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Newcastle United Reserves	2 - 1	Bolton Wanderers Reserves
Half time:	0 - 0
Score Sheet:
Ameobi (64) Kerr (66)		Morini (89)
	Teams
Adam Collin Andy Griffin Wayne Quinn Steve Caldwell Marcelino Mark Boyd Michael Chopra Brian Kerr Shola Ameobi Lomana LuaLua Olivier Bernard		Kevin Poole Nicky Hunt Wayne Buchanan Anthony Barness Per Frandsen Ryan Baldaccino Gerald Forchelet Henrik Pedersen Jeff Smith Mario Espartero Bo Hansen
Substitutes:
Colin McMenamin for Boyd (69) Bradley Orr for LuaLua (69) McGuffie for Marcelino (73)		tbc for tbc  (?) Morini for tbc  (?)
Subs not used:
David Cowan Pedro Dimas		Bon Taylor Niven Livesey
Bookings:
Kerr (78)		Frandsen (39) foul on Boyd
Referee: G.Mellor - provided his own running commentary on the game, in a style not dissimilar to Brian Glover's PE teacher in the film "Kes."
Attendance:  1218

Half time: Newcastle Reserves 0 Bolton 0

64 mins Brian Kerr made another strong run from midfield, supported by Bernard on the left and it was his pass that found Shola Ameobi in the six yard box. Despite having the keeper next to him and being in a semi-upright position, somehow he managed to defy the laws of anatomy to smuggle the ball over the line and into the net, saluting his goal while lying almost on the line. The Bolton 'keeper looked utterly baffled by it all 1-0

66 mins Two minutes later Brian Kerr increased the lead with a fine individual effort from the edge of the box, firing fiercely into the top corner  2-0

89 mins Former Roma striker Emanuele Morini got one back for Bolton in the 89th minute, netting with a shot from six yards after a corner wasn't cleared 2-1 

Full time: Newcastle Reserves 2 Bolton 1 

Tommy Craig commented:

"It was a hard-working victory and the football was patchy. It was very good at times and very scrappy at times.

"We contrived to miss a lot of chances and at one point I thought it would be costly but we stuck at it and to our credit showed great application. I don't know how Shola got his goal but he did while Brian's was a tremendous effort.

"If we'd got a goal in the first half I think it would have been more comfortable, and even at 2-0 in the second half I felt they posed a threat. Never at any time did we get a real grip on the game."

The goalscorers assessed their own strikes:

Ameobi:

"The ball came in and the keeper thought he had it but I somehow got there. I was amazed myself I got it.

"I turned, by now I was on the floor, and hit it. I thought it was going to hit the other post and come out but thankfully it went in, though I'm not sure how."

Kerr:

"It was a great goal - and I don't think I'll be scoring another one like that in a long time."

In front of a stellar cast, United's resurgent reserves managed to string two home wins together for the first time this season, and send another windswept Kingston Park crowd home happy.

With first teamers Jenas, Dyer, Distin, Elliott and Robert in the stand along with Bobby Robson and his three wise men (messrs Milne, Woods and Carver), Tommy Craig's boys put in another good shift without reaching the heights of last week's 5-2 stuffing of Man Utd.

The first half was scoreless, although on another (less windy) night it could easily have been 2-2. Bernard was particularly unfortunate for United with two attempts on target within seconds. However a defender scrambled his shot away, and when the ball was returned, Olivier's next effort was saved by the keeper at point-blank range.

With the wind at their backs, Newcastle kicked off the second half towards the airport end and finally broke the deadlock on 64 minutes, by which time Bobby Robson had joined Tommy Craig on the bench.

After the double goal boost, United then dominated the closing stages without ever really threatening a third, and lost Marcelino with a groin strain.

One face from the past in the Bolton party was coach Neil McDonald, while Preston boss David Moyes was again an interested onlooker. After having been linked with McClen and Quinn in the past, there is some speculation that he could be checking out Lancashire lad Andy Griffin. 

PS - An unused sub was forgotten man Pedro Dimas, our 19 year old Portuguese winger who has been missing since last year with a hernia problem.

Biffa 

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