Half time: Waregem 0 Newcastle 0

47mins Attacking the end where the away fans were housed, Nolberto's Solano's ball in from the right flank played in Kieron Dyer, who pinged a low cross in from the right hand side of the area. Martins was beaten to the ball by Dindeleux who diverted the ball past his own keeper. 1-0

59mins Damien Duff jinked his way into the Waregem box and opting to take the ball on rather than shooting, he then crumpled as he tried to take the ball around 'keeper Merlier - although contact looked minimal at best. 

After more daftness between him and Solano, Obafemi Martins took the resultant penalty, side -footing it into the empty goal which Merlier had wandered from before the kick was taken 2-0

69mins Unmarked midfielder Karel D'Haene flicked a header home after a free kick was played in from the right - Babayaro the guilty party in giving away the foul. 2-1

76mins A goal to wrap things up on the night was converted well by Antoine Sibierski, but the manner of execution exposed the weakness of the Belgian backline. Neat footwork from the Frenchman saw him sidestep two defenders in the area before dancing round the 'keeper to tap home - evoking memories of Steve Watson's goal at Antwerp over a decade ago. 3-1

Full time: Waregem 1 Newcastle 3

Glenn Roeder commented:

"I find myself often repeating myself, but I cannot think of another free transfer signing last August who is better than Antoine.

"Maybe Sol Campbell at Portsmouth and he were the two outstanding Bosmans last summer.

"I cannot praise him enough as a man or as a footballer. He thoroughly deserved the goal he got.

"It gave us the two-goal cushion again that I wanted to take back to St James' Park.

"Antoine can commiserate with him now (OG scorer Dindeleux was his Best Man).

I said to him before the game, 'he is your friend now and he will be your friend after the game, but in between, you must cause him problems'.

"Overall, he did make it difficult for his best man. He is perhaps not his best man anymore."

"I am very happy, apart from conceding the goal. We had some good half-chances which we did not take before the break, but generally speaking at the other end, we defended well.

"I thought if we made sure we defended very well in the first 15 minutes of the second half, we could go on and win the game.

"Ironically, it did not turn out like that because we were in front within a minute or so."

"In life, and in football, you should never take anything for granted.

"Of course, this has put us in an unbelievably strong position for next week but it's important to make sure we are mentally ready for the game, that we're not sloppy and that we're professional in our performance. It would be disrespectful otherwise. 

We have to give a good performance for our supporters. We want them to see us get into the last 16. That has always been our target, it has always been our goal. I'm sure it won't be an easy game and it's up to us to perform.

"I would have much preferred to have won 2-0 than 3-1. I would have liked to have kept a clean sheet and Steve is particularly disappointed.

"I was disappointed at the manner in which we conceded the free-kick because the player was going nowhere and was facing the stands. Having done that, it was a double whammy when we conceded the goal.

"Whenever you concede from a set-piece, it is a cheap goal, a give-away goal. We should be able to defend set-pieces without a problem. Apart from that, I am very happy with things.

"Kieron was outstanding throughout the game, as was Nicky. I asked Kieron to be disciplined and I told him he would have to sit back with Nicky more than usual. I told him I wanted quality with his runs rather than quantity and he did that. He's a very intelligent footballer. Nicky used all of his European experience.

"As for Antoine, I cannot think of another free transfer signing who has been better than him. I can't praise him enough as a man and as a footballer.

"He thoroughly deserved the goal he scored that has given us the two-goal cushion that I always wanted to take back to St James's Park." 

Wearing the armband in the absence of Parker & vice-Captain Given, Nicky Butt said:
 
"I enjoyed being captain of this big club - it is a great honour and something any player would enjoy.

"I have done it for Manchester United a few times when Roy Keane and Gary Neville were out, but it was so pleasing to do it with a win for Newcastle.

"It was a good result away from home. The performance wasn't the best but I think some of that was down to the heavy pitch.

"It got a bit sloppy at some stages but overall we have to be happy - It was job done for us.

"Credit to them because they had a go at us, which was nice because it opened up the game a little bit, but apart from the sloppy spell we had we did OK.

"After you go 2-0 up you sometimes take your foot off the pedal. It is not professional but it does happen.

"It was on my mind being booked so early. My game is tackling and winning the ball, so after I had been booked I had to change my game. I don't think it was a booking. It was a bad decision but just you have to get on with it."

Having handed in his detective's badge to go full time with Waregem, coach Francky Dury said:

"If we were going to Newcastle at 1-2, we would still be in the match. But at 1-3 it will be difficult to go there. 

"Still, I have a good feeling. We went into Europe for two matches but we have had seven and gained some good experience. I just wish we could have kept it at 1-2.

"“I won’t comment on the penalty but I was pleased with the way that we played."

As expected, our hosts were the cannon fodder in this corner of a Flanders Field, as we did enough to put one foot into the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup despite a slow start.   

Short of a Birmingham-style debacle at SJP next Thursday, the Belgians will follow representatives from Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Italy and Germany in falling by the wayside at our hands. 

And if that sounds like something that Stuart Hall would preside over, then that's perhaps not too far from the truth. Certainly this edition of Geordies Sans Frontieres had its moments of high farce, notably yet another outbreak of penalty-related bickering.

If Solano and Martins are short of ideas for a fancy dress party then they could go as The Chuckle Brothers. Their "to me, to you" act is rapidly wearing thin though, as the young Nigerian rascal perpetually plays his joker by nagging his Peruvian elder into letting him take the penalty.

Surely this can be sorted out in advance of a spot kick award? (A bit of "scissors, paper stone" when the teams are in the tunnel would be more professional than the current pantomime).

Suggestions that Damien Duff is wearing one of those oversized weeble costumes are somewhat harsh though - even if that was a more plausible explanation for his penalty area tumble than the intervention of the Waregem 'keeper.

Petty moans aside though, this routine victory against an under-strength side of part-timers (Waregem didn't have enough fit players to fill their bench) was achieved with something to spare.

Asked to play a more central holding role, Dyer was scarcely seen in the forward line before the break and we suffered as a result - although Martins missed what looked from the other end like a gimme in the closing stages. 

But with Sibierski coming to life after the break and both Duff and Dyer finding acres of space in which to work, a quick opening goal set the tone and banished thoughts of a repeat of the mundane opening 45 minutes.   

This was one of those occasions when we seemed more interested in combination play and inter-passing than trying our luck from distance, with the result that all of our goals stemmed directly or indirectly from action in the Waregem six yard box.

What response the Belgians could muster came from set pieces, with our defence justifying the decision to sign the onlooking Gooch (ineligible) and Harper once again looking skywards in frustration as another chance of a clean sheet went up in smoke.

Any potential blushes were saved though by Sib's late goal and the consequent two goal cushion that should kill the tie.     

A quick word about the Belgian police - paranoid - with our enforced post-match tour of Gent back streets flanked by riot police and vans overkill in the extreme. 

Some unkind (and geographically incorrect) references to the Maginot Line followed their blockading of a street and brainless positioning of their van - allowing many fans to walk unseen across somebody's lawn and avoid their "ring of steel." 

Other moments of humour included chants of "we can see you looking out" directed at curtain -twitching neighbours as we were led back to the station. Belgium must be really boring.

So, game eleven of a possible nineteen and we're still to meet either a decent side or one in form. 
On that basis our progression is both expected and demanded.

This phony war may come to an end in the near future, but not as quickly as next Thursday. 

There will come a time when we need the crowd to turn off their TVs and turn out to cheer their team on - but hopefully those who roll up for the second leg will be repaid with some goals to cheer, after a rather miserly return of six in five European home games thus far this season. 

Get your shooting boots on lads.

Biffa

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