Richards keen to put on a show at Premier League big boys

Although victory is unlikely given the pedigree of their opponents, Richards believes the second round clash is a chance for Northampton to regain some confidence after defeats to Barnet and Plymouth Argyle in the space of four days in Sky Bet League Two.

The league remains the main focus, though, with this weekend’s visit to Accrington Stanley at the forefront of Richards’ mind.

The 33-year-old striker said: “We’ve had two defeats on the bounce now and we’ve got to rectify that.

“We’ve now got a chance to go to Newcastle and show what we are capable of.

“First and foremost the league is most important and we have a massive game coming up against Accrington on Saturday.

“We’ve got a squad of players that the gaffer can rotate and people need to step up. The big game for us is on Saturday because the league comes first.

“Newcastle is a game for us to go out and express ourselves and whatever 11 players are selected need to show up.

“Accrington is the bigger game for us, without a doubt. The league is ultimately our aim and to get out of this league is our goal.

“But we can breed confidence from a good performance against Newcastle so hopefully we’ll go up there and put on a good show and then take that into Accrington.”