Ba thrilled by unbeaten run

Demba Ba: The striker scored his second hat-trick of the season as Newcastle beat Stoke 3-1 on Monday

Newcastle's hat-trick hero Demba Ba is keen to maintain the feel-good factor around the club after they moved into the top three.

The Magpies beat Stoke 3-1 on Monday night to leapfrog Chelsea into third place in the Premier League.

The result, inspired by Ba's treble, continued Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season - their best run for 61 years.

The next team to test their resolve is Everton, who are the visitors to St James' Park on Saturday and a win could move them up to second.

But Alan Pardew's side then face a trio of games likely to push them to their limit, with trips to Manchester City and Manchester United preceding a home clash with Chelsea.

Ba, who signed from West Ham in the summer, took his tally to eight for the season in the win at the Britannia Stadium, which is over half of the Magpies' goals in the top flight this term.

Enjoying it

He told the club's official 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.

"I'm happy to tell you the truth. I am very happy. I am just going to enjoy it for the next few days.

"I am very happy for the team as well because we worked hard."

The Senegalese striker has predominantly been playing alongside Leon Best, who has scored just three times for the club this season.

But Ba believes his colleague has played a significant role in the side this season.

He said: "He's a good strike partner. He is strong, he can hold the ball and I just come around him and play football. That's nice."