Taylor targets European action

Newcastle United midfielder Ryan Taylor wants his team to finish the season on a high and clinch a European spot.

Alan Pardew’s side sit sixth in the English Premier League despite failing to win their last two outings, and they face Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday.

Newcastle have been the surprise packets in the top-six, and Taylor said they should be aiming to claim a berth in Europe.

“I don’t think we’ll settle for top-10 right now, we want better, we’re so close to it. Hopefully with five games to go we’re still in the running,” Taylor said on Thursday.

“We haven’t won in the last two, we want three points more than anything on Sunday, it just happens to be our local rivalry and I’m sure they’ll want that too.”

“It’s not nice coming off the end of a good beating and I’m sure they’ll have worked hard this week on the training ground.”

Newcastle recorded a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light in August, thanks to Taylor’s 62nd-minute free-kick.

The 27-year-old said he had noticed a change in Sunderland, who are ninth, since the appointment of Martin O’Neill as boss in December last year.

“Yeah I’d say (Sunderland are a better side). It’s more tight, more of a unit, they actually look a team, they look organised,” Taylor said.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game. Hopefully they’re expecting a tough game and derby games are quite frantic and hectic and full of tackles.”

“Everyone’s going to be looking forward to Sunday, the 11 players who get the shirt to start with, I’m sure every one of them is going to be fired up and ready.”