Paul Dummett: 'Newcastle United defeats are a reality check'

Defender Paul Dummett has suggested that Newcastle United may have 'gotten ahead of themselves' after putting together a winning run to secure Premier League survival.

Four victories in a row proved enough for the Magpies to guarantee top-flight football for next season as well as move into 10th place in the league standings.

However, three defeats in a row - the latest coming at Watford on Saturday afternoon - has left the North-East outfit still facing the possibility of ending the campaign in 15th place, and Dummett has acknowledged that the squad have been given "a reality check".

The 26-year-old told Goals on Sunday: "As a team, you want to win as many games as you can but once you are safe, you know you are going to be in the Premier League next season.

"The mentality can change a bit but as a player, you want to win every game. There's nothing to say that we have taken our foot off the gas but maybe we got ahead of ourselves. It's a reality check and we need to keep on going.

"We have two games left and we want to finish the season on a high. You don't want to finish the season with a lot of defeats."

Newcastle end the season with matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.