Newcastle's superb start continues but tougher tests ahead

Off the mark: Ba scored a hat-rick in the win over Blackburn

Not since the days of the late Sir Bobby Robson have things been so rosy at St James Park, the home of Newcastle United is a pretty happy place to be around these days, as Alan Pardew's side continue sit pretty in the top four of the Premier League and, perhaps most surprisingly, still unbeaten.

It was something of a procession for Newcastle on Saturday as they comfortably dispatched a hapless Blackburn Rovers side to the tune of three goals to one. The contest was especially notable for the contribution of striker Demba Ba, who scored all his side's goals as he bagged himself an impressive hat-rick.

The treble marked the end of Senegalese international Ba's six game scoring drought, the emphatic nature in which Ba ended his dry spell was indicative of the current state of Newcastle United at this present moment in time. The club has faced much adversity in recent years, and has always, somehow managed to overcome it, doing so repeatedly in spectacular fashion.

Newcastle stay 4th in the Premier League table following the result, and the dominance they showed almost throughout the contest will give them much hope of reaching the 5th Round of the Carling Cup where Rovers will again be their opponents, this time at Blackburn's Ewood Park.

However, for as much as Newcastle's start to the season has been near perfect, there may be some that will argue that is unsurprising as the teams they have faced have been far from stellar.

This viewpoint is a fallacy, Newcastle, despite playing in some very winnable games against the likes of Fulham and Blackburn, have faced a fair share of tough challenges so far this campaign. An opening game against Arsenal, in spite of their recent troubles, can never be taken lightly. The magnitude of winning away from home in a North-East derby cannot be underestimated, while away draws against a QPR side that have invested heavily and Aston Villa are results that most teams in the Premier League would be content with.

Still it is fair to say that the litmus test for how much Newcastle have improved will come in the next few months.

October and November are set to be very difficult months for Pardew and his charges. Newcastle face a tricky trip to Wolves on Saturday, following this a home game against Tottenham Hotspur and a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke are separated by the slightly less formidable challenge of facing Wigan Athletic at St James Park.

Pardew's men will have little respite in November, as Newcastle face a home clash with Everton before tackling the far from enviable challenge of back to back away games against both Manchester sides.

The games against Wolves, Spurs and Wigan all finished in draws in the corresponding fixtures last year. The Britannia Stadium on the other hand will trigger painful memories for Pardew and the Toon Army, as the travelling support saw their side thumped 4-0 on their last trip to the North-West Midlands.

It is those four games that will showcase just how much Newcastle have grown as a side, if they can transform those draws into victories and leave Stoke with any kind of result then fans can begin to think about a top half finish. However, mid-table mediocrity may beckon if the revamped Magpies are unable to improve on last season's results.

Newcastle fans can be forgiven for looking forward to these games with increasing optimism, strikers Leon Best and Demba Ba appear to have hit form, midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote have been exceptional in recent matches, Hatem Ben Arfa is back in action and the defence, anchored by captain Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor with the fast improving keeper Tim Krul behind it, continues to maintain its solidity.

Even the most ardent of Newcastle fan would accept that a first defeat is inevitable but for the moment the Geordies should enjoy their spell near the summit of English football, after all, it is somewhere the club hasn't been for quite a while.