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Referee:  tbc

Teams: 

WBFC: (blue & white stripes) Sproat, Muir, Walmsley, Latimer, Smith, Pearson, McLeod, King, Irving, Picton, Bowman. 
Subs: Various - no information given.

NUFC: (normal away kit) Grindlay, Cowan, McGuffie, Kerr (Barr 46 mins), Caldwell G, Caldwell S, Orr, McClen, Coppinger (Gall 46 mins), Ameobi, Boyd. 
Subs n/u: None.

0 mins. The match got underway to the musical backing of "Pick a Part that's New" by the Stereophonics. 
2 mins.  Someone on the groundstaff realised that they'd forgotten to turn the gramophone off - Stereophonics end rather abruptly.
2 mins. First attack from Newcastle saw a shot from Shola Ameobi tipped onto the post by Bay 'keeper Sproat.
9 mins. Due to the clash of black shirts between referee and United, the former discarded his shirt in favour of a white t-shirt. However, the linesmen remained clad in black, which confused at least one United player moments later... 
11 mins. A speculative shot from Cowan flew harmlessly over the home crossbar. 
19 mins. Good work down the Newcastle left by Boyd saw him whip over a low cross to Coppinger, who put his snap shot just over the bar. 
22 mins. Coppinger again, this time finding Brian Kerr with a short pass inside the Bay area, which ended up in the back of the net after he was allowed to turn and shoot. 1-0
27 mins. The Whitley Bay woodwork was left trembling again by Ameobi, who planted his header from a McGuffie cross onto the bar, the ball bouncing down on the goal line and away from danger.
34 mins. Another for Kerr, after Ameobi had delayed his pass to meet McClen's untracked run into the area. He attempted to lob the advancing keeper, who did well to claw it away from goal, but only as far as Kerr on the edge of the box, who steered home his accurate low shot. 2-0
38 mins. The home side looked in vain to the linesman, as United went further ahead. Boyd cut in from the left flank and fired the ball goalwards to where Ameobi was standing in front of the 'keeper. His dummy allowed the ball to continue on it's course and end up in the net via the boot of Coppinger from within the six yard box. Whether Bay were appealing for offside or an offence on the 'keeper was unclear, but the referee waved away their protests. 3-0.
  
Halftime: Whitley Bay 0 NUFC 3

73 mins After almost half an hour of utterly uneventful and inconsequential play from both sides, the tedium was lifted by the forceful running of Boyd on the left flank, who evaded a defender to reach the byline and pull the ball back to Ameobi on the penalty spot. A goal looked certain, but he smashed his shot onto the crossbar once again, to his audible frustration.
77 mins Shola turned provider, again down the left, as he was allowed to proceed by a good advantage call from the referee, and squared the ball to the incoming Gall. His first shot was well saved by the 'keeper, and when the rebound came back to him his second attempt was blocked by a recovering defender. 
83 mins.  Yet more ill-fortune in front of goal for Kevin Gall, as he latched on to a centre from out on the right by McClen and hit a low shot towards the bottom left of the Bay goal. However, Sproat somehow managed to turn the ball around the post by virtue of somehow managing to get his backside in the way of the shot.
85 mins. What could have been the hat trick for second half sub Gall instead left him looking to the Heavens again, as United broke straight down the centre and the young Welsh forward put his shot at the goalkeeper in a one-on-one confrontation.

Final Score: Whitley Bay 0 NUFC 3

Waffle: 

Northern League Whitley Bay provided little opposition to what was virtually a junior team by any other name (but labelled a reserve outfit and managed by Tommy Craig, in order to circumvent rules preventing youngsters playing against non-league clubs.)

As usual, a lack of promotion for the game led to a sparse attendance, and the inevitable latecomers expecting a 7.30 start, and of those who attended, most were identifiable as not being Bay fans. Nowhere is the decline in Non-League football in the region more aptly illustrated than here, where even Unibond football at Hillheads now seems well in the past, and glory days like the FA Cup defeat of Preston are ancient history.

With no wealthy benefactor and an apparent lack of interest from the town itself, there seems little to be optimistic about round these parts. The presence of a Newcastle side might been an opportunity to makie a precious few extra pounds in gate receipts, but unlike say our recent appearance at Alnwick, the punters stayed away.

Of the match itself there's little to say. United produced a workmanlike performance and seemed content at halftime with their three goal advantage. To the home side's credit they managed to avoid resorting to the brawling tactics of Blyth, but Grindlay in the Newcastle goal had an incident-free night.

Kerr and Coppinger were both withdrawn at the interval, which makes their inclusion in the senior squad for the Chelsea game likely. 

Spotted in the crowd (apart from the usual Newcastle loons) was Darlington goalscoring hero Stuart Elliott, our former reserve Captain turned conqueror of Nottingham Forest the previous evening.

Biffa