Full time: Shamrock 0 Newcastle 3

Chris Hughton commented:

"I do not sense any frustration among the players yet, probably because we had the first week at the training ground and then we have been in Dublin. The first four days were in Newcastle but that is usually quite a good time because they are catching up with each other, telling stories and it is normally quite a good time for the players. 

"Then it has helped coming away here because we are away from Newcastle and we have been in a very, very good training complex where we have been shielded away from everything else. But I accept that might change from Monday once we are back in Newcastle.

"It will be a tough season in a tough league and the aim has to be to come up straight away and whoever is in charge, that will be their aim. I am getting on with the job in hand and if there are other things going on, I am not aware of them. From reading the speculation, there is plenty of interest at this stage. 

"I have worked with Alan (Shearer) towards the end of the season and I have spoken to him about the structure we have in place for pre-season regarding games which were organised by Alan, but we have not talked about anything else. We would all like the situation to be resolved as soon as possible but the players have to get on with it and they know that.

"We don’t know anything, other than that there are groups interested. We’re just getting on with our job, which is training up a group of players so they are ready for the start of the season.

“We don’t know whether that’s for one day or three days, one week or three weeks, but for as long as it lasts we’ll be doing it to the best of our abilities. We hope to hear something. But we’re the same as yesterday and the day before that – just waiting.”

There may be no new owner, no chairman, no manager and no new faces, but United at least managed to avoid the ignominy of losing their opening pre-season fixture, thanks to second half strikes from Steven Taylor, Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger at a damp Tallaght Stadium.

Having played a League of Ireland fixture on the Friday night (winning 2-1 at Bray), former Magpie Michael O'Neill relied on a second-choice XI for Saturday afternoon's kickabout, with a clutch of reserve players joined by trialists.

Goalless at the interval, Rovers had been first to show when Steve Harper was called into action in the opening seconds. After that though, the action was mostly at the other end, Beye, Nolan and Duff trying their luck with varying degrees of proficiency.

Fielding a completely different XI after the break and with the threatened rain finally starting to come down, Ryan Taylor quickly tested Rovers 'keeper Andy McNeil with a free kick.

And within five minutes, the away fans clad in free orange rainjackets and occupying uncovered temporary seating had a goal to celebrate - although nobody was as excited as the scorer, Steven Taylor. The defender latched on to a Kazenga LuaLua shot spilled by the Rovers keeper and side-footed home. 

Rovers wasted a golden chance to equalise when Pavol Jurco missed an open goal after Tim Krul had kicked fresh air following a Ryan Taylor backpass. The striker could only hit the post from a narrow angle but should have found the unattended goal with 13 minutes remaining. 

Ameobi then went on a mazy run in the penalty area before his shot from 12 yards deflected into the roof of the net on 88 minutes. And Ranger completed the scoring within a minute, having just come back on for LuaLua, after McNeil had blocked a Shola shot, side-footing into the empty net from 25 yards.
 
Biffa