Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew hopes Blackpool stay in the Premier League

EPL : Alan Pardew, Newcastle United v Liverpool (Getty Images)

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After watching his side draw 1-1 at Blackpool, Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has said that he hopes the home side will stay up this season.

The Seasiders moved out of the relegation zone with a point at Bloomfield Road, but are still only a point ahead of their nearest challengers at the foot of the league.

Pardew heaped praise on Ian Holloway’s men and expressed his desire to face them again next season.

“There’s a big part of me that wants them to stay up for the integrity and the honesty of their work,” he told reporters after the match.

“They gave us a real test today. They were better against us than they were against Wigan.

“They were better balanced, I thought they passed it better.

“Their intensity was higher and if they can take that into the last four then they’ll give anybody a game as they’ve proved.

“It was a tough game. We were lucky that we scored actually because we looked a little flat today.”

“The intensity of Blackpool’s play was always going to be difficult for us to compete with after Tuesday.

“We put in such a fantastic effort.”

Pardew believes that his side’s point, which has left them in ninth place in the league, has guarenteed their survival for next season, but he wants to build on their impressive performance and target a top 10 finish.

He added: “I do think it’s done now staying in the league having seen the other results today.

“Our motivation is a top 10 finish and we have four contrasting games.

“Two tough away and two at home you’d like to think we have got a good chance in so for us it’s pleasing that we go to Liverpool with good energy.

“We haven’t got a midweek game and it should be a good game, I’m looking forward to that one.”

On his side’s performance, Pardew was slightly critical but also disputed the Blackpool equaliser from DJ Campbell which the linesman said had crossed the line.

And he reserved praise for goalkeeper Tim Krul who is deputising for the injured Steve Harper.

“We looked tired mentally and physically in that first half,” he said.

“Sometimes it takes you a little while to get out.”

“We were sloppy, we created problems for ourselves, I thought Tim Krul actually kept us in the game before they scored with some great decision making, especially on the through balls and there was a big penalty shout but I thought he got those both right.

“The goal was disappointing because I think you’ve got to be beyond doubt if you’re going to give that as the linesman and I don’t think it was, it certainly didn’t look like that and I think if you’re 40 yards away or whatever it is then you have to be beyond doubt.

“Having said that, they deserved their goal for their play and their intensity in that first half, they have some good players on the pitch with Vaughan and Adam and they made a big difference when they teamed up.

“I thought we were better second half and I thought we were more even.

“We took some of the intensity out of their play, particularly when Stephen Ireland came on and I think he kept the ball well for us at times.

“I think if it was a boxing match you’d have to give it to Blackpool on points but it was a football match and it was our resilience and bit of quality here and there that got us a point.”