Asked how important it was to be going into those games with a win under their belts, head coach Howe said: “I try not to look at groups of fixtures. It’s a waste of energy and a waste of time because you’ve got to play them one at a time and we’re going to look at the first one.
“The minute you start looking at groups, it’s a dangerous thing to do, We’ll be really boosted by the win today, that should give us a lot of confidence and hopefully some positive momentum to take into a tough away fixture.”