THERE may not be too much disgrace in losing comfortably at the Emirates to a free-flowing Arsenal, but Mike Williamson thinks it is imperative there are no lingering after-shocks ahead of a crucial week in Newcastle United’s season.

After being out-classed for long periods by Arsenal, Newcastle can’t afford to dwell on the 4-1 reversal for too long because of the magnitude of the fixtures ahead.

Attention now turns to Wednesday’s return to North London to face Tottenham in the quarter-final of the Capital One Cup.

And then, after the trip to White Hart Lane, the spotlight will turn to the latest Tyne-Wear instalment at St James’ Park on Sunday when Newcastle will be looking to make amends to their fans for successive 3-0 home defeats to Sunderland.

Williamson said: “It’s a big week for us. We want to progress and see what we can do. It could be a fantastic night on Wednesday and hopefully we can get a good result like the last time we were there. It would be fantastic for the club to challenge for a trophy.

“We will get back to the drawing board after this defeat and if we turn up and make sure we do the basics, we will fancy our chances again at Tottenham. It will be tough but we are confident.

“It is something exciting to be part of if we can reach the semi-final and it builds confidence. We want to carry it on in the league. It is a huge game for us. A win would give us positivity, confidence and momentum. Everyone will be pushing. We want to get to the semi-finals.”

The defeat to Arsenal prevented Newcastle from making further inroads towards the Premier League’s top four. Nevertheless, having started the season winless in seven, the squad is satisfied that they occupy seventh spot heading towards Christmas.

“It is a big month for us and a lot of points to play for,” said defender Williamson, with four points to make up on fourth-placed West Ham. “We have to make sure we stick together. We would like to think on our day we can beat anyone because we have proved it. It is up to other teams if they want to underestimate us. We will all come out fighting.”

Newcastle will have Moussa Sissoko and Steven Taylor available again after suspension on Wednesday, but Williamson did not feel the weaknesses at Arsenal were because of those players unavailable.

He said: “It is a tough place to come and we did not perform to the levels we did last week against Chelsea and that was frustrating. But Arsenal are a fantastic team with fantastic individuals.

“I don’t think it was about our energy levels or character it was about the quality. We did not reach the standards. At the end of the game, the manager said to us that we cannot just turn up at a place like the Emirates and expect to win. The result was hard to take.”