3 Head-To-Head Battles That Will Decide Newcastle Vs Northampton Town

1. FORWARD - Ivan Toney (NUFC) Vs Marc Richards (NTFC)

A slightly more unusual comparison this one - as both of these forwards were playing for Northampton Town last season. Ivan Toney enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign with the Cobblers, with the now 19-year-old starting to utilise his raw talent on a regular basis. Since then, a reported £300,000 transfer to Newcastle United has followed. Alternatively, Marc Richards returned to Northampton last summer after a nine-year stint away from Sixfields and he has proven himself to be their main man up front. Usually deployed as the Cobblers' central striker, Richards scored an impressive 18 goals in 31 league appearances last season (26 as a starter, five off the bench) as he finished as Northampton's top scorer. Toney, meanwhile, was often used in a wider role in the front three, but he still managed to net eight league goals in 38 appearances (22 as a starter, 16 off the bench), proving the raw finishing ability is there.

When it comes to experience, Richards wins hands down. At 33, he is 14 years older than Toney and has close to 400 more career league appearances to his name than his now-Newcastle counterpart. Physically, Richards is the same height as Toney at 5ft 11in, but it is the Magpies youngster who leads the way in terms of pace and movement. He is a real handful for opposition defences, and also has a lot of power for his size. Discipline-wise, it seems Toney still has a lot to learn as well. While Richards was only booked on one occasion in 2014-15, Toney was yellow-carded 10 times and was also dismissed once, something the NUFC development forward will have to rectify in time. Verdict: Marc Richards Ivan Toney has bags of promise and looks like he could well develop into a top-class forward given time, but Richards is already a proven Football League scorer. With 142 career league goals to his name, Richards will fancy nicking another at St James' Park, even if he is up against Premier League defenders. What's more, Toney may not even be given the nod by Steve McClaren to make his Newcastle debut, so he may not be able to make an impact for the Magpies. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.