Half time: Carlisle 0 Newcastle 0

47 mins Newcastle's new-look XI instantly gelled, as Wayne Routledge took up possession midway in the Carlisle half and flicked the ball forward to the onrushing Leon Best. He took a touch to elude 'keeper Adam Collin before calmly striking the ball home into the goal from a narrowing angle 1-0

64 mins Routledge again with the assist, making for the byline down the Magpies right and pulling the ball back at speed for Nile Ranger to backheel in from three yards in front of the travelling support 2-0

74 mins Best it was this time who found space down the right and then drew the ball back, this time for Haris Vuckic. The Slovenian youngster showed good presence of mind to swivel and deliver a left-footed shot beyond subsitute 'keeper Tony Caig 3-0

Full time: Carlisle 0 Newcastle 3

Newcastle manager Chris Hughton said:

"It was probably as we expected – Carlisle were was a week in front of us in their preparations. We knew, because of the quality they've got, it would be a tight affair in that first half. 

"What generally happens is that the game opens up over a period of time, and it's who is able to capitalise on that. We were, and I think we could have got more."

On Haris Vuckic:

"He is a talent, he's a player who we think has got a very good future at the club. We look forward to seeing him enjoy a promising career in a Newcastle shirt.

They (Vuckic and Nile Ranger) have not done themselves any harm. Of course Ranger was involved more last season than Vuckic was, and he has developed. Vuckic is a young player who was injured last season, so he'll be delighted to have got through a good pre-season so far."

Leon Best added:

"I was delighted to get that first goal, and I think the lads did really well. It was great work by Wayne. I went round the keeper, and just concentrated on hitting the back of the net.

"It's always a delight to get that first goal, whether it's pre-season or the season itself. With a striker, it's all about confidence, and, obviously, if you score, you're going to be high on confidence.

"When you're scoring, your confidence comes, and that first goal will get a few monkeys off my back as well!. I was going to hit that one as well (when he set up the third), but I saw Haris free, and it was a great goal by him as well.

"I've played at League One, and scored a lot of goals, and last season I had a good spell. I'd love to test myself in the Premiership – I just need to give myself the best chance. If I keep scoring, it's going to open all the doors for me."

Kevin Nolan added:

"I’m sick of hearing ex-professionals coming on and saying that we’re not good enough. They were a bunch of nobodies when they first went into the Premier League, and they made names for themselves.

"We have a squad here that have probably had more games than a lot of those had at that time. We’re confident that once we get in there and mix it up with the other teams, we’re a lot better than a lot of the teams that’ll be around us

"Everyone wants signings and new players coming in, and we’re no different. Every team in the league wants new players, but with the way things are, there’s only one team in the league buying players at the moment, and that’s Man City. They’re like Chelsea were a few years ago.

"I honestly believe that whatever happens, with the spirit we have and the fans behind us, we’ll be a Premier League team again this time next year. That’s the main aim. We can’t look to go anywhere beyond that because we couldn’t do it two years ago with a squad of eight or ten more players than we have this year.

"It can’t just catapult straight back to the heights it scaled before. If we have a season like Birmingham had last season, brilliant. But we can’t get away from what the objectives are, which is to make sure this club is in a stable condition.

"Last year, there were a lot of questions swirling around. People didn’t know who was staying and who was going, we didn’t know who the manager was going to be, and people were predicting we would go straight back down again. This year is more stable, but you still have people saying, 'They’re not good enough' or 'They need this or that'. No matter what this club does, there’s a lot of people wanting to put it down.

"I’m getting quite sick of it, but we’ll just have to prove people wrong again. There’s a lot of doubters to prove wrong, and hopefully we’ll do that. As long as those 52,000 fans stick with us and we have a squad that stick together, we’re confident we can achieve what we’re aiming for, and that what happened last year never happens to this club again.

"Because of the way we won it, I think a lot of people thought the league was easy. If we hadn’t gone up, people would have said Newcastle were terrible, but because of what we did, everything became easy. It wasn’t.

"It was a fantastic feeling and we were delighted to win promotion, but we haven’t stopped. There’s a lot of lads still hurting from what happened two years ago. The scars are still there, they have to be. We had to prove a lot of people wrong in the Championship last year, and we have to prove a lot of people wrong in the Premier League.

"What you’re seeing is a lot of players with a lot to prove in the Premier League. There’s a lot of players who have been in the Premier League and know what it’s about, and a lot of players who are young lads who want to prove that they’re Premier League standard.

"We have a good mix, but we’re not resting and thinking that just because we romped away with the league last year, we’re going to be ok. We know it’s going to be tough, we know it’s going to be hard work and we know that we’re going to have to have everyone behind us.

"If we can stick together as a whole city, there won’t be any stopping us. And by that, I mean slowly but surely building this club back up to where it belongs."

Joey Barton then had his say:

"I don’t know what role I will have next season – but I’m ready to do whatever is required.

"Whatever role I’m asked to play, I’ll be up for it. I’ve played out wide on a couple of occasions last year. Wherever I’m asked, I’ll play, I just want to be part of this squad. Hopefully I can bring something positive and push on from last season.

"At the end of the day I was an England international as a box-to- box midfield player. I don’t say this lightly, but I’m a much more rounded footballer now than I was when I first signed for this club. Injuries have restricted my chances to show that. If I can sustain fitness for a long period of time I’m very confident of finding the form that got me in the England squad.

"It was better memories – they weren’t bad memories last time, it was just a shame because I wanted to get my Newcastle career off to a flier, and it was disappointing. But it was nice to come back this time as part of a strong squad. Everybody got what they deserved today and this time for me there were no hiccups, touch wood.

"For me, first and foremost I want to do well for Newcastle United, but watching some of the performances in the World Cup over the summer I think, that on form, I’m as good as anybody in this country. I don’t say that lightly, and I have to go out and prove that, but surely every midfielder in this country should be thinking like that. They should be looking at it and saying ‘that’s where I want to be and that’s where I can go’.

"That’s my goal and if I break into the England squad, it proves that I am doing fantastic for this football club. Firstly, I have to do well for Newcastle, though. But, as I say, every midfielder at this club should be thinking like that. Danny Guthrie, Nobby Nolan and Smudger – anybody who comes in and plays in the Premier League, not just at this football club but everybody else.

"It seems to me that the dynamics have to change of the national game. Fabio Capello said he will pick players who were in form. Sometimes it hasn’t happened like that and people have been picked when they haven’t performed a club level. 

"I think if we can get anyone from this football club into the England team we’re doing really well. It’s not usually players picked from the lower echelons of the Premier League – it’s from the top.

"They were built up to do quite well and I thought they would do well. Obviously it didn’t really happen. People are going to chip in with their opinions, but none of us know.None of us played in that atmosphere or played in that pressure.As an Englishman, though, it wasn’t good.

"Hopefully, this can force the game to change and now they will stop picking big names and instead pick players that are playing well. All of the successful countries do that."

And they said he was teetotal.....

Cumbrians captain Paul Thirlwell commented:

"In the first half we were the better team. We created the better chances and could have been ahead at half-time. To have played Newcastle was a great workout for us and we have benefited from that."