Yeates says Newcastle’s ability to retain seasoned campaigners like Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan and Steve Harper has proven crucial to the Magpies successful campaign.
Mark Yeates: “Newcastle have kept a good core of all their players from last season together. They are all strong, experienced lads who have gone on a run.
“That’s the way this league is, you can build up momentum from a few wins and that’s what they have done.
They are full of confidence and that means the group gets better. We have to make sure we get that feeling again.
“Newcastle is the next game for us and we have to look at it as the game when we can turn things around. At the moment people wouldn’t give us a chance with the way the results are going but it’s a funny league.
“We definitely believe we can go there and get a result.
If we don’t what’s the point.
“Personally I have never played at St James in a local derby and that’s the type of game anyone wants to play in.
"It’s not just another game because we need a result and we know what it means to everyone.
“We will be working extra hard for Sunday to get a win and that might be the lift everyone needs.”