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Baggies aim to stop Magpies

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 18/01/2010
Football betting

West Brom are the latest side to attempt to stop Newcastle United's seemingly unstoppable march to the Championship title on Monday when they travel to St James' Park.

It now seems incredible to think that less than six months ago most pundits were tipping Newcastle for another season of struggle following their relegation from the Premier League and certainly no-one was predicting that they would be clear at the top of the table as the campaign passed the halfway point.

But Chris Hughton's team have quietly gone about their business, grinding out victories, never particularly spectacularly, but certainly consistently.

They remain unbeaten at home and have lost only three times on their travels, going into Monday's game unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions.

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The Magpies have also managed to turn around their fortunes without a regular goalscorer.

Shola Ameobi has missed three months of the season through injury but has still managed to find the net seven times, while midfielder Kevin Nolan is the top scorer with ten.

Marlon Harewood has five and Andy Carroll four so it comes as little surprise to discover that Hughton has targeted a new striker as his main priority this month.

Whereas Newcastle were tipped to struggle this term, West Brom were strongly backed to be the more likely side to make an immediate return to the Premier League.

They replaced Tony Mowbray with Roberto di Matteo in the summer and kept last season's squad intact, with Simon Cox's arrival from Swindon Town being their only piece of serious transfer activity.

But last season's problem of a lack of a regular goalscorer has once again stopped the Baggies' progress, with Cox managing just seven goals and Jerome Thomas six while Chris Brunt has added six goals of his own from midfield.

Nonetheless they seemed the team most likely to join Newcastle in the top-flight next season until recent home defeats against Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest raised doubts about their staying power.

Those losses to key rivals meant that they have already lost four times at The Hawthorns this term, while they have only been beaten once on their travels.

Albion go into the game in third and have a game in hand on second-placed Forest who are just one point better off than them after a blistering recent run of form.

Newcastle are the online betting favourites to edge the match though as Hughton's side move closer to making the quickest possible return to English football's top-flight.

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