Williamson hails Pardew's Toon team selection

Pardew's side sit ninth in the Premier League table, having recorded impressive wins against Chelsea and Tottenham in their last two games.

The former Southampton boss has utilised his players in a number of different roles this season, with the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa and Loic Remy featuring in several positions.

But Williamson - who has himself started just five fixtures over the campaign - feels the changes are paying off and helping them to tighten up.

"The gaffer's been searching for a mix that would give us some consistency in performance and now the team is working really well together," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"Keeping clean sheets against Chelsea and Spurs shows he has found the right balance to keep it tight.

"It's a great platform because we know with the quality we have in attack, we'll score goals."

Newcastle will now aim to build on their impressive form when they play host to Norwich City on Saturday - with Chris Hughton's men also looking to follow up a win over West Ham prior to the international break.