Becky Langley's side made it six straight league victories with a 4-2 win over York City Women last time out as goals from Bianca Owens, Millie Bell, Katie Barker and Georgia Gibson gave the Magpies another important three points in front of 4,129 supporters at Kingston Park.

For Bell, it was a first strike in black and white, and the winger believes she's now finding her rhythm after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept her out of the game for more than a year prior to her signing for Newcastle in October.

"I think I'm getting back to where I once was," she told UNITED, the Magpies' official matchday programme. "Scoring the goal was good, especially because it took us to that 2-1 mark. We were losing 1-0 but then we got the lead and then kicked on to win the game.

"Bianca had a shot, then I followed up. Chris (Stygal), the goalkeeper coach, said I'd score, and he was right!

"We made changes in the second half after going in at 2-2, so it was different tactics and that helped us to get the win with the next two goals."

Bell has experience of winning this division, having done so with Middlesbrough Women - who Newcastle face at Kingston Park on Tuesday night - back in 2016.

And with local rivals Durham Cestria maintaining their narrow lead at the top of the table, she knows that United can't afford to slip up in the run-in if they are to secure the league's only promotion place at the end of the season.

But she insisted: "We just take each game as it comes and don’t think about the end result - just that one game, then the next, then the next."

United's women will hope to be backed by another big crowd as they look to extend their winning run to seven matches in Tuesday's Tyne-Tees derby, which kicks off at 7.45pm (GMT). Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and £1 for juniors and concessions and are available here.

"It's amazing to have crowds like this in women's football," said Bell, who featured for the Magpies when 28,565 watched them beat Barnsley Women at St. James' Park in the Vitality Women's FA Cup in November. "Everyone from local areas is supporting the club and it makes a big difference to us."

Photograph courtesy of Colin Lock/@Tyneside_NUWFC