Alan Pardew is looking forward to building momentum with his strongest available side until the end of the season.

The Saints manager has been disrupted in his attempts to field the five additions he made to the squad in January due to players being cup-tied, but with eighteen league games remaining this season, the Londoner has a chance to play whoever he wants from his squad on a more consistent basis.

"We have a lot of new faces, and with Cup games they have been in and out, but now we have a run of nine games before we have another Cup game, so really I can now get on and pick what I consider to be my best team for each match," he told Saints Player.

"Defensively we have definitely tightened up, there is no doubt about that.

"However, we can't at any point sit back now and wait for victories to come. You can afford to do that if you're top of the League, you can be a bit more patient than we have to be, we have to chase the victories which leaves us a little bit vulnerable at times, but that is how we will have to be in order to get the wins."

A trip to the League One leaders Norwich City this weekend marks that start of a tough run for Pardew's men, but the gaffer is undeterred by the form of the high flying Canaries.

"They are just getting result after result. They have been on an incredible run really. They are a good team, they are consistent and have a good manager, but it is a place where we could win. We have played them twice, we beat them in the Cup, and drew in the League but both games were very tight.

"We have had huge disruption in the Cups, but had a fair amount of joy in those, and they haven't had that, so we are focused on the league now. We have a good group of players who are certainly as strong as Norwich, being at home may just edge them as favourites, but there isn't a lot in it."

Two of the division's form strikers will be on show at Carrow Road this weekend in Grant Holt and Rickie Lambert, but Pardew is clear about who he would rather have in his side.

"I think they are both good team players, not just their goals but their contribution to the team. Defending set plays, fighting balls in the air, both of them are very competitive for those things, and I've been very impressed with Grant this season I have to say, but for me Lambert is a level above, and he proved that at the weekend. It will be a nice combination to see them both on the pitch."

The two meetings at St. Mary's this season have both ended 2-2 after 90 minutes in rollercoaster league and cup games, and the manager insists that his side's approach will not change on the back of that.

"We can't really frustrate Norwich and look to win it in the last thirty minutes, that isn't a proposition for us. We will be on the front foot, we will attack them and they will attack us.

"It will be a bit hairy scary at times, but we have good finishers in our team and I expect us to win."