Demba Ba scored a match-winning hat-trick on Monday night
Hat-trick hero Demba Ba says Newcastle United can cement their place in the Barclays Premier League's top three.
The 26-year-old Senegal international further enhanced his blossoming reputation in English football with a match-winning hat-trick at Stoke City on Monday night to edge the Magpies ahead of Chelsea in the table.
Alan Pardew's side play Everton at St James' Park on Saturday hoping to head into the international break with 25 points and well on the way to secure their initial target of top-flight safety.
The Magpies face a daunting run of fixtures which sees them play both Manchester Clubs, who currently occupy first and second places in the Barclays Premier League, away from home before fourth-placed Chelsea arrive on Tyneside on successive weekends.
Ba told the official Club website: "We are really enjoying it and that gives us a lot of confidence, so we are just going to try to keep on doing the same things every week."
The striker, who scored seven goals in 12 appearances for West Ham United last season, has added eight more in his last five league appearances for Newcastle after completing a free transfer to Tyneside during the summer.
Ironically, he missed out on a big-money move to Stoke in January after they decided against a transfer when medical reports revealed concerns over a knee injury.
However, having carried out their own stringent checks, Newcastle were happy to offer Ba the chance to resume his career in the north-east - and he has rewarded them in handsome style.
He opened his account for the Club with a hat-trick against Blackburn on 24th September and, after scoring against both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, repeated the feat at the Britannia Stadium on Monday.
He said: "I'm happy, to tell you the truth, I am very happy. I am just going to enjoy it for the next days.
"I am very happy for the team as well because we worked hard."
