Swansea City arrive at the home of the league leaders on Saturday on the back of an eleven game unbeaten run that has lifted them into 4th place in the Championship.
And that kind of form means that Hughton is taking nothing for granted despite their own good run leaving them comfortable at the top of the table.
Speaking to the Shields Gazette, the toon boss said “Their record speaks for itself
“They’re a tough team with a good shape, and they’re difficult to play against.
“We’re the home side, and we’ve got to force the issue. We can’t afford to take them lightly โ they are where they are on merit.
“They’ve played some good teams, and come up trumps with some good results. We’ve got to make sure we’re on our game.
“Shola’s trained this week, and we’ll assess him today and tomorrow, but it looks more likely to be Watford than Swansea
“I’m hopeful on Danny Simpson, Andy Carroll and Ryan Taylor.
“They won’t train today, and, as with Shola, we’ll have to assess them today and tomorrow.”