Season 2007-2008

NEWCASTLE UNITED

2 v 2

DERBY COUNTY

Giles Barnes 6
Kenny Miller 52

Derby: Bywater, Moore, Lewis (Fagan 77), McEveley, Leacock, Mears, Teale (Feilhaber 81), Pearson, Barnes, Howard, Miller

Subs Not Used: Price, Holmes, Earnshaw
 

Post Match Comments:

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce:
"We're very disappointed but we're on a run because we're undefeated.  We should have beaten Derby and it is our own fault - all of us together - that we didn't. "We know we should have won this game but we haven't lost it and now we have to go forward with our undefeated run."

Derby boss Paul Jewell:
"It's always disappointing when you lose a goal so late, particularly such a poor goal as well. There's disappointment we didn't win but a lot of positives. I'm pleased with a lot of aspects of how we played. There's a lot of hard work ahead but I'm starting to see improvement. If we do get relegated we want to go down with dignity."

With 2 wins on the trot hopes where high that we’d get revenge for the only league win Derby has managed this season. Pre match score predictions ranged from the fairly negative 1 – 0 win for the Toon to the bordering on crazy 8 nil thrashing we’d give them.  Nobody dreamt that anything other than a win was on the cards.

6 minutes in it all went Pete Tong. Barnes scored a soft goal in front of the Gallowgate and Derby’s impressive away support went nuts.

That would be the only shot on goal Derby would have in the first 45 as they found themselves unable to get out of their own half.  It took another 20 mins of relentless, but some how lacking in any sort of imagination, Toon pressure before Alan Smith, in the middle of a huge pagga with most of Derby’s defence, managed to scramble the ball to Viduka, who had all the time in the world to smash it past the flailing Bywater.

Derby’s fan went nuts again, the coppers piled in and it made for an entertaining last 15 mins of the half, as we waved off their chavs.

The team talk must have shaking our players as they started with suicidal tactics of pushing everyone forward, except for Rozehnal, who ran away from Kenny Miller and allowed them to score their second soft goal of the afternoon.

Again we where going to spend another half chasing for a goal, except this time all the ideas had vanished and it was a near stalemate in the middle of the park.  Our biggest threat of the first half was Zogs brilliant runs from our own half, but he was no longer getting the ball and it was leaving our front two with very little supply.  The frustration started to show as Butt and Barton started lashing out at the opposition players, but this in no way matched the frustration of the crowd, who started shouting at ball boys for not getting the ball back into play quick enough.

Viduka’s only constructive bit of football of the half thankfully resulted in his second goal of the game, it was another soft goal as Derby’s defence gave just seemed to part and give him an early xmas prezzie.

5 mins later the ref blew for the end of the game and the visiting fans cheers where drowned out by the boos.
 

AUSSIE MAGS By Rogue Pieman