THEY have spent the vast majority of the season worrying about the relegation zone, but Mo Diame has urged his Newcastle United team-mates to start turning their attention towards the top half of the table in the final seven games.

Saturday’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town lifted the Magpies into 12th position, seven points clear of the relegation zone, and while their survival is not yet set in stone, they have got themselves into a position where one more victory will almost certainly guarantee more Premier League football next season.

Diame is determined not to take anything for granted, with this weekend’s trip to Leicester City representing one of Newcastle’s toughest tasks of the campaign, but with tenth-placed Bournemouth now just two points away, the Senegal international is keen to start looking up rather than down.

The way in which a team finishes a season can often influence how they start the following campaign, and with so much uncertainty over the Magpies’ off-field plans, Diame is hoping Newcastle will carry some welcome momentum into the summer break.

“We have to think about finishing as high as possible,” said the Magpies midfielder, who has been in superb form since returning to the starting line-up in the middle of December. “For a club like us, it is important to have a big target next season, which we can have if we finish high enough in the table.

“We have to put down a marker. But if we only finish 16th or 17th, then the target (next season) will be just to finish above the relegation zone again. That is not what we want.

“We just have to keep going, even when we think we are safe so that we finish the season well and end up in a good position.”

Saturday’s victory made it three home wins in a row, with Newcastle’s players successfully following up their wins over Manchester United and Southampton with another success.

Prior to beating Manchester United, the Magpies were struggling in 16th position, with a second relegation in the space of three years a distinct possibility.

Rafael Benitez continues to insist that the 40-point mark remains the target, and Newcastle still need another five points to reach that tally, with tricky matches against Arsenal and Everton set to follow this weekend’s trip to the King Power Stadium.

Nevertheless, the mood on Tyneside has been transformed in the last month or so, with the lingering resentment over January’s failed takeover talk having dissipated in the face of some positive results.

“This is a very good time for us,” said Diame, who has started every game since the turn of year, with Newcastle’s only defeats in that spell having come against Manchester City and Liverpool. “This club, this city, the fans, everything around us, it means you have to be winning in the Premier League, and we can feel it.

“This is a massive club, and a happy club now. We have to make sure it stays that way for as long as possible. This win feels amazing, but we have to keep going.  It is not finished yet. The Premier League is so difficult, so you have to focus for every game.”

Diame’s performances have been a key factor in Newcastle’s upturn, with the midfielder having carved out a role alongside Jonjo Shelvey in front of the Magpies’ back four.

The 30-year-old joined Newcastle from Hull City in the summer of 2016, and started the majority of the Magpies’ matches as they claimed the Championship title.

He struggled to make much of an impact in the first half of the current campaign, with Benitez tending to prefer Mikel Merino or Isaac Hayden, but his performances have improved markedly since the turn of the year to the point where is now one of the first names on the United team sheet.

His physicality and athleticism provide a perfect foil for Shelvey’s long-range passing game, and he was the best player on the pitch as Newcastle claimed all three points against Huddersfield.

“I am trying to give my best and, right now, I am in a good moment,” said Diame, “I have to make sure this form goes on for as long as possible.

“It means so much playing well in a winning team. Everything feels different now. When I go home now, I am happy. I may be tired, but everything is fine. The mood of everyone is good, and that is the most important thing now.”