’s one extra player and one that was scoring goals before he got injured.”