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Noarlunga United
Match Report
2 Points Down the Shitter
News
Squad Results
Fixtures Opinion
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Reek
of the Week Guestbook
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Noarlunga United
Match Report
2 Points Down the Shitter
Newcastle United
2 .. 
Dabizas '18
Speed '65
West Ham United
2........
Lampard '84
Stimac '88
(Sorry, no pics again ((get your act together Daily Soccer...))
Newcastle were guilty of throwing away two precious
Premiership points as West Ham staged a remarkable
late fightback at St James' Park.
The home side were cruising through goals from Nikos
Dabizas and Gary Speed either side of half-time - but
they were punished for twice falling asleep in the last six
minutes as Frank Lampard and Igor Stimac rescued a
point.
It was scarcely more than the visitors deserved as they
worked hard to frustrate the Magpies for long periods,
and Bobby Robson's side were not at their best,
labouring to break down the injury and
suspension-ravaged Hammers.
United will feel they should have made more of their
possession, but with teenager Joe Cole and Trevor
Sinclair always a threat up front the Londoners left
Tyneside with some reward for their efforts even if it took
a late show to achieve it.
Robson had the luxury of being able to name an
unchanged side, the first time a Newcastle manager has
done so in 68 games as the Magpies attempted to
extend their unbeaten home run under his leadership to
11.
But Hammers boss Harry Redknapp was not so fortunate.
Paolo Di Canio and Paulo Wanchope were both banned
and Neil Ruddock and Paul Kitson injured, so teenager
Michael Carrick was handed a first Premiership start and
Stimac and Marc Keller were recalled.
Newcastle went into the game brimming with confidence.
They enjoyed a wealth of possession before the break,
but the service to front men Alan Shearer and Duncan
Ferguson was disappointing before the break.
Rio Ferdinand had to head away from Shearer with just
four minutes gone after Nolberto Solano got free on the
right, and it was the England captain supplying two
minutes later for Ferguson to get in a header which
Shaka Hislop needed two attempts to grasp.
Ferguson turned up on the left wing to beat Ferdinand on
12 minutes, but again his cross could not find a black
and white shirt in the middle.
Solano was enjoying plenty of space on the right but
wasted a glorious opportunity to feed his strikers after
being put away by Dabizas when his control totally
deserted him.
Ferdinand had to hack Solano's 16th-minute shot clear
after Shearer and Ferguson had made the most of Steve
Harper's long clearance, but there was nothing the
England defender or his team-mates could do to
preserve their clean sheet a minute later.
Hislop came for Rob Lee's high ball but under pressure
from Shearer he could only clear it as far as Alessandro
Pistone.
The Italian's shot was partially blocked, but Dabizas was
first to react to poke a shot into the bottom corner.
Far from sparking a period of domination from the home
side, though, the goal seemed to inspire their
opponents, and the lively Cole was proving a real handful
as he linked with Sinclair.
Warren Barton had to clear a dangerous cross from the
18-year-old, and Harper too had to intervene as he
played a neat one-two with Sinclair.
But with the crowd starting to express their frustration the
Magpies went close to extending their lead six minutes
before the break after Solano was upended by Scott
Minto.
The Peruvian curled a dipping free-kick towards Hislop's
bottom left corner, but the goalkeeper got down well to
cling on to the ball.
Speed sent a well-struck effort just over as the home
side staged something of a rally, but Robson's half-time
team-talk cannot have been too complimentary.
Newcastle returned determined to rediscover their best
form, and although it remained something of a stuttering
performance Ferguson's aerial threat grew.
The loss of Lee through injury with 57 minutes gone
failed to unsettle the home side unduly, and Ferguson
perhaps should have done better when he met Pistone's
excellent cross with a firm header but saw the ball
ricochet off a defender before Hislop turned it away.
Ferguson failed to capitalise on good build-up play by
Shearer when he delayed his shot too long, and the
latter sliced his own shot wide as the gaps started to
appear.
But the Hammers almost got back into it on 61 minutes
when Keller headed towards goal from Sinclair's cross
only for Harper to block and Solano to complete the job.
It took a fine volley from Gary Speed five minutes later
to give United a little breathing space as he dispatched
Solano's cross past Hislop to make it 2-0.
West Ham had appeals for a penalty turned down as
Barton challenged Cole, but Steve Potts went into the
book on 73 minutes as he illegally ended a barnstorming
Shearer run just outside the box.
Newcastle thought they had earned a spot-kick nine
minutes from time when the ball struck Scott Minto's arm
as substitute Temuri Ketsbaia tried to flick it past him -
but again referee Rob Harris waved play on.
Lampard halved the deficit six minutes from time when
he sent a 25-yard shot past Harper off the post, and St
James' was reduced to virtual silence on 87 minutes
when Stimac dispatched a header into the back of the
net to claim a share of the points.
