52 mins: Seth Johnson lost the ball on the halfway line to Robert Lee, who found the trotting Solano on the right. His angled low cross looked to be on course for Maric in the area, but Alan Shearer arrived on a perfectly-timed run to sidefoot into the Leazes End net 2-0

Full time: Magpies 2 Rams 0

Sir Bobby said:
 
To follow

Jim Smith:

To follow
 

On a night when SKY were on hand to witness what many hoped would be a match of high emotion and bristling off-field activity, both the football purist and the armchair anarchist would have been left somewhat underwhelmed as the evening drew to a close.

At stake for both teams was a chance to make inroads into catching the pack of teams just above the drop zone, at the expense of one of their fellow strugglers. Whether Derby came for a point we'll never know, as they were just so woefully inept and bereft of anything positive that they deserved to have lost by more than the two we forced past them. 

It's somewhat ironic that Jim Smith presided over a team that has lost its way, against a backdrop of anti-board protests at St.James' Park. The only difference being that this time the rabble weren't occupying the home dressing room...

Newcastle were nothing special as a unit, but for Bobby Robson many small things apart from the three points probably gave him a restful nights sleep, without having to be sedated. The returning Alessandro Pistone and Marcelino gave adequate accounts of themselves, while Alan Shearer (SKY Man of the Match) and Rob Lee (Breweries Man of the Match) ran themselves into the ground. 

The more cerebral talents of Nolberto Solano continued to vex the home fans meanwhile -  a blend of good positioning and goal-producing deliveries, mixed with a dedication to challenge avoidance and a penalty dive that he should have been booked for. 

By his own unimpressive standards, Maric gave a reasonable account of himself and crucially, looked happier playing in his alleged true position, behind a front pair. The long-awaited return of Ferguson saw the Scottish giant get a brief runout in what must be the largest pair of shorts ever constructed, possibly by a sailmaker.

On the negative side, Barton hobbled off and will spend his enforced four match absence regaining fitness alongside fellow crock Kieron Dyer, who may face surgery on a damaged calf.

On reflection, this was a game that Newcastle needed to win, not only for the three points to propel us up the league, but also for the psychological boost of beating a fellow struggler and racking up a clean sheet. The protests, while evident, weren't obviously disruptive to the players, and I bet some of them think Freddie Fletcher is a greedy Tartan Illegitimate as well....

So, two victories over moderate opposition (Rams and Zurich) but both deserved. Now for Highbury, graveyard to the hopes and ambitions of better teams than us, but an ideal opportunity to continue our rehabilitation. Our first away point would be a tremendous achievement, even more than keeping the score down or eleven players on the pitch.....

Biffa