Making it real! Newcastle 2 Nottingham Forest 0

Posted on March 29th, 2010 | 55 Comments |

'Pop'ular goalscorer!
'Pop'ular goalscorer!
“Make it real” was the Coca-Cola slogan for 2005, and while that was arguably the year we began a slippery slide to Championship oblivion and the league that bears that famous brand name, tonight Newcastle United stepped three points and one game closer to making promotion back to the big time a reality. On a wet, windy but wonderful Monday evening, the 2-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest all but ends their hopes of overhauling us and barring a disaster all that should be left is a battle with West Brom for the title.

The Championship journey has been a humbling and perhaps necessary journey for some Mags but one season is just about enough, cheers all the same. While we’ve had some difficult games, none more so than tricky tests against the Tricky Trees, our lads have come through the test and are so close to a victorious 90 minutes which should culminate in a mathematically certain return to the top flight and a silent two fingers at those that wanted us to fail miserably. It would take a monumental 7-Up, if we were to fail to realise the dream of going back up at the first time of asking.

On a greasy surface and with the wind and rain driving across the pitch, Newcastle weathered both the elements and a determined Forest attack. Despite good possession for both sides though, neither side looked like breaking the deadlock and this Level 7’er is fairly certain he didn’t see a save from either keeper until after the hour. And when the deadlock was broken, to bring effervescence to both players and fans alike, who other than Shola ‘Offside’ Ameobi, returning from injury, would be more appropriate? With a neat turn, great control and a tidy finish to make it 1-0, proving yet again that if he can stay fit he offers us something our other strikers don’t.

But though the first goalscorer proved to be popular, to say the roof was lifted when the second goal went in is an understatement, as fans’ favourite Jose Enrique popped up and combined well with Ameobi in the box before beating his man and stroking the ball home to end the game at 2-0. This apparently being his first competitive goal in football, let alone in a black and white shirt and the celebrations on and off the pitch proved what it meant to everyone, the yellow card was almost worth it.

Tonight was a stern test, when we could have slipped up and not just because of the monsoon conditions, as though nervous at first, Forest proved they’re a good football side. So it was a test of both character and ability but one that the lads passed with flying colours. There were a number of outstanding performances once again, if only for the endeavour shown and the will to win. It would be churlish to suggest we are past the finishing line but it would also take a brave man to bet against us, as we are just about in the final straight. It’s been a nice change but nobody wants to get stuck in the second flight for too long if they can help it. One season is quite enough and hopefully as far as Newcastle United is concerned, this is it!

Us – Harper 7, Enrique 9, Coloccini 9, Williamson 9, Simpson 8, Guthrie 8, Nolan 8, Gutierrez 8, Routledge 9, Carroll 7 (Ameobi 8 48), Lovenkrands 7 (Barton 90+3).

Subs not used – Krul, R.Taylor, Kadar, Butt, Best.

Goals – Ameobi 71, Enrique 90+1.

Forest – Camp, Perch, Morgan, Wilson, Gunter, Anderson, Cohen, Moussi, Majewski (Earnshaw 72), Tyson (McCleary 69), Blackstock (McGoldrick 77).

Subs not used – Smith, Chambers, McGugan, Adebola.

Crowd – 45,987, although it looked and sounded like a lot more. (with about 3,000+ Forest fans).

Full report to follow…

NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.

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55 Responses

  2. Ratings from the East Stand (Popular Tce in old money)

    Harper 7
    Simpson 6 (buy Perch)
    Jose 9
    Collo 8
    Williamson 8
    Routledge 7
    Guthrie 6
    Nolan 7
    Jonas 6
    Carroll 6 (Ameobi 8)
    Loverman 6

    Hughton 9

    Great result and resilience from the team.

    By the way I thought Billy Davies was very complimentary in his interview towards the Toon.

  3. Used to be a four-a-day man but I have loads of work on. I know!!! Work, of all things, putting pressure on. Fortunately, toonsy has stepped into the mire admirably and is grabbing the blog by the scruff of it’s neck.

    My lass wasn’t happy about coming in and going straight on here but whadayaganadee?…

  4. TGS – I can understand some of the lower marks, I think I gave higher marks just for the endeavour for some. But Guthrie a 6?

    I thought he was poor on dead balls but immense in open play. Loves a tackle does Wor Danny. With some pace, I’d argue he would have been in the Premiership knocking on Capello’s door.

    Thought Routledge was such a good outlet at times too.

  5. BBM No keep it simple…more posts kill the blog,to be honest we usually stray from the talking point which is good…look at uziblogger.com something like 11 blogs in 1 day….it is dead.

    Great Blog,2 great goals,Howay the Lads!

  6. TGS

    I know it’s just an opinion, but I don’t get how Harper got a 7 when he had no saves to make and his distribution was very hit and miss. I thought he and Simpson were our weakest players today and they are the only two i would give a 6. Everyone else was superb, including Routledge and Jonas, who were marked fantastically by the Forest players. Once we had scored the game opened up and those two began showing their true quality.

  7. Yes, this blog has come on leaps and bounds and i find myself looking for it on Newsnow where i used to look for Ed Harrison’s. Keep up the good work lads.

  9. Didn’t get chance to get to the match tonight lads, being a school night and all! So i was ejected to the sofa with a mere stella to keep me shouting, the missus did one when saw i had footy on! I thought harps had a better game than he did at donnie – that was the worst game i’ve seen him have in a good while. But to be honest i thought guthrie was quite weak (for the first time in a long time), a couple of good tackles albeit one should have been a yellow and his dead ball play was reminicent of gerimi, how hard is it to beat the first man? Jonas didn’t back himself to run at perch in the second half and recided to deep crosses, and we all no that isn’t his game. I thought nolan played a clever game off the ball although he didn’t gain too much possession. Roultledge was fantastic – even my old man (whos a leeds supporter) commented on his quality tonight. Andy carolls work rate was spot on again just needs to back himself more, 1 or 2 poor decisions on his part for me tonight. But what a fantastic result lads! Not long to go now! Come on the toon!

  10. Just got back in to my gaff now (student in Leeds) so had a 3 hour round trip.
    Dragged a southern friend along for the ride & he was amazed at the banter & buzz of the toon & the stadium, said it was definitely the best he’d been too :D.
    Got to say it was definitely worth it although I was shocked at the complete lack of noise in the Gallowgate end, probably due to my only games of late being the away ones and how noisy we always seem to be on our travels.
    I was getting hacky looks off the stewards for chanting and shouting.
    Looks like I’ll be a level 7 Leazes convert BBM!

    I’m off to the Sheffield match as well, so hopefully it will be a promotion party atmosphere come next monday!

    HTL

  11. To be honest, this will be the type of effort we will need next year-game in, game out. This is the way Newcastle should play all the time. Everyone on the team was committed to get the job done. Long may efforts like this continue.

  12. Amazing, have not been this happy for a long time. Jose’s goal just made my year. Great, great night for geordie fans. On another note what can we do to stop this Louise Taylor women, the fact that she is slagging off our manager is troubling to me, no-one, including her, know’s the facts so why be so negative. She is an insult to journalism… Chris H. seems like an honest and good bloke, I trust his judgement. I never thought I would ay this but I have loved this season, a welcome change… Lets all stay positive.

  13. Outstanding result and cheers to you lot who right the articles. Insightful, balanced, free of hyperbole and nonsense ubiquitous on the web these days. 4 points up on Women’s Basketball Association with a game in hand and 6 (7) games left.

    Who do we have left?

    Reading (A)
    Ipswitch (H)
    Blackpool (H)
    Peterborough (A?)

    Who else?

  15. To be honest, My most consistant and reliable player in the squad is Enrique now.

    At times there’re mistakes but who doesnt? Its just that it will be more costly when a defender make one.

    I still feels that Collo is still not marking his man well. His man marking is very poor. Often let players run past him with through ball. It gives me heart attack.

    Is he still adapting to the surrounding.

    Nottingham should be 1 up if they finish infront of goal.

  17. Some is compairing Jose to Evra.

    One thing for sure, good or bad, Jose is young and there’s lots to learn and improve. Evra is end of life product.

  18. Awesome!

    12 months ago I never thought I’d be saying this but a season in the Championship was just what the doctor ordered.
    Now thankfully, we look certain to bounce back to where we belong!

    This time around, we’ll have a much-needed sense of realism (not over ambition) and an astute regime that, love them or (probably) hate them, will operate within their means.

    We have a well managed team of committed players whose morale and confidence is sky high, just like the spirits of the 50,000 soaring above the doom and gloom merchants who bayed for our us all to fail.

    Now for the title!

  19. PS delighted for Enrique to score – an adopted Geordie and a class act.

    My choice for Man of the Season and one of the few professional footballers I’d invite round my fat mother’s house for tea.

  21. Still got a smile on my face when I woke up this morning….been a decent season and fingers crossed we won’t be back here again.

    It is all about the summer investment now and what route Mike Ashley decides to take,with some sensible investments we could be a pretty solid unit and I don’t see us being a push over like last season which was pathetic.

    Martins,Owen,Duffer,N’zog,Beye,Milner,Given etc can all go fk themselves as far as I am concerned…a new chapter is beginning and I am glad they have gone.

  22. It was brilliant yesterday night. I just hope we seal promotion in Peterborough game, which is possible. My first visit to live game and what a game it will prove to be if we get promotion. huraaaaa

  24. For those marking Danny Simpson down, he is and has been for some while, playing with an ankle injury, you have to take this into consideration and it shows his commitment to the cause.
    Great result against a tidy Forest team, just waiting for the press to find a new line of attack now that we are almost promoted, Rod Liddle, Matthew Syed and Mick Dennis in particular have been proved so wrong they should make a public apology after their slating of us in the Summer.

  25. Sirjasontoon @21 . I totally agree .

    I thought that was our best performance last night against a good Forest Team who were fit and fast and passed the ball well .

    Regarding the so called big names who left last summer ,good riddance . The team has a chance to develop properly now with some good signings in the summer .

    Team spirit is fundamental in a Team game and as I have said look at Everton and even Stoke, so I think we can consolidate next year without too much of a problem,. We will need to keep putting in the effort though

    Well done lads HWTL

  26. 22 sahota

    It will be a great party if all goes to plan on Saturday. Did you get the posh seats or are you standing like me!

    Is it the first game ever … or just the first game this season … whichever you may have picked a good un!

    But … I do have a bad feeling that forest will nick a win at Bristol City though … oh well … the party may delayed until Monday when we beat the blades at home.

  27. great win last night by the way … great to see Jose with a massive smile … lets hope he sticks with us next season and for a few after that …

  28. Still hoarse from the game last night! With 25 minutes to go I was totally “toonsy”, thinking “they’re gonna sneak one against the run of play” and hoping for the time to pass as a draw would be quite a good result for us – then along come Shola and Jose! Jose jose jose jose! And his first goal was with his right peg as well! Why didn’t Caroll use his “swinger” in the first half? – I’m sure he would have scored. (No double meanings there!)
    No more than we deserved – they had some movement in the first 5-10 minutes of each half, otherwise I thought we controlled it. The defence was immense – all of them, but (no disrespect to Tamas K who will be great for us in the years to come) especially Mike Williamson who was a rock. Jose, Wayne, Danny G did well – I even thought Kevin Lumbering Nolan covered more ground than I’ve seen. The only one who was below par for me was Lover – he looked leggy and was knackered when he came off.
    Come on now – 2 more wins are the MOST we need!

  29. PS
    Just watched the match again on Sky – could not believe the biased reporting! Forest’s attacks were all “threatening” – hardly any comments on our more numerous chances! Jose nudges one of their players – “some referees would have seen that as a yellow card”. Shola pushed off the ball as he’s bursting through on the edge of the area -“I’m not sure that was anything more than a coming together, let alone a yellow card”. Then I remembered I’d spotted Peter “I’m a total Mackem” Beagrie on the box in the bar at half-time – and I COULD believe the biased commentary.

  30. You’ve just got to love the downbeat interviews from Chris Hughton. I think he showed his true feelings when Jose’s goal went in – what a jig!!!

  31. Fair play to both managers last night, Hughton still remained focused on the job after the interview and billly davies was very respectful to CH and the club as a hole, it was nice to see.

  32. Fair play to the Forest fans coming out of the ground last night, renditions of ‘Que Sera Sera, were going to Wembley ect…’

    Nice bit of good humour.

  33. magpie6699,great defending last night which set up the game,not sure m8 but think you and i were born and bred in same area benwell/pendower?

  34. Great result, great goals and Shola showing some great touches. If he had been fit all season and playing the same (only just caught highlights by the way so I don’t how he was rest of game!) what would have been the striker set-up.
    Been pretty upset with the latest furore surrounding our club so have kept out of discussions, haven’t really been a fence sitter but the one word that has been running through my head throughout is “integrity”. Although I think CH has been honest and focussed which is about all we can ask for. Just hope Taylor does stay as he has bled BW throughout his life.
    I haven’t seen a live Toon game for years but I am seriously thinking of getting to the QPR game providing I can get my Zimmer thorugh the Underground. :)

  35. big willy, get a plane m8 wont need zimmer,we will get a lot of press on CH now is he or is he not staying,ah well we they have to write some shit

  36. What a gutsy 10/10 performance!

    The lads showed true mettle last night & just wanted it more than forest could muster.
    The crowd played it’s part, by taking us back to the old days & really getting behind the whole team-What a noise!
    Can’t see how anyone could mark any of the defense differently tbh, but i guess we still mark our least fave players down, to make a point?
    Everyone left it on the pitch, they’ve grown into a unit.
    What is especially pleasing is the fact that: When we’ve had injuries, or players have gone off, the ones coming in have not let us down.
    & it seems like we can actually rotate the squad, whey hey!
    Maybe now we’re getting to see some decent football too, as we’re close to our goal of promotion?

    Long live the ‘TEAM’, no more prima-donnas thanx!

    Nearly there.

    Just keep it going lads.

  38. totally unrelated but did you count how many times billy davies said the first goal in his interview nearly like every second word was the first goal

  39. Icedog, you’re dead right there. Apart from the fact that he is doing a good job at present, I would be very surprised if MA would want to sack a low salary (I presume) manager. Obviously if we struggle in the EPL then CH’s job would be in jeopardy but that, as they say, is another story.

  40. magpie6699,
    honestly mate, y’better off turning the commentary down, they’re a waste of good skin.
    It was never gonna be good with an ex-forest legend & mack*m chipping in.
    How, oh so very biased.

  41. I doubt the ‘mail’ will do a story about us today, cos they’d have to praise us.
    :)

  42. clint,got one right said jose would score,thought williamson was a mountain last night rout the best forward,still dont care for bamby never a epl player,get shot

  43. Fantastic night, hopefully we’ll be able to hold onto our better players in the summer buy a couple of players with quality (RB, Striker) and we should be able to make mid table in prem.
    I’ll be pleased if we can get to 40 points next season and therefore relative safety with a few games left

    Am gonna miss Peterborough game on Sat as in Madrid tho I’m predicting a 4-0 win with Enrique getting another goal :-)

  44. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    March 30, 2010 at 11:46 am

    Wouldn’t get too carried away. I enjoyed the commitment of our players last night, particularly our defenders but we did still allow them to create two clear cut chances that they should have taken.

    In the PL they will be taken – That’s the difference.

    But lets bask in the glory today.

  45. Stuart,
    moi, caution personified, get carried away?
    No way santa fe.
    They did have one ‘clear cut’ chance that could quite easily have been converted (fell to blackstock), that doesn’t mean it would have in the prem.
    Plenty of big chances go a-begging in the prem, i saw rooney miss a couple recently, that ALL the pundits over-looked, or maybe couldn’t see them from where they were sitting. :)
    Anyway, he still had to beat Harper. :)
    Even the greatest games are riddled with mistakes, it’s all a matter of perspective & percentages.

    Even if that had gone in, i think we woulda beat ’em better, as we don’t like conceding at home.
    That team just was not going to be beaten last night.
    That’s at the heart of my comments.

  46. ice,
    did you bet on Jose?
    Williamson played great mate. What an excellent find.
    Routledge was great too.
    Can’t knock Ameobi man, he showed some class & experience with his goal &
    his assist. Don’t have to like him, but credit where it’s due.

  47. Happens every game!

    Unless we play Wolves every game next season we will be punished.

    Although I still live in hope that we will be in a position to strengthen in most positions – Surely Ashley doesn’t want to go through this again…

  48. Stuart,
    it will be a whole new ball game.
    But i can’t see us not bringing a few in like.
    Most people thought we wouldn’t last window, but did.
    Obviously, we have no clue how it will all pan out with regard to :
    Transfers, prem games, results, refs…………….etc
    But we’ve already got a way better team spirit & cohesion than at any time
    last season, which can only help stop us being any where near as bad as last season.

  50. I don’t subscribe to the refs wrong decision ect.. got us relegated.

    We were relegated because we couldn’t beat Stoke, Hull, Blackburn and Portsmouth at home – Plus many other ridiculous things that happened.

  51. On top of being really crap, loads of managers, tons of turmoil, fans on the clubs & players backs.
    We STILL ONLY went down by:
    A goal not given, an o.g. & a point.

    Can it really be as bad next season?

    Look at it logically.

  52. So, a win a peterboro and a deafeat for forest and we are up. Not too shabby and I hope batty has made some money on his prediction of mid april promotion.

    Nice to see Shola back too. His goal was Shearer like in quality. Hopefully he can step up next season but I’m convinved he’s found his level, the championship.

    Also good to see Joey Barton get on for what must have been all of 30 seconds.

    We also played some decent football, not many big lobs up to the front players.

    Stuart79, I swear you’d moan if you won the euro millions jackpot.

  54. Harper 7
    Simpson 6
    Jose 9
    Collo 9
    Williamson 8
    Routledge 7
    Guthrie 7
    Nolan 7
    Jonas 8
    Carroll 10 (Ameobi 8)
    Loverman 6

    Butt 10

  55. Call me Jason ToonDog :)
    The name was made up by bbc 606 cos I couldn’t have jasontoon so it has stuck for a few years now haha