The Welshman notched his 10th goal of the season on Tuesday to seal the 2-0 win over Newcastle which moved Spurs ahead of local rivals Chelsea into fourth position. The north Londoners will remain there if Chelsea continue their dismal run of form by failing to beat Bolton at Stamford Bridge tonight. Despite being 33-1 outsiders, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp believes his side can upset the odds and claim their first league title since the 1960-61 season. And Bale, who has been instrumental in Spurs' success over the last 18 months, is also confident that Tottenham can reduce the five-point gap between themselves and leaders Manchester United and mount a serious challenge for top spot in the second half of the season. "There's no reason why we can't push for the title," declared Bale after yesterday's match, which ended with Spurs reduced to 10 men after Younes Kaboul's sending off. "I think as we've seen, with 10 men we're fully confident. We attack teams all the time and we're up in the mix. "Everyone fights for each other on the pitch. We are all close and get on with each other. That shows on the pitch and that's why we're getting results." Bale's low drive rounded off yesterday's win shortly after Kaboul was dismissed for clashing heads with Newcastle's Cheik Tiote. The 21-year-old's tally of 10 goals so far this season is a dramatic improvement on the six goals he had amassed during his previous three years at the club. Bale has benefited from the more attacking role Redknapp has given him down the left flank and the former Southampton man is determined to keep on scoring in 2011. "It's nice to get 10 goals in the first half of the season," said Bale. "I didn't have a target at the start of the season but I just want to keep going and keep plugging away and hopefully I can get a few more before the end of the year." The victory over Newcastle was the first time Spurs had recorded a clean sheet in the league since the club's first game of the season against Manchester City. Bale paid tribute to Tottenham stopper Heurelho Gomes, who he believes should be regarded as the best goalkeeper in the league. "I think that Gomes has been outstanding all season," said the winger. "He has been producing unbelievable saves and that has been great for him and the team as well. "He's the best in the league. He pulls out saves from the middle of nowhere because he's so lanky. "He has shown for a long while now that he is a high-class keeper. He has made some of the best saves I have ever seen in my life this season. "The criticism he sometimes gets is unfair. When a clean sheet comes his way he deserves it and hopefully he'll be able to keep more in the future." Bale goes into 2011 having seen his reputation scale heights that he would have thought impossible when he arrived at White Hart Lane for £5million three summers ago. The Welshman has transformed himself from bit-part left-back into one of the most-feared attacking forces in world football during the last 12 months, the highlight of which was his mauling of Inter Milan right-back Maicon in the Champions League group stage win at White Hart Lane. The plaudits and suitors may be lining up to hail Bale, but the Cardiff-born player is typically modest when assessing his last year in the game. "2010 has been a great year for me but I just want to keep working hard, keep battling and put in good performances for the team," said Bale, who signed a new four-year contract with Spurs in May. "If I can keep helping the team then that's the best thing that can happen."
