It's now seven league games without defeat for United's reserve side, who ended their home programme with a victory at SJP on Monday, thanks to a brace from Andy Carroll.

The striker was one of a number of first team fringe players given pitch time in front of a watching Alan Shearer and put the Magpies ahead on 16 minutes, with a fierce 20 yard shot into the Leazes End net.

Xisco played his part in teeing up Andy, with credit also due to referee Geoff Eltringham, who let play continue when the Spaniard was fouled in the build-up.

City took the game to United as they looked for an early response and somehow avoided equalising on 21 minutes, when Tim Krul in the home goal was beaten as the ball came back off a post and looked goalbound - with a City player homing in to finish from point-blank range.

United defender Callum Morris managed to take a touch to keep the ball out of the goal and then clear. Krul was then called into action five minutes later, pulling off a good stop to keep out a Martin Petrov free kick.

However the visitors did level just after the half hour mark when Petrov crossed from the right for Benjani to muscle past Darren Lough and head in at the far post.

An open game that had shades of last week's 3-3 draw with Manchester United saw both sides looking to add to their tally, with Xisco blasting over the bar after good work down the right from James Tavernier in added time.

By then however United had been forced into a change, when Danny Guthrie left the field after taking a bang on the leg from United old boy Didi Hamann. However this was later confirmed as no more than precautionary.

With the rain coming down in the second half, United grabbed a second goal after 63 minutes, when substitute Jonny Godsmark and Nile Ranger combined to set Carroll away to crack the ball past 'keeper Richard Martin.

This time City were unable to threaten Krul's goal but kept the Newcastle defence busy through the pace of front duo David Ball and Vladimir Weiss - the latter who had netted in City's 3-0 win over us at Hyde back in January.

And after Martin had blocked another shot from Carroll as he looked to complete his hat trick, late efforts from Haris Vuckic and Tavernier weren't too far away from sealing another positive display by Richard Money's side. 

The win moves Newcastle into second spot in the table, five points behind the mackems - who now have two games in hand on us (we have only two games left).

Biffa

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