Manager Mark Hughes has stated that Stoke City are still ahead of schedule in terms of points on the board after five matches.

City have earned 5 points from their first five matches of the season and although the Potters suffered a very disappointing 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United during the weekend, manager Mark Hughes has stated that his side are ahead of schedule due to their very difficult start to the season.

Hughes said: "Overall we've had a decent start and are more than happy. It's how the computer brings the fixtures out and you just get on with it.

"Other teams will have difficult periods when the fixtures go against them and it's just that we've had ours at this stage of the season.

"We are disappointed we haven't got anything out of this game, but our performances have been good and we have probably taken more points at this stage than people at the beginning of the season thought we would, so we are probably ahead of the game.

"We've now got Chelsea at the weekend and so it's unrelenting at the moment, but that will change in October when the fixtures on paper are a little bit kinder. We are in decent shape."