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Middlesbrough	1 - 2	Newcastle United
Half time:	0 - 1
Score Sheet:
Job (52)		G.Caldwell (20) Offiong (88)
	Teams
Mark Crossley Robbie Stockdale David Murphy Brian Close Jason Gavin Stuart Parnaby Luke Wilkshire Joseph Job Hamilton Ricard Carlos Marinelli Mark Wilson		Steve Harper Gary Caldwell Olivier Bernard Steve Caldwell Sylvain Distin Jamie McClen Diego Gavilan  Stuart Green  Lomana LuaLua James Coppinger Pedro Dimas
Substitutes:
Sean Kilgannon for Marinelli (62) Arthur Bernhardt for Wilkshire (80)		Colin McMenamin for Coppinger (66)   Brian Kerr for Dimas (66) Richard Offiong for LuaLua (79)
Subs not used:
Paul Stephenson (not that one) Craig Nelson Brad Jones		Ryan McGuffie Michael Chopra
Bookings:
Stockdale (handball, 28) Gavin (foul on Coppinger 55)		Distin (late tackle 54) G.Caldwell (dissent 70) Green (dissent 72)
Referee: R.Tiffin - 4th official at Newcastle the previous week for the Brentford game. As he often demonstrates when he referees local league games, he seems oblivious to rough challenges but waves yellow cards for body language and backchat. As he recently had a supporter at Esh Winning banned for abusing him from the sidelines and took the players off the field, i'd better not say anything else....
Attendance:  802 - and the infamous councillor Cox on the PA. To be fair he wasn't too bad, and promptly announced subs, scorers and goal times. Precisely why he felt the need to read a long list of European scores out at the end to an empty stadium is open to question however.  Toon fans weren't given their own end (unlike the corresponding game two seasons ago) and had their own small section in among the local ragmuffins and inbreds, nicely marked with incident tape. Pre-match sport was provided by an obviously mad steward watching home fans walk past him and unwittingly sit in this section, only for this orange-coated clown to shift them as soon as their cheeks were placed on seats.

20 mins A spot of quick-thinking from Gary Caldwell earned the opener, as he reacted to LuaLua's run down the right from Coppinger's through ball. The Scottish U21 defender barged past a defender to arrive unmarked at the far post and direct his close-range header past Crossley 1-0 

Half time: Middlesbrough Reserves 0 Newcastle Reserves 1

52 mins  With the whole Newcastle team apparently caught by a fast-moving glacier as they took the field for the second half, the home side grabbed a deserved leveller. Stockdale was afforded acres of room  down the Boro right and could have tried his luck, but opted to pass inside to the unattended Job. His flicked shot from just outside the six yard line rolled along the ground and tucked itself inside Harper's right hand post. 1-1 

88 mins For the second successive game Richard Offiong made a late entrance from the sub's bench and claimed the decisive goal for the reserves. This time he was on hand to intercept a weak backpass after Kerr's probing run had pressurised the Boro backline. Offy seized on the loose ball and drove home a low effort in front of what is normally the away end.  2-1 

Full time: Middlesbrough Reserves 1 Newcastle Reserves 2

Boss Bobby Robson was in the stand to watch his new defender Distin complete his first 90 minutes in England and said, 

"Sylvain did well, I'm happy with what I've seen. He's a big lad, he's got a lot of pace and he's very good in the air. He's also got a good left foot and that's why we brought him here. He's a good defender, can bring the ball out and pass it well.

"He was playing at a level below the Premiership, but at the same time he was up against Hamilton Ricard and Joseph Desire-Job. One is a current international for Columbia and the other for Cameroon, but Sylvain handled the situation well.

"I wanted to see him play in this game, I made him play so I could come and watch him.

"There were lots of other games on the night that I would have liked to have seen, but this was the most important one for Newcastle United and that's why I came down to Middlesbrough."

Our third consecutive away reserve win in Smogland was just about deserved, although it looked for most of the second half as if we'd blown the three points by not pressing home our first half advantage and sleeping at the start of the second.

Numerous chances went begging for United both before and after Caldwell's opener, but such was the lack of skill and vision exhibited by Boro, it looked at half time as if the three points were assured for the visitors. Gary Caldwell again and LuaLua both saw efforts go straight to the keeper, while for long periods United camped in the home side's half and prowled around in midfield and down the right with little opposition.

A surge from the kickoff in the second period seemed to catch the toon lads dozing, and one goal shortly afterwards didn't flatter Boro. However, once Job put a good chance over the bar just after the hour that was the end of them as an attacking force. United pressed forward towards the end of the game, and Jamie McClen put a shot narrowly wide of the left-hand post, while several good moves broke down on the edge of the Boro area due to poor delivery of the final ball.

For United, James Coppinger had a quiet game night returning to his native Teesside, Diego Gavilan was more involved than of late, and at least made valid efforts to get down the flank and provide a service for the attack. If only the same could be said of his colleague Dimas on left wing, who showed little.

New man Distin had a solid game at the back, and coped reasonably well with the lumbering Ricard. A slightly damp surface meant that once or twice he was off-balance when attackers were tussling with him, but he took sensible options in clearing the ball without ceremony rather than attempting prosaic counter-attacks. That said, he did find himself upfield in possession of the ball at one stage, and certainly seems to be as pacey as Bobby predicted. 

Nice to see the combative Kerr back in the fray after an extended absence while his shoulder mended properly (he did make one comeback and damaged it again.) His midfield presence, allied to the ball playing of Green were a feature of reserve games last season and the latter hasn't looked at his best without his partner.

So, another positive result for Tommy Craig's lads but another enforced layoff next week, with no league fixture until Monday October 1st when Everton visit Kingston Park. Get your hat and muffler out, and get down there! (not forgetting to pick up a ticket in advance of course....)

 
Biffa 

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