Watford 1 - Newcastle 1
Så var säsong 06/07 äntligen slut. Men även om man vill lägga den här säsongen snabbt bakom sig så hade man ju hoppats på ett roligare slut än 1-1 borta mot jumbon Watford.
Nigel Pearson första och sista match som huvudtränare bjöd på många överraskande spelarändringar jämfört med Glenn Roeder´s sista hemma mot Blackburn.
Shay Given var åter frisk och kunde ta tillbaka sina utlånade målvaktshandskar från Steve Harper. I backlinjen bytes Titus Bramble och Oguchi Onyewu ut mot Geordierna Steven Taylor och Peter Ramage. Ut gick även Obafemi Martins och Scott Parker. Ersatte gjorde Shola Ameobi och Matty Pattison.
På grund av min lathet och min ovana av att skriva matchrapporter (=P) så kommer, saxat, från Newcastles officiella hemsida det bästa som hände i matchen, baklänges, så blunda när ni skrollar ner=)
90+3min - Alec Chamberlain replaces Ben Foster, the young keeper receving a standing ovation in what will be his last game for the club before returning to Man Utd after a year long loan spell.
90+1min - Shittu slices his clearance behind for a corner after Milner had pumped a ball forward for Dyer to chase. Milner's cross is met by Doyley and Watford again clear the danger.
89min - Lee Williamson goes close to handing Aidy Boothroyd's side a final day victory with a 25-yard volley, but like Rinaldi's effort earlier it is always curling away from the target and drfits behind for a goal-kick.
87min - Theo Robinson replaces Tommy Smith.
86min - Nicky Butt has a great chance to win it when Ramage's right-wing cross finds him unmarked on the penalty spot, the midfielder tries to direct his header goalwards but merely glances the ball onto team-mate Kieron Dyer and the pair exchange bemused glances as Watford clear.
84min - Onyewu's long-throw is headed behind by Shittu, but again United fail to create anything from the corner and Watford easily clear at the far post.
78min - The Magpies move quickly upfield and Dyer is toppled over on the angle of the area for a United free-kick. Taylor is backpedalling to get on the end of Milner's set-piece and only succeeds in preventing the ball going behind for a goal-kick.
78min - Rinaldi has the home crowd on their feet with a 30 yard effort, but it's always curling away from goal and Given watches safely behind.
75min - Steven Taylor doesn't allow Marlon King any room on the right touchline and charges down his centre for a Hornets corner. Ramage heads away Stewart's deep delivery.
73min - Alan O'Brien is booked for failing to retreat 10 yards from a Watford free-kick.
72min - Stewart flicks Doyley's throw into the path of the onrunning Rinaldi as he bursts into United's penalty area, Pattison slides to direct the Watford winger's cross over the touchline for a corner. The Hornets quickly work it short for Tommy Smith who cuts in from the right, and with the Watford fans screaming 'shoot' the wide midfielder sends a 25-yard effort just inches over the crossbar and was close to giving the hosts the lead.
67min - The corner is eventually taken and Onyewu flashes a header wide at the near post from Milner's flag-kick.
66min - It is enough to see Owen stretchered from play to be replaced by Alan O'Brien.
64min - Nicky Butt runs onto a loose ball 25 yards from goal after Owen's dummy, his shot is deflected behind by Shittu for a corner. Owen is left in a heap after a collision with team-mate Matty Pattison and receives treatment from Derek Wright. It looks like Owen might be a bit dazed.
61min - Big Andy Carroll comes on to replace Shola Ameobi.
60min - Ramage has switched to right-back and it is he and Milner who work space down the wing, Milner's cross being charged behind by Stewart. The winger's centre is headed clear amid a crowd of bodies on the penalty spot.
58min - Solano hobbles from play to be replaced by Oguchi Onyewu.
55min - Darius Henderson replaces Will Hoskins.
55min - There's another shout for a Watford penalty as Steven Taylor stoops to chest behind Smith's fierce, goalward drive but Styles waves away the handball protests. Shittu is penalised for pushing from the resulting corner.
52min- WATFORD GOAL: (1-1) The Hornets break from Owen's chance and Nicky Butt is harshly adjudged to have handballed when charging down Rinaldi's centre, the United midifielder having no room to get out of the way and he is booked for dissent. Marlon King steps up to side-foot home as Given guesses the wrong way and Aidy Boothroyd's side are level in rather controversial circumstances.
50min - Ameobi dribbles into the Hornets' penalty area and Shittu is forced to making a sliding challenge with the striker poised to shoot and the ball runs free for a throw-in right bu the left-hand corner flag. Milner works the throw short to Carr and he crosses first time, the ball looks to have fallen right at the feet of Michael Owen but it skids underneath his foot just eight yards from goal and out for a goal kick.
45+1min - Steven Taylor does superbly well to trap Tommy Smith's goalward header with the outside of his boot before heading clear and the defender's name rings out among the Toon Army before Rob Styles blows for half-time.
39min - Bangura is next to see yellow for a foul on Ameobi.
37min- The Hornets are quick to break and hesitancy in the United defence almost hands Watford an equaliser as Rinaldi's cross is not cut out by either Milner or Solano allowing Smith to shoot at the far post, he gets underneath the ball and skies high into the stand, much to the home crowd's derision.
37min - Solano and Dyer almost combine once more for a United second, but this time Nobby's throughball skids away off the wet surface and through to Foster.
33min - King tustles with Ramage 30 yards from goal and manages to get away from the United centre-back, King takes the ball forward but his cross is cleared by Solano who had read the delivery.
29min - NEWCASTLE GOAL (0-1): Nobby Solano finds space midway inside Watford's half after receiving a pass from Kieron Dyer, the Magpies midfielder continues his run in behind the hosts' defence and is found with a made to measure pass from the Peruvian, Doyley tries his best to intercept but Dyer is able to slip the ball under the on-rushing Ben Foster from 10 yards out to hand the Magpies the lead.
20min - It's another flag-kick for the hosts and Taylor heads behind Stewart's centre for a corner on the opposite flank. It's worked short for Mariappa and this time it's Ramage who slides to force behind his cross for a third successive corner. At last there is some relief for the Magpies as Given plucks Stewart's centre from the air inside his six-yard-box. The Irish stopper releases Kieron Dyer as he runs at a beckpedalling home defence, Dyer is tugged back Williamson whilst in full flight and the Watford midfielder is shown a yellow card. Milner's deep free-kick is headed behind by Shittu for United's first corner. Milner's flag-kick is met by Ameobi at the far post but his header is blocked inside the six-yard-box and, despite Michael Owen's attempts to force the ball home the Hornets clear. Young striker Hoskins picks up the loose ball but is brought down by Solano for which the Peruvian enters the referee's book.
19min - Ameobi enter Rob Styles' notebook as he catches Danny Shittu with a flailing arm, the United striker picks his opponent from the ground and the pair shake hands.
16min - It's the first flag-kick of the afternoon and it's gone Watford's way. Stewart's low centre is met by Milner at the near post but he can only half-clear, the Hornets have another corner on the opposite flank as Ramage is forced to hack behind Mariappa's cross. This time Stewart's corner has far too much on it and clears the packed penalty area.
14min - Bangura is penalised for a dangerous, sliding challenge on Milner midway inside Watford's half. It is Milner who picks himself to deliver a whipped free-kick, and it looks as if an unmarked Michael Owen is about to head his first of the season but Foster clasps the ball from the striker's forehead eight yards out.
11min - Williamson does brilliantly to get away from Ameobi on halfway and he feeds King 35 yards from goal, the forward spins and shoots goalwards but the wet conditions play their part as King slices well wide when really he should have found the target.
8min - After that early spell of Watford pressure the Magpies have really seized control of the game, Butt and Dyer enjoying a lot of possession in the centre of the park. And it is Butt who works the ball out wide for Solano, the Peruvian's cross has too much on it with Owen and Ameobi arriving in the area and Watford are able to clear.
2min - The danger is not fully cleared and King manages to get away along the United by-line, with a number of options queing up inside the penalty area the forward pulls back for Mariappa, but his effort is sliced and easily clears Given's crossbar from 12 yards out.
1min - Shay Given is called into action almost from the off as he is forced to rush from his line to plam Al Bangura's centre away from the head of Marlon King.
Kommentar
Kanske inte helt överraskande så var intresset för matchen inte överväldigt så det enda sättet att följa matchen var via klubbens radio. Av den kunde man ganska lätt få ut att vi inte direkt rosade marknaden in matchen. Utan att säga för mycket så verkade det som om Watford var närmast segern efter deras 1-1 mål, som enligt kommentatorerna aldrig skulle varit någon straff.
Matchen var helt enkelt en i raden katastrof dåliga matcher, och för er som måste veta så avslutade vi säsong 06/07 med 2 vinster på 11 matcher!!!
Matchens utropstecken
Trots 2 vinster på 11 matcher. Trots att matchen inte betydde något så fanns de där för att stötta sitt lag. Toon Army är bara de bästa fansen som finns!
Matchens frågetecken
Lagets moral. Vad håller på att hända? Spelare vägrar att följa med för att de inte får spela. Butt går dagen efter matchen ut och säger att det finns spelare som inte ger allt för klubben. Nästa tränare (troligen Sam Allardyce) har mycket att göra inför nästa säsong.
Newcastles tre bästa (enligt SkySports)
1) Shay Given – ” Steady”
2) Steven Taylor – “ Powerful presence”
3) Nicky Butt – “ Battled hard all afternoon and unfortunate with handball”
Matchfakta
Watford- Newcastle 1-1 (0-1)
Mål Watford: King (52 straff), Newcastle: Dyer (29)
Gula kort Watford: Rinaldi, Bangura
Gult kort Newcastle: Ameobi, Solano, Butt, O´Brien
Publiksiffra: -
Domare: Rob Styles
Newcastle: Shay Given, Nolberto Solano (Oguchi Onyewu 59), Steven Taylor, Stephen Carr, Peter Ramage, James Milner, Nicky Butt, Kieron Dyer, Matty Pattison, Shola Ameobi (Andy Carroll 62), Michael Owen (Alan O'Brien 67)
Ej använda: Steve Harper, Paul Huntington
Watford: Ben Foster (Alec Chamberlain 93), Jordan Stewart, Danny Shittu, Lloyd Doyley, Adrian Mariappa, Lee Williamson, Alhassan Bangura, Tommy Smith (Theo Robinson 87), Douglas Rinaldi, Marlon King, Will Hoskins (Darius Henderson 56)
Ej använda: James Chambers, Clark Carlisle
Källor:
www.skysports.com
www.nufc.co.uk
Se länktips för Sky Sports spelarbetyg.
