Coca-Cola Championship, Saturday 6 March 2010 - St. James Park
I visited St. James Park on Saturday in the company of a fellow part-time aficionado of Newcastle United. Unusually for me, I picked possibly the best game of the season to witness The Toon Army continue their march back to the FA Premiership.
Newcastle United huffed and puffed for much of the first half against their Yorkshire opponents - who still have an outside chance of making the promotion play-offs. However when Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele tripped home striker Peter Lovenkrands and therefore denied him a clear goalscoring opportunity a minute before half-time there was only one outcome. A red card for the keeper and a penalty for the home side which Lovenkrands himself duly converted. Barnsley's replacement keeper was Dave Preece formerly of Aberdeen although they had to sacrifice the attacking talents of De Silva to make way for the back up keeper.
Predictably, the second half was one way traffic. It took just four minutes for United to double their lead when Andy Carroll delivered a sublime cross to the head of Lovenkrands and the former Rangers player dispatched a fine header beyond the reach of Preece. Two minutes later Danny Guthrie's free-kick flew past a startled Preece for the third. Then, arguably, the highlight of the afternoon. Jonas Gutierrez - aka Spiderman - set off on a mazy run leaving a trail of Barnsley defenders in his wake before firing in a shot which crashed in to the goal off the cross bar. It was a magnificent effort and the talisman duly celebrated by donning his Spiderman mask in front of an adoring home support.
With twenty minutes left Guthrie delivered a tantalising free kick from wide on the left which eluded everyone for Newcastle's fifth goal although Andy Carroll maintained he got the final touch - as most strikers do. Kevin Nolan added a sixth minutes later and only the post denied Lovenkrands his hat-trick and Newcastle's seventh. To their credit, a now demoralised Barnsley kept going and substitute Bogdanovic punished a defensive slip by the home team. It didn't really matter, however, and emphatic victory for Newcastle United was further rewarded with the news that promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion had lost at Queens Park Rangers.
There were over 44,000 fans at St. James Park and they made a cracking atmosphere. There's no doubt in my mind that Newcastle United will be back in the FA Premiership next season - a league from which they should never have departed.
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