But Keegan – whose super-fit Newcastle United side take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow night – believes their hard work is now paying dividends.

Newcastle have made an unbeaten start to the new campaign, with the opening weekend draw away to Manchester United being followed by wins over Bolton Wanderers and Coventry City.

Against Coventry on Tuesday night, it took extra time to separate the two sides, but Keegan, given the strong emphasis he has put on fitness in pre-season, was always confident his players had the legs to finish the Carling Cup tie strongly.

He told the Echo: "The team have just gone out there and done what they've had to do.

"They've been very professional, and they've got themselves very fit.

"We've flogged some players to death here, and instead of complaining they've just got on with it.

"They've got themselves so fit, that the longer the game (against Coventry) went on, we seemed to find more energy.

"We got our rewards for hard work, determination and a really good spirit."

When Keegan returned to United in January after the dismissal of Sam Allardyce, his first two away games were at the Emirates Stadium.

Newcastle lost their FA Cup fourth round tie 3-0, and a Premier League fixture three days later by the same scoreline.

However, Keegan makes his third visit to Arsenal's new home in high spirits, and he is upbeat about his team's chances of maintaining their unbeaten start to the season.

He added: "We do our homework, so we know what to expect at Arsenal.

"We had them twice in my first two games away from home. They've made a couple of changes, and so have we.

"It's another year, another season, another game, and hopefully a different result."