Newcastle United return to their St. James' Park home tomorrow as they welcome a Fulham side who beat them on the opening day of the season, looking to put further distance between themselves and Brighton in second place.

After coming through their tough schedule unscathed away from home, the Magpies have put themselves in a good position as the Championship campaign enters its business end, though the visiting Cottagers will be no pushovers tomorrow.

Fighting for a position in the top six themselves, those from west London possess real threats from all over the park, as the Toon Army found out the hard way back in August when Matt Smith headed past Matz Sels in their goal.

While the nature of a season in England's second tier suggests nothing is sealed yet, Newcastle can only throw away the good position they've put themselves in of late and a win against a strong Fulham side would go some way in their promotion push.

The game marks a year since Rafa Benitez took charge of the Toon Army, something that has changed the club from the bottom up, so here are three things Newcastle must do to ensure the Spaniard has a happy anniversary.

Recreate the great

It's fair to say Newcastle's home form has been rather patchy this season, with their outings on the road largely the reason they sit proudly atop the Championship. Still, the pressure cooker that St. James' Park can sometimes be has proved difficult to overcome, so the fans will invariably play a huge part.

Benitez stayed on in charge of the club for the fans, following their wonderful display on the final day of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur. As his year on Tyneside approaches, a similar atmosphere would really help his side.

Winger stays wide

DeAndre Yedlin's injury provides Benitez with one final hurdle amid his title tilt in the second tier. Without the American, the Magpies lose on their main attacking outlets, meaning Matt Ritchie, Yoan Gouffran or Christian Astu must stay wide to help Newcastle deal with hs absence.

While their floating into central areas in support of Daryl Murphy has been vital in some of the Toon's tougher wins, Newcastle need width to help find a way through their opposition.

Colback tracks Johansen

Jack Colback hasn't had the best of seasons, despite dropping down a level, and his performance on the opening day of the campaign was one of his most inept since swapping Sunderland for the Magpies.

However, it's absolutely vital the 27-year-old turns in a disciplined performance this weekend, tracking the goalscoring midfielder that is Stefan Johansen, who can certainly wreak havoc with his late runs into the box.