Tommy Craig's Reserves shook off their Gateshead Stadium nightmares with a second successive win at Kingston Park. United only won once across the Tyne with four players also receiving red cards in games at Gateshead. 

Ex-Newcastle junior Bob Taylor almost gave the visitors the lead with a shot that went just wide after nine minutes. Two minutes later LuaLua hit a rasping left-foot shot from the edge of the box to open the scoring.

After 22 minutes a rare LuaLua header from an Elliott cross was just tipped clear for a corner from which LuaLua hit a shot from ten yards that almost disappeared out of the ground.

Two minutes later the Baggies equalised when Jordao seized on a poor pass, jinked round two back-pedalling defenders before placing a low shot to Harper's right.

After 27 minutes LuaLua almost restored our advantage - crashing a volley narrowly wide and then four minutes later he crossed for Ameobi who fluffed the chance.

A minute before half time Elliott tried a graceful lob that the keeper just got to. Chopra took the resultant corner which diverted in off Bob Taylor, with Balis on the line jumping in vain - the Horden-born veteran finally notching a Newcastle goal!

Two minutes after the restart we increased the lead when Chopra emulated our first goal, with a fine finish from an Elliott through ball.

Clarence Acuņa grabbed our fourth after 54 minutes. Elliott won the ball down the left hand side and tried to go it alone. Eventually he played the ball out to Brennan on the right and when it was crossed Acuņa had a point blank shot saved. Ameobi then tried to walk in the rebound and failed but the ball bounced up for Acuņa to finally nod in.

It was 5-1 after 61 minutes when an Orr pass was taken by Chopra and after some trickery he managed to bamboozle the defender and keeper to fire into an empty net.

Chopra tried for his hat-trick with a shot that just went over with ten minutes remaining, but looked far happier once restored to his rightful central attacking role, rather than a right wing midfield position that just hasn't suited him.

We could have had more goals, with Kerr blasting two just wide and Shola getting his feet tangled up in the first half, but the scoreline reflected our superiority.

And as one bystander muttered, Gary Megson would probably have taken our reserve side from this game and chucked them wholesale into his first team - even within one league the gap in quality gets bigger by the season.