ALAN PARDEW has geared up for this afternoon's ‘should win' game against Wigan Athletic by demanding Newcastle United guard against complacency if they are to keep the momentum building on Tyneside.

Any frustration that has lingered among supporters on the back of a failure to replace Andy Carroll during the last ten months has been dampened down by the excellent start to the campaign.

Hopes are high around St James' Park that Pardew can lead his players to another positive result against the Latics, which would extend the unbeaten start to 11 matches and preserve their fourth-place position in the Premier League.

Optimism has reached greater heights since last Sunday's 2-2 draw with highly-fancied Tottenham, who twice held a lead only to be pegged back by goals from Demba Ba and Shola Ameobi.

But Pardew, who has done a lot of thinking and research in to the demands put on Newcastle teams in the past by fans, has been working all week on trying to keep his players focused on their next match against a team likely to be in the relegation mix all season.

"I'm aware with this club and this city, that it is very important you prepare for the next game properly," said Pardew. "This city has a tendency to have a good time when the football team does well and that's good, but we can't show any reduction in the intensity and work rate that has got us these good results.

"Getting a pat on the back from the press and our fans, that's good, that's the best way to be, but you have to take it and work harder."

Newcastle have not lost since the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on May 1, but even prior to that there had been an encouraging eight months of the team displaying an ability to compete in the top-flight.

However, their record in the top-flight over a number of seasons has shown a tendency to lose to weaker Premier League teams, highlighted by reversals to the likes of Blackpool and Blackburn at St James' last season.

Pardew was not in charge for either of those. He said: "Yes, it's going to be a test for us. The expectation of a fan coming into the stadium, no matter how they try to train their mind and give us the benefit of the doubt, they will jeer the first miss-placed pass.

"We have to be able to overcome that, the top teams overcome that every week probably. It's nice, it's something new we have to get used to and deal with. If we are easing off, the indicators will be are we running as fast, as far? Will we hit the targets we set in the game.

"It would be great if we can have the stadium roaring for us all game, but you can't change the periods of the game where you have a bad five minutes.

"I could sense a little bit of that last weekend against Spurs in the first-half. We had to come through it. We had to be strong and we had to get them back on-side."

Pardew has no fresh injury concerns and he must decide whether to change a team that has served him so well so far, with both Davide Santon and Hatem Ben Arfa most likely candidates to start.

The Newcastle manager was not prepared to give much away on team selection, but admits the performances of Ryan Taylor as a makeshift left-back have provided a perfect alternative to £5m new-boy Santon.

"I don't think it has been a bad thing for Davide to be injured because he doesn't speak the language and it has been a big change for him," said Pardew. "He has had a little bit of time to settle because the results have been good.

"It's a new country and a new culture for him. We see a really good technical player and he is getting used to things. He even understood what I shouted at him in training on Thursday so we are getting there.

"If I'm honest, I wouldn't have thought Ryan would have still been in my team. He's done fantastically well and there are nice examples in any Premier League side of those who have done that.

"He is a great advertisement for a player who wasn't in the first choice XI getting in there and staying there. For all our young players here, it's great news for them."