After putting pen to paper on a new long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, Reece James is targeting continued defensive improvement after back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since October.

The young defender agreed a new deal with his boyhood club this week, committing himself to Chelsea until at least the summer of 2025. He has featured at right-back in both recent shut-outs against Nottingham Forest and Burnley, so will be hoping to keep his place in the side for our visit to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League this evening.

‘Every clean sheet is going to help the team so we just have to try to keep that up, not let sloppy goals in and keep collecting them,’ he told the official Chelsea website as we preview the Tyneside trip.

‘There is always a bit of pressure on when people talk about it but you just have to not take it in too much and try to prove people wrong.’

James has made 18 appearances under Frank Lampard so far this campaign, recovering from a summer ankle injury to force his way into the starting team. In recent games, he has developed a promising right-wing relationship with Callum Hudson-Odoi, a team-mate since their early days in the Chelsea Academy, and he puts that down to their shared history in the same side.

‘I did play a few times with Callum in front of me in the Academy and we have a great relationship,’ continued the 20-year-old. ‘I’ve played with him in pretty much all of the age groups and playing with him now reminds me of when we grew up together.

‘It’s great and he is a quality player. He knows how I’ve played with him and I know how he plays so we don’t have to think too much about it.’

He is hoping to follow in Hudson-Odoi’s footsteps in making a sustained impression in the senior set-up, expressing both surprise and admiration at the statistic that Hudson-Odoi will make his 50th Chelsea appearance if selected against the Magpies.

‘He has racked them up fast and I’m happy for him,’ added James. ‘He is playing regularly now and that is good for him so hopefully it continues.’

Another Academy link-up that has been replicated on the Stamford Bridge pitch this season is the right-back’s teasing deliveries providing a frequent and fruitful supply to Tammy Abraham. The pair combined for the striker’s 15th goal of the season in our 3-0 win over Burnley a week ago and are developing a promising understanding.

‘He tells me every game that he wants crosses and I try to put them on a plate!’ explained James. ‘Sometimes he gets on them and sometimes he doesn’t but it’s always harder for a defender when you’re running back towards your own goal because you don’t know who is behind you.’

James is not the only Blues outfielder to have racked up 180 minutes in our past two outings, although for Ross Barkley, the achievement marks an important step forward in his recovery from a prolonged period on the sidelines.

His full game against Burnley last time out was the first time the 26-year-old has completed successive 90 minutes at club level since joining Chelsea from Everton two years ago – in fact, it was the first time since April 2017 and he admitted the regularity of match action was important to his physical condition, form and confidence.

‘It helps me,’ he stated. ‘I’m a big lad, I’m powerful and for me to feel at my best with 90 minutes after 90 minutes helps me be at my best. I’m feeling really good and I’m looking forward to helping us do as well as we can from now until the end of the season.’

It was against Newcastle that Barkley aggravated the foot injury that kept him out from mid-October to the start of this month but his return to the side has been a welcome addition to the midfield options available to Lampard.

Barkley knows that Newcastle will offer a stern test on their own turf but he is hopeful our recent momentum can be maintained at St James’s Park, a ground where we have won just once in our past six visits.

‘They’re a solid, compact team and they can turn up to nick a result against big teams, like they did against Man United and Tottenham earlier in the season,’ Barkley said of the Magpies. ‘They’ve had some good results but our focus is to win the game and I’m sure we’ll be ready.

‘We’ve won our last two games at home so hopefully that’s in the past with the struggles and we kick on from there at home. We’ve not really had too many problems away from home this season so it’s a good sign but we can still improve on both aspects at home and away, and continue winning.’

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