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Newcastle United	3 - 1	Southampton
Half time:	3 - 1
Score Sheet:
(24) Robert  (29) Shearer  (45pen) Shearer		Pahars (39)
	Teams
Given Hughes Distin Dabizas O'Brien Solano McClen Robert Speed Shearer Bellamy		Jones Dodd Lundekvam Williams Bridge Svensson Oakley Telfer Marsden Davies Pahars
Substitutes:
(76) Jenas for McClen (82) Elliott for Distin		Delap for Telfer (48) Tessem for Oakley (74)
Subs not used:
Ameobi Harper Acuna		Moss Monk Fernandes
Bookings:
None		Davies (67)
Sendings off:
None		None
Referee: Barry Knight (Orpington) - Only minor irritants and a debatable penalty awarded to us = no complaints.
Attendance: 51,857 most of whom stayed quiet during the silence for the departed Princess Margaret, with the exception of one (possibly inebriated) gentleman in the Leazes, who bellowed out "she was a waster, man!" Support from the crowd was good from the off, and the away fans barely raised a ripple of applause save when their goal went in. Jermaine Jenas was given a tremendous reception when he appeared, which one or two clever pundits tried to turn into a "Geordie unity" moment of fans praising not just the signing but the ambition of the club in buying young English talent.  Me? I just wanted to give the lad a welcoming cheer on his debut.

24 mins An outrageous free-kick from Laurent Robert from 33.1m (36 yards) according to ITV's measuring devices. No clever lay-offs or run-overs just a good old fashioned leathering that almost knocked off Paul Williams' head in the wall before dipping and swerving past a bemused Paul Jones in the Leazes End net. 1-0

29 mins A beautifully-flighted Nobby Solano corner from the Milburn/Leazes corner swung over for Alan Shearer to head through Jones' legs at the far post. 2-0

39 mins The ball squirmed across the six yard box and when Aaron Hughes failed to make contact Marian Pahars was on-hand to rifle in. 2-1

45 mins Craig Bellamy was sent tumbling by Klaus Lundekvam: perhaps a harsh decision but it was his challenge that caused Bellamy's fall and there was no contact with the ball. 

It probably would have been given as a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch. Alan Shearer sent Jones the wrong way.  3-1

Half time: Newcastle 3 Southampton 1

Full time: Newcastle 3 Southampton 1

Uncle Bobby said: 

"Whether we can do it or not I don't know. I don't think we can but what it will take - six matches at home, six matches away and if we win all 12 then we will win the title - it's as simple as that."

About Bellamy:

"I didn't think he would play any differently. He's been on fire and was again. He won us a penalty and that was crucial."

"I spoke to him today and asked: `Are you fine? Is your head alright?' I spent some time with him yesterday and the three other players involved as well.

"So we've cleared that up: today was all about football and nothing else, and Bellamy's application was brilliant."

"We have investigated it and the chairman will make a statement on Monday."

About Shearer and an England recall:

"He's outstanding. He could do the job, but his mind is made up. He won't change his mind in my opinion."

"He's a strong boy. He doesn't change decisions lightly, not major decisions anyway. He's happy doing what he's doing. He thinks he has done his stint. He was one of the heroes of a couple of seasons ago. I think he's quite settled into his life and he wants to leave it to the young people."

Shearer himself said:

"It's a great feeling being in the position we are in and we hope it can continue. If it doesn't it won't be from the want of trying. We said before last week's game at Bolton that it was very important to get six points from these two games. We are very pleased to get six points and we are very pleased with where we are.

"I think you can see how much we want to win the league by the way that we play and we are desperate to bring some silverware to the club.

"This side isn't as good as the one I came into in 1996 but it will be."

(after the events of the previous week and the subsequent newspaper nonsense, none of the other players made themselves available for questioning, sorry, interviews.)

A remarkably calm Gordon Strachan said 

"In the second half they were very good and ran out comfortable winners in the end.

"We were not as good as them with our final pass or finish. Our build up play was, at times, very good and we got into some great positions to cross the ball but we didn't have an end product."

On the ITV Premiership programme wee Gordon told the interviewer he had no interest and in and nothing to say about us, so we'll give him short shrift here....

Alan Shearer's first goal was our 50th league goal of the season and we've now bagged 13 in our last four games.

His brace makes it 12 in 12 games - his equal most prolific spell at the club, matching the 12 in 12 which started on the 30th September 1996. He now has 112 United goals - just one short of Tommy McDonald and Bobby Mitchell's totals who lie equal sixth in the United all-time goal-getters list.

In terms of league goals only he now has 84 to his name, and moved ahead in the toon scorers list, passing Pop Robson and George Robledo (both on 82 goals.) Future targets: Supermac notched 95, Beardsley 108, White 142, and Milburn 177.

Laurent Robert has now scored six for us - just one short of David Ginola's Toon total. Laurent now has another 48 games to match his compatriot.... His spectacular goal was our 100th against the Saints in the league. 

Jermaine Jenas became the 94th player to represent Newcastle in the Premiership and the fifth debutant this season, not counting 2nd time around Robbie Elliott.  

Twelve to go then, six on our own patch and six on the road, and the pulse is quickening.

As uncle Bobby says, our destiny is in our own hands; a dozen victories giving us that ugly but oh-so coveted trophy. However, barring a sensational finale, that ain't going to happen, so we have to resort to that old adage about taking one game at a time.

That being the case, this victory over Southampton was a mostly good performance against a side with a proven capability to embarrass the upwardly mobile, at least since wee Gordon took up the reins from bumbling Stuart Grey and that Wadsworth bloke.

We saw an expensive Frenchman apply brute force and talent to a stationary object to great effect, and an old(ish) favourite supply two of his party pieces: a charging header and a spot kick. All over the pitch players did good things, the crowd sang, the points were gained and the gaffer jutted out his jaw and spoke with pride to the cameras.

A note of realism was injected though as the teams left the field, when the PA confirmed that Liverpool had posted a cricket score in Suffolk to head the table. Even that though could be seen to have an instant impact in our favour, as the TV and press went into Scouse overdrive and praised the reds to the skies. 

Of course, Sunday victories for Manchester United and Arsenal further diverted attention from the black and whites. Another week thus passes into history, and we're still there, or thereabouts as footballers are taught to say from an early age.

The daft thing is that on another day we could have bagged half a dozen ourselves against a lukewarm Saints, but equally could have fallen for the sucker punch that Pahars twice nearly landed on target in the closing stages. 

Either of those would have made the score 3-2, but given our current mood we would surely have kept plugging away up front and landed a fourth rather than thrown away two points. Thankfully we didn't have to find out.

Southampton had opened the match brightly, and in keeping with their coastal location had caused us one or two problems when flighting balls down the channel. Things were fairly even in the opening exchanges, although our momentum was building towards a goal, which thankfully arrived right on cue.

Once ahead, we kept looking for goals and they just kept coming, the opposition seemingly powerless to do anything about it. Halftime came and went and we seemed in similar mood, with Craig Bellamy shaving a post after Sylvain Distin had galloped down the left and sent over a fabulous cross (we also saw the French defender reveal a sizeable range when taking a throw-in, a handy thing to have in our locker.)

Gradually however, the game drifted towards a conclusion with no further scoring, most interest being whether Shearer could complete his hat trick, Bellamy end his week with a goal or new boy JJ  mark his debut with a strike. None of these things happened.

Our ninth home win in ten games then, and as vital as all the others in keeping our spot in the pack at the top. It now looks as if Leeds and Chelsea have dropped back outside a medal place, but they could both have immense spoiling value in their remaining fixtures, even if they are incapable of forcing their way back into the reckoning.

We now have the televised "This is your Life" Cup game, when familiar figures from the last 20 years of Gallowgate history make an "emotional" return to their old stamping grounds. While most attention will of course focus on Kevin Keegan, the presence of Steve Howey in the side and Arthur Cox in the background make it a real one-off.

It's a measure though of our progress and re-jigged priorities though that this game and the one on Wearside the following Sunday now come into the category of sideshow. 

Of course it would be simply splendid to stuff City and pick up a plum draw in the Sixth round (i.e. not Chelsea away) and the local importance of beating those hillbilly banjo players down the road can never be underestimated. 

The fact is though, that for Championship and Champions League matters, the visit of Arsenal and the trip to Anfield are of greater importance than beating sewpa Kev and the monkeyman. If we can avoid giving points to the Gunners and the reds then the last weeks of the season promise great things. 

They both face European tests in the coming weeks, and have to combat that recurring problem of poor Premiership performances immediately before and after those ties, as well as the inevitable injury scares and international commitments. Absences through indiscipline of course threaten to blow Wenger's bandwagon off the track.

If on the other hand we succumb to our rivals, we'd still be eminently capable of taking a Champions League spot. So convoluted is the title race that even the mackems could play a major role, stopping the title march of Arsenal and Liverpool and catch-up attempts of Leeds and Chelsea. 

Now that would be sweet, our wearside brethren rolling out the red carpet to the big league, just for us.

Biffa
 
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