Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has claimed that the club's fans deserve European football next season.

The sixth-placed Magpies are on course to qualify for the Europa League as they travel to Swansea City on Friday.

"The greatest reward I can give these fans is European football," Pardew told the Evening Chronicle. "That's what we are trying to do.

"The fans can dream about Champions League or even winning the league. I couldn't care less.

"But we have put them in the mix. Three victories will be pretty close to a Europa League place."

Should Newcastle qualify for the Europa League, it will be the first time in six years that the team has played on the continent.

Written by
Jack Prescott