Newcastle striker keen to repay fans' respect

The Senegalese striker has made a remarkable impact for the Magpies since arriving in the North East from German club Freiburg, netting 11 goals in his first ten games.

Cisse's form has helped Alan Pardew's men break into the top four and, with just four games of the season remaining, a return to Europe's elite competition is now within reach.

The 26-year-old does not want to get too excited at this stage and is only concentrating on performing as well as he can to repay the Newcastle fans.

"The fans of Newcastle show me a lot of love and respect. It is important I return that respect by giving my all for them on the football field," he told Sky Sports News.

"The attention off the field is nice, but my focus is football.

"It is the right thing for us not to get ahead of ourselves. It is a bit of a cliché, but we really are just taking each game as it comes and we will see where we finish at the end of the season.

"But, of course, the Champions League would be nice."

Newcastle are currently three points adrift of third-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand, and three ahead of Tottenham.

They may have to finish third to qualify for the Champions League, however, if Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the final of this season's competition.