Source: PA
Hughton salutes two-goal Carroll
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton hailed a potential successor to Alan Shearer after watching Andy Carroll lay the foundation for a thumping 5-1 victory over Cardiff.
The 21-year-old helped himself to two goals as the Magpies extended their unbeaten league run to a club record 15 games and increased their lead at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship table to six points over second-placed West Brom.
Shearer was the last in a long line of legendary Newcastle strikers to wear the famous number nine shirt, which is currently vacant, but Carroll is busily staking his own claim.
Hughton said: "Potentially, he is number nine material. He's a player who leads the line.
"In some ways, he's an old-fashioned centre-forward who has a prowess in the air, but he's still developing his game and he has to continue to do that.
"He has good football skills for a big man, but what he has to add to his game is goals, and he was able to do that."
