Matt Richie has named his magic number for the season by insisting Newcastle’s aim remains at ’40 points’ despite their terrific start to the new campaign.
The Magpies currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League following three consecutive victories, but Richie feels it’s important the players and fans don’t get carried way, insisting the club’s aim remains the same as it did on the opening day.
“You’d be very naive to look at the table now and get excited,” the midfielder said.
“For the fans, they can look at it and be proud, but we’re five games in and have nine points on the board. We need to hit the 40-point mark before we start getting carried away. Like any team, we want to do that as soon as possible. Hopefully, we can continue to perform well. With good performances, come points.”
Newcastle travel to the Amex Stadium on Sunday to take on also newly promoted Brighton, and Richie hoping his side can take their fine form into the weekend’s fixture.
“Confidence is key, but at the same time we need to make sure that we stick with our mentality and keep our feet on the floor and continue to improve.
“If we continue to improve, we’ll win a lot of games. We have to make sure we stay focused on the job in hand and not get carried away with looking at the table. At the minute, it looks rosy, but it’s a long season and there’ll be a lot of ups and downs. We need to make sure that we continue to improve and stay focused on the job in hand.”
