Newcastle United Reserves	4-2	Liverpool Reserves
Half time:	2-1
Score Sheet:
McClen (19) Chopra (36) Bernard (83) Offiong (85)		Mellor (28) Mellor (80)
	Teams
Steve Harper Andy Griffin Olivier Bernard Steve Caldwell Marcelino Brian Kerr Bradley Orr Jamie McClen Michael Chopra Lomana LuaLua Stuart Green		Jorgen Nielsen David Raven  Alan Coupe John Otsemobor  Andrew Nicholas Stephen Warnock  Richie Partridge  Darren Potter  Neil Mellor  Brian McIlroy  Neil Prince
Substitutes:
Ryan McGuffie for Griffin (30) Richard Offiong for LuaLua (70) Pedro Dimas for Green (84)		Daniel Sjolund for McIlroy (60) Adam Flynn for Raven (70) Andrew Wright for Prince (77)
Subs not used:
Adam Colllin		Matthew Parry Stephen Gillespie
Bookings:
Coupe - foul on Chopra (60) Wright - handball (83)		Bernard - foul (90)
Referee: Andy Nicholson - fat and useless. Liverpool players admitted to their counterparts that Mellor had dived for the penalty - the referee can't really be blamed for being taken in, but his frequent basic errors disrupted the game. The second Liverpool goal was a total joke, Mellor being beyond the whole Newcastle team when he prodded the ball home - the most obvious offside you'll ever see.
Attendance:  4,035. A crowd which filled the East stand and generated some atmosphere - shame the players just trooped off at the end and chose to ignore those who'd come to watch them.

19 mins Jamie McClen opened the scoring after a great team effort. Harper played it out to Marcelino and Brian Kerr then put LuaLua into the box. Lua tempted the keeper before squaring it to McClen who drove home from 12 yards past two defenders on the Gallowgate goal line. 1-0

28 mins Neil Mellor made towards the toon goal before he was halted by a challenge from Griffin, who appeared to play the ball although he was behind the Liverpool striker. Mellor tumbled, the referee was convinced and the same player got up to send Harper the wrong way from the spot with a low shot. 1-1

36 mins United regained the lead through  Michael Chopra when Olivier Bernard won the ball with a great tackle before putting a slide rule pass into Chopra's path, coming in from the left. Chops ran on and finished confidently with a low curler to the keeper's left - a bit like Shearer's against Everton.2-1

Half time: Newcastle Reserves 2 Liverpool 1

80 mins Confusion in the United defence was initiated by a burst into the box from the left by Sjodlund who left Marcelino grounded. A low centre eventually found it's way to the far post, where Mellor prodded it home from point-blank range. He simply had to be offside, given that he hadn't moved and the whole Newcastle team including Harper was downfield of him. However despite extended protests the goal stood. After the final whistle the Newcastle keeper could still be seen berating he referee as the teams left the field.  2-2

83 mins A handball by sub Andrew Wright gave us a free-kick 25 yards out. Green touched it to Bernard who drove hard and low and a deflection off a defender sent it past the wrong-footed keeper. 3-2

85 mins Bradley Orr found Pedro Dimas out on the left and with his first touch he crossed hard and low for substitute Offiong to smash home from six yards and seal the victory. 4-2
 
Full time: Newcastle Reserves 4 Liverpool 2 

Tommy Craig commented:

"I felt there were a lot of good things in the game and that we could've been well in front by halftime. But there also bad things, mainly a lack of good possession. It was the kind of game that was never over until it was over and credit to Liverpool for that.

"There were a lot of happy faces in the dressing room. We've never talked about the league but it should make for an interesting end to the season. It's been a double delight, that and seeing players progress to the first team pool. 

"It was good to play at St.James' last night."

Tommy Craig's reserves regained top spot with an entertaining 4-2 win over Liverpool at St. James' Park. With just two games remaining, United head the table by a point after rivals Middlesbrough lost 1-2 at home to Bolton.

On our first return to St.James' for a reserve league game in four years, the players served up something of a football treat for the home supporters, who more than doubled the normal gate at the cold hole that is Kingston Park.

Right from the off Newcastle tore into their visitors, with waves of attacks towards the empty Gallowgate stand. Early chances came and went, notably through Bradley Orr, who strained to get a header in that glanced off the bar - LuaLua standing behind him looking less than chuffed that his call was ignored.

It was the man from the Congo who spurred Newcastle on, abetted by strike partner Chopra and in the first half especially, makeshift left winger Jamie McClen, who reveled in the space afforded him down the flank.

Just as it seemed that our pressure would come to nothing, McClen it was who  struck, after efforts from Kerr and Marcelino had passed just wide and the former had stung Neilsen's hands with a turbo-charged effort.

A rare Liverpool attack then saw them draw level from the spot, but undaunted, Newcastle were straight back down the other end with LuaLua giving a familiar display of his talents - incredible skill and ball control allied with an almost total lack of awareness of what is going on around him.

Chopra's picturebook goal restored the lead, but if anyone had any doubts that Liverpool still had as say in this game, the awful finish by McIlroy three minutes before the break was all that prevented the sides going for a cuppa locked at 2-2.

After such a flowing display, the chances of the second half being a let-down were always high, and so it almost proved. Aside from a Lua - Chopra combo that saw the latter dubiously given offside as he beat the keeper, there wasn't a great deal of incident to report as we seemed to grow a little too content with the 2-1 advantage.

Richard Offiong appeared with twenty minutes remaining to link up again with his U19 strike partner Chopra, and had the sub been a tad braver he would have beaten the 'pool keeper to a Green pass a few minutes later and made the game safe at 3-1.

As it was, confusion in our ranks led to a very dodgy equaliser with barely 10 minutes remaining, and threatened to spoil the party. Thankfully the referee came up trumps with a handball decision at a convenient distance from the Liverpool goal, and Bernard's shot plus a defenders boot restored the advantage.

The visitors must have sensed it wasn't their night, and moments later slack work by their defence allowed Dimas to sweep down the left and fire in a cross for the otherwise unimpressive Offiong to score, much to the delight of him, his colleagues and the toon fans.

All in all some fine entertainment, goals-a-plenty and a deserved three points.

PS -  If ever there was a clear indication of why the reserves are wasting their time playing at KP, then this game at St.James' was it. 

An increased crowd were able to sit in relative comfort without being rained upon, or worrying that the canvas stand was going to blow away, not to mention being able to enjoy the game from a decent angle for once, not pitch level.

It was also heartening to see many young 'uns there, some clearly making their first visit to the "big ground" and reveling in the occasion.

And as for the team....playing football at a football ground, as they should always be. A proper pitch, proper floodlights and a game of football not dictated by the elements (typhoons, monsoons etc.)

The players looked happier, the match was more entertaining - all in all a total contrast to the miserable nights endured on the edge of town over the last few years.

If there was one complaint from the punters, it was that the pie order had been underestimated, while we noticed that the club shop was closed - not like us to miss a trick....  

Biffa 

Reports