TABLE-TOPPERS Newcastle United return home this weekend after emerging from the three toughest away trips of the season unscathed, and midfielder Jack Colback thinks they have proven they have the bottle for a promotion fight.

Back-to-back victories over major rivals for a top two spot, Brighton and Huddersfield, were followed by a hard-earned draw at Reading on Tuesday ahead of a return to action at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Fulham, who beat Newcastle on the opening weekend of the campaign at Craven Cottage, are the visitors to Tyneside and will provide a different sort of test to what Rafael Benitez has geared his side up for during the last ten days.

The onus will be more on making Newcastle dangerous on the attack rather than to counter what the likes of Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading – with the latter two enjoying far more possession – served up.

And the challenge is to extend an 11-match unbeaten run to further enhance the chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League after just one season in the Championship.

Colback said: “We've not been too bad at home, but we've had games when we've come up short. It can be difficult because teams come to St James' Park and sit in, it's a huge occasion for them and every team seems to lift their game.

"Even going away from home, we find stadiums with a lot more fans than the teams normally have for other games. It's a big game for teams playing against us; we've got to deal with that and at home teams sit in more.

“We can find it frustrating at times, but we're on a good run, we're not dwelling on our home form or anything, we're top of the league and if we keep doing what we have been doing then we'll be fine."

Having shown in the last three matches they have the resilience and determination to see the job through, Newcastle’s players are aiming to maintain the standards they have set wherever they play.

"It's about holding our nerve,” said Colback, 27. “We've put ourselves in a great position with two fantastic wins away and then a draw at Reading.

"We've been consistent all year round; we've had the odd slip-up, but we've always reacted and that shows the strength and the spirit we have in this team now. It's about keeping the consistency up and then we'll get the points we need.

"Seven points is a very good return for us from nine at this stage of the campaign, particularly when you look at the games and the opposition. We're very happy with that."

Despite failing to win at Reading, Newcastle remain on track to break a club record of away wins having equalled the 13 games Kevin Keegan’s team won during the 1992-93 promotion campaign. Benitez’s side have four more trips to achieve the feat.

The form on the road, suitably enhanced by the last three unbeaten games, is a far cry from last season’s relegation when they only won twice away from St James’.

Colback, who is enjoying his own good run of form in the absence of the injured Isaac Hayden, said: "We know that away from home we weren’t good last season, but we've been strong this year. It's not always been pretty wins or pretty results, but in this league particularly you've got to learn to grind out wins.

"That's what we've been doing - and that's down to the squad we've got now, the spirit we've got, which has been a big factor in ensuring we've picked up results away from home.

"We haven't always played that well with the ball, but we're getting results. We've just got to keep going, take each game as it comes, and this Tuesday was another point towards the ultimate goal of promotion."

Newcastle are nine points clear of the play-off zone and three clear of second placed Brighton after finishing the last three matches with a healthy seven point boost.

Colback added: "We'd only drawn one game until a few weeks ago, and we were losing games when we shouldn't have done, so we have to be satisfied with the point at Reading.

"We're a very solid team without the ball, teams find it difficult to break us down, and it's normally a lucky goal or a bit of poor fortune on our part when we do concede.

"We've used that as our basis to be our solid team and we've also got the quality to ensure we can get the draw or win whenever we can.”

Newcastle will be without DeAndre Yedlin against Fulham, with Benitez unsure of how long the American will be out with a small thigh tear.

Jesus Gamez slotted in at right-back at Reading on Tuesday, with Vurnon Anita nursing a knock on the bench. The Dutchman should be fine to reclaim the full-back slot against the Cottagers on Saturday.