Five points ahead, can Newcastle sustain?

Five points is a good lead to have in the Championship. But as I’ve mentioned a few times throughout this season, the club has been inconsistent. A strong win against Huddersfield has put them in a position to climb only higher, but will they?

A couple poor performances and draws and Newcastle will quickly find themselves in a scrappy fight against Brighton for first place. Again. I’m probably the biggest fan of that 1-3 victory against Huddersfield, but I’m not not a fan of the constant worry that the club will have a poor showing in upcoming matches.

There are many games that the club should have walked away victorious from, and instead, they lost or drew those matches. That has led to the club being in many scrappy situations this season, and based on the evidence before us, it’s likely going to happen again.

With Dwight Gayle set to be back in the lineup returning from his hamstring injury, we may see a boost in offense. If Jonjo Shelvey can get back to consistency, then there is nothing stopping both him and Gayle from making waves once again.

A five point lead is a very good lead. It’s one that if handled right can give Newcastle the leeway they need to march their way down to the Championship trophy. But forgive me if I’m not confident that they can sustain it.