Newcastle United pre-season frendliests have been in plus-minus shows us of what our new season would be. We started with a 4-1 win and end it with another win, with series of defeats and one draw in between.
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Mike Ashley was seen wearing the new purple away shirt with Coloccini’s name on the back, with the player himself, a £9.5m switch to St James’s Park, also present in the directors’ box.
United in silver, our third away shirt, having an early attacking attempt from the visitors who are with their full Spanish Internationals who win the Euro 2008. But, it was Gutierrez that sparks life into the crowd as he accelerates through the midway inside the opposition half before being fouled by the trailing Baraja.
Strike partners for United last night, Martins and Duff combine well with both having couple of good chance to break the score in the first-half but it’s the visitors who took their chance in goal in 38 minutes.
Moretti’s lofted forward ball and Joaquin who unmarked goes for the ball in the penalty area and does well to finish in one swift movement low past Given from 10 yards out.
In the second-half Keegan introduced Alan “Sold-or-Not” Smith to replace Martins as the answer to the visitor’s Euro 2008 top scorer David Villa. And as predicted, Smudge has been given a very “warm” welcome by the Toon crowds.
Villa was quickly move into action as soon as entering the field with a moment of danger for us when Angulo finds him inside the area after pulled away from our defenders. Lucky for us, his right-footed drive smashes into the side-netting.
Newcastle finally got the game into level thanks to Gutierrez’s industry. His tremendous work wins a corner on the right. Guthrie delivers and found Damien Duff who has drifted in unmarked to power a header beyond a static Hildebrand.
The goal has lifted the lads, and they marching on to find the winner. James Milner have couple of chances to give us the lead before finally found the net in the injury time. Again, it was Gutierrez‘s cross that meet Taylor’s header but his effort come back off the post into the path of Milner who smash it back in for goal.
Newcastle United FC:
Shay Given, Habib Beye, Charles N’Zogbia, Claudio Cacapa, Steven Taylor, Nicky Butt, Danny Guthrie, James Milner, Jonas Gutierrez, Damien Duff, Oba Martins
Subs: Jose Enrique, Alan Smith, Geremi, David Edgar, Fraser Forster, Kazenga LuaLua, Sebastien Bassong
Valencia CF:
Timo Hilderbrand, Raul Albiol, David Albelda, Ruben Baraja, Fernando Morientes, Vicente, Ivan Helguera, Joaquin, David Silva, Miguel, Emiliano Moretti
Subs: David Navarro, David Villa, Miguel Angulo, Pablo Dominguez, Manuel Fernandes, Vicente Panadero, Juan Manuel Garcia, Javier Arizmendi, Alexis Ruano, Edu, Nikola Zigic
Referee: Uriah Rennie
Attendance: 31, 494