Vurnon Anita looking to "build on" West Bromwich Albion draw

Newcastle United midfielder Vurnon Anita has urged his side to "build on" their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion last time out.

The Magpies ended an eight-match losing streak with a point against the Baggies at St James' Park, but John Carver's side remain just one place and two points clear of the relegation zone.

Anita believes that stopping the rot was "very important", and stressed that his side have the "fighting spirit" to survive going into their final two games against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United.

"The game against West Brom provided a bit of a bright side to what has been a difficult few weeks," Anita told The Journal.

"It gave us something to build on, and we just have to look to the future now and not get too caught up with what has happened before. We need to keep on going because we are still not where we want to be. It was nice to be able to draw a line under a few things at the weekend and move on. We stopped the losing run with a point, and that was very important.

"The spirit in the team was never a problem, but it should be even better now as we look forward to the final two matches against QPR and West Ham. We need to show the same fighting mentality in those games that we did against West Brom. If we do that, we will be okay."

The Magpies have won just two of their 17 league games since the turn of the year.