NEWCASTLE UNITED will go to the top of the table if they win at Fulham tomorrow – albeit, almost certainly only for 24 hours – but Eddie Howe readily admits the club remain a long way from being credible challengers to Manchester City and Arsenal.

Having picked up ten points from their opening four matches, the Magpies have made an excellent start to the season that sees them sitting in third position ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage.

With leaders Manchester City hosting second-placed Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday, Newcastle will claim top spot in they win in south London, but while Howe accepts there is a certain kudos to topping the table, even at such at early stage of the campaign, he does not envisage his side being part of the title race for the remainder of the season.

“I don’t see how we can compare ourselves to them (Manchester City and Arsenal) currently,” said the Magpies boss. “But the aim is to get there, the aim is to close the gap every day, every week.

“That is what we are working towards. That has to be our aim, our longer-term aim and short-term aim, and that is what I am trying to work towards.

“I think it (going top) would be nice for us. It’s a great motivation for us this weekend. Of course, it means nothing because it’s so early, but that’s where we want to be.”

Newcastle remain unbeaten in league and cup so far this season, but for all that they have claimed victories over Southampton, Tottenham and Wolves, and seen off Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on penalties, there is an acceptance that Howe’s side are yet to hit anything close to top gear.

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They have played well in patches, and shown impressive resilience to grind out results from difficult positions, and Howe is keen to talk up his players’ collective commitment and spirit.

He also accepts that performances can improve, however, and acknowledges the need to be on top form against a Fulham side that would have claimed all three points against West Ham last weekend had they not conceded a stoppage-time goal to Danny Ings.

“I want my players to be aware that there is more to come,” said Howe. “A lot of our performances have been good, it is just that we have not been consistent within the games. So while I am not saying we have played poorly – we haven’t  - it is just that we have been inconsistent within games .

“It is a case of trying to find that consistency within the match so that we do not give our opponent any momentum in a game when potentially we have control of it. Every game is different and the level is so high, so it is about looking for small percentages to let us improve and that will hopefully make the difference for us.”

Last season, Newcastle struggled to win matches when they were not at their free-flowing best, especially when they were playing away from St James’ Park.

Last weekend’s win at Wolves followed a different script, with Newcastle starting brightly, losing control of the game as they fell behind, but rallying to stage a grandstand finish that included two goals in the final 15 minutes. There might be better ways to win a game, but there aren’t too many that are more satisfying.

“If you look back at the last couple of years, then there’s a lot of games where you’re not in 'fifth gear', or whatever bracket you want to put that in, but you can still win games in third or fourth,” said Howe. “That's what we didn't do well enough last year.

“I think it's very rare you get into those moments where everything's going your way, although of course that’s what we're looking for. There has to be an improvement in key aspects of our game, which we're working towards.”