MARTIN DUBRAVKA insists Newcastle United have not given up hope of repeating last season’s top-four finish, and is hoping the momentum generated in the next week will help power the club through the second half of the season.

The Magpies claimed only their second league away win of the season last night as they outplayed Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on their own turf to claim a 3-1 success.

The victory lifted Eddie Howe’s side to seventh place in the table, albeit with a number of teams below them still to play, and took them to within 11 points of fourth-placed Villa.

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That still leaves them with a big gap to bridge if they are to follow up last season’s top-four finish with another Champions League spot, but with their next three games pitting them against Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, there is an opportunity to continue chipping away at the deficit.

“We are in a good moment, so we have to keep it,” said Dubravka, who shook off the effects of a long-standing groin issue to play an important role in last night’s win. “Hopefully, in the next game at St James’ Park, we will show that we are a quality team.

“We want to achieve the same thing as last season - that is our goal. We have to step up in a moment like this, but hopefully we have started to turn around the away record that we have had.”

Luton are next up at St James’ Park on Saturday, and while the Hatters have spent the season trying to clamber out of the relegation zone, they beat Newcastle at Kenilworth Road in December and claimed a shock 4-0 win over Brighton last night.

Nevertheless, the weekend game offers a great chance for the Magpies to keep their winning run going, with this week’s back-to-back wins over Fulham and Aston Villa having transformed the prevailing mood around the club.

“It (the Luton game) is a great opportunity,” said Dubravka. “Obviously, we know they beat Brighton 4-0. We didn’t expect that, to be fair, but you have to give credit to them. But we are playing at home at St James’ Park, it is a special place to play and I think we have momentum now. We did very well against Aston Villa, so we just have to be ready for the next one.”

Dubravka was ready to step in when Nick Pope was injured, with the Slovakian having proved a more-than-capable deputy for the England international in the last couple of weeks.

“I am just trying to enjoy every moment on the pitch,” he said. “I am always trying to work hard and show my qualities. I have had to be patient, but I have always been in the right way. I always wanted to be there for my team-mates when they needed me, and I am just enjoying myself.”