Aussie Mags - Newcastle Utd v Middlesbrough

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	Barclays Premiership - Match 25
	Season 2007-2008

	NEWCASTLE UNITED	1 v 1	MIDDLESBROUGH
	Michael Owen 60		Robert Huth 87


	Date:	Sunday 3rd February 2008
	Venue:	St James' Park
	Kick Off:	12:30pm (BST)
	Australian Live TV:	Foxsports 1
	Attendance:	51,105
	Referee:	Mike Dean


	Newcastle: Given, Carr, Taylor, Cacapa, N'Zogbia, Duff, Barton, Butt, Emre (Milner 65), Owen, Smith (Viduka 66) Subs Not Used: Forster, Ameobi, Edgar
	Booked: Smith

	Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Young, Wheater, Huth, Pogatetz, O'Neil, Rochemback (Johnson 80), Cattermole (Lee 71), Arca, Downing, Aliadiere Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Boateng, Grounds
	Booked: Wheater, Aliadiere, Rochemback, O'Neil

Post Match Comments:

Kevin Keegan:
I couldn't see anything wrong at all with the first goal that Michael got - I thought Schwarzer just dropped it. And the goal that they got was definitely offside - there's no doubt about it in my mind. There were two men in an offside position.

But they are the things that tend to go against you when you are at the bottom, and we can't change it.

I thought we did enough to win the game. We got a good goal from a good delivery from Emre - that's what he does best - but then they threw things at us and caused us a few problems. We probably did get exposed a few times but we had chances to kill the game off as well.

It was ebbing and flowing at the end. We would have preferred to close the game down, but we weren't able to. I'm not sure we can close a game out at the moment.

The character of the side was excellent, though - we were three minutes away from holding on to getting three points that we just about deserved."

Michael Owen:
"It was frustrating not to win. The first half was poor, for both sides really. I didn't feel as though I pushed him too hard. It is a contact sport. It was frustrating to get that chalked off and not to get the win. One thing I will always do is work hard for the team."

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate:
"These things even out. I didn't think Luke Young's tackle was a foul in the build-up to the Newcastle goal. People tell me there wasn't much of a foul on the keeper, but it might have been given for something else.

However, things definitely even out - I still think we deserved what we got. I think we were good value for at least a point.

First half we felt we might have been able to frustrate them a bit, keep things tight and break quickly, and we could cause them some problems. Second half we were prepared to go forward and we made some cracking chances to get in the lead.

We were disappointed with the goal we conceded - Michael Owen is a fantastic player but when someone of his height gets in among the giants and scores with a header it's disappointing.

We were celebrating what we thought was a winning goal while Newcastle were running down the other end looking for a winner of their own"

Match Report:

Michael Owen scored the 1^st goal of the new Kevin Keegan era as we drew 1-1 at home to Middlesbrough.

Owen’s 60 minute header from an Emre free-kick looked to be enough for all 3 points but a late lopping Robert Huth header levelled things for the Smoggies in the 87^th minute.

However, the game could well have been all over by then if Mike Dean hadn’t incorrectly ruled a foul on Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer in the 4^th minute. Michael Owen pounced to poke the ball over the line from an in swinging Emre corner, after Schwarzer clearly dropped the ball with no foul committed.

It would have been the dream start both Keegan and the fans wanted but sadly things aren’t quite going according to the script so far.

We were undoubtedly the more ambitious team in the first-half, with Boro packing the midfield in an attempt to stifle our attacking play. We managed 8 corners and a high percentage of the possession, without really creating many clear cut chances. At the back we looked comfortable enough with any Boro threat, despite an edgy looking Cacapa.

In the second half however, it was Boro who created the first opening after the break, but Gary O'Neil's shot was blocked. Shay Given then made a double save from Stewart Downing and O'Neil as Boro finally tried to take the game to us.

Not long after though it was Michael Owen who opened the scoring. A teasing left wing Emre free-kick saw Owen jump superbly above the defenders to head home a fine goal. A goal any tall striker would have been proud of.

Boro won’t down though as they still ploughed forward. O'Neil turned Claudio Cacapa inside and outside before shooting low across the goal. However, Cacapa made amends soon after making a brilliant covering tackle with Jeremie Aliadiere lurking after Shay Given had parried a David Wheater shot.

Mark Viduka, James Milner and Michael Owen all had chances to score a second but fail to capitalise on their openings.

Three minutes from time and Robert Huth scored the equaliser to dampen the celebrations inside St James Park.

It could have been far worse. A few minutes later a superb Stewart Downing free-kick struck off the post and Aliadiere smashed home the rebound. Thankfully Aliadiere was correctly adjudged offside but it was a marginal decision which could have quite easily gone the other way.

We all agree Keegan has a long way to go to turn this football club around but we are starting to see some signs of improvement on the pitch and with the appointment of the 3 new board members, we at least now know the direction the club wants to go.

At this point I think it’s worth mentioning that since the arrival of Kevin Keegan at St James Park the press have become self obsessed about everything Black & White. We’ve seen more column inches and internet blogs than ever filled with people’s 2 cents worth about our football club. 99% of them have negative or patronising, you can feel them willing us to fail again. It almost appears these journalists would be out of job if it wasn’t for Newcastle United, are we the only club in the Premiership worth talking about?

I tell you something, if (hopefully when) Keegan turns us around, we’ll remember all these patronising folk down south and we will take great pleasure in sticking two very big fingers up at them!

AUSSIE MAGS