Andros Townsend would rather have points on board in relegation fight
Thursday 5 May 2016 12:33, UK
Andros Townsend would rather have points on the board than games in hand as the Premier League survival race approaches its climax.
Townsend's match-winning free-kick moved Newcastle out of the drop zone last weekend as a 1-0 win over Crystal Place, coupled with Sunderland's draw at Stoke and Norwich's defeat at Arsenal provided another twist.
The Magpies are only one point better off than Sunderland and two ahead of Norwich having played a game more as they head for Aston Villa on Saturday, but the former Tottenham midfielder is happy to be in that position.
He said: "You'd rather have points on the board than playing catch-up with games in hand. We have our points on the board. It's now down to Norwich and Sunderland to get their points in their game in hand.
"We have done our job and hopefully we can go to Villa on Saturday and do it all again. We need to get three points then leave it to the others."
This weekend may not be decisive but it could prove hugely significant with Sunderland entertaining Chelsea and Norwich welcoming Manchester United to Carrow Road before further home fixtures against Everton and Watford respectively on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, sources on Tyneside have played down a report linking Barcelona with a bid for striker Ayoze Perez this summer.
The highly-rated 22-year-old former Tenerife player has been touted as a target for a series of big clubs since his emergence at St James' Park, although he is currently struggling to hold down a regular place in Rafael Benitez's starting line-up.
