Source: SKY_Sports
Hull v Newcastle live!
78 Dangerous from Jose Enrique as he plays a square pass along hsi own back four. He gets away with it, but only just. As the Magpies break, Geremi sends a low effort skidding well past the upright.[LNB]76 Ameobi wins a corner off Ricketts. What can Newcastle make of this? Answer: Nothing. Ryan Taylor plays it short to Gutierrez and he slices well wide.[LNB]75 Another Magpies change sees Ryan Taylor come on in place of Smith.[LNB]74 Garcia almost benefits from a hopeful punt forward. However, he can't take a bouncing ball under his spell and Coloccini is on hand to hammer clear.[LNB]73 Owen heads off and Ameobi enters the fray.[LNB]73 Garcia and Bassong tussle as they head towards the Newcastle goal. The Hull man eventually concedes a free-kick.[LNB]72 Corner to Hull from the right. Kilbane drops it into a dangerous area and Harper needs two efforts to take it in.[LNB]71 Second change by Phil Brown sees Garcia come on in place of Fagan.[LNB]70 Corner to Newcastle as Gardner hacks a Gutierrez cross behind. Hull see the resulting set-piece to safety.[LNB]69 Good work by Coloccini as he easiy sees off the threat of Manucho. The Argentine centre-half has had an up and down afternoon.[LNB]68 Hull try to fire a couple of crosses into the box, but on both occasions they are foiled. Meanwhile, Ashbee is fortunate to escape a 10th booking of the season as he dives in on Owen.[LNB]67 Wild effort from Smith as he flashes a 25-yard drive high, wide and handsome. Hughton is off the bench and asking for a higher intensity from his team.[LNB]66 Awful ball from Mendy as he beats the offiside trap and escapes in on goal. He has Manucho in support but only picks out the arms of Harper. Groans all around the KC.[LNB]65 Action on the Magpies bench as Lovenkrands loosens up. Is the afternoon almost upfor Owen?[LNB]64 Martins somehow sneaks through Ricketts and Turner and stabs an effort narrowly wide. No-one in the Hull defence took control of the situation and they were almost made to pay. Difficult chance, but another warning to the Tigers.[LNB]63 Fagan is a lucky boy as he clatters into Bassong and escapes a second booking. It wasn't a clever tackle and is fortunate to still be on the pitch. He gets a ticking off from Webb, but that is it.[LNB]62 Fagan and Mendy get in other's way on the right with Hull in a promising position. Still all a bit scrappy. The crowd are in good voice though![LNB]60 Another fine opportunity for Newcastle falls to Gutierrez. He ghosts in at the far post, latches onto a ball left by Owen, but curls well over the top.[LNB]60 Newcastle take four attempts to clear their lines as Hull pepper their box with crosses and snap shots.[LNB]59 Smith and Geovanni come to blows, with the midfield battle as combative as ever. The Newcastle man has already been booked, though, and must watch his step.[LNB]58 End-to-end stuff as Manucho leads a counter attack and drills into the midrift of Harper. He spins past Coloccini with ease, but was falling as he shot.[LNB]57 Bassong climbs highest to meet a Geremi free-kick and nods down to Martins. He tries a spectaculr volley, but Turner gets in a crucial block.[LNB]56 Martins breaks in behind, but play is pulled back for a foul by Zayatte on Owen. He was late and is rightly carded.[LNB]55 Cousin makes way for Manucho. Not really a surprise.[LNB]54 Gutierrez squeezes a ball across from the by-line. Unfortunately for him, Mendy's deflection takes the pass away from Owen.[LNB]53 At last a decent delivery from Geremi. He swings a free-kick into the heart of the box and is unluky not to find a Toon head. Duke collects at the back post, but his defence was all at sea for a minute there.[LNB]52 Stop-start so far in the second half. Little flow to the game, but the first half imporved as it progressed.[LNB]51 Fagan is flagged offside on this occasion. Newcastle are playing a high line and are pushing their luck. The hosts will get in right in the end and they will be away.[LNB]50 Ashbee continues to bite into tackles. He is doing a vital job becasue he is stopping Owen and Martins seeing any of the ball.[LNB]48 Smith sees yellow for a late lunge on Geovanni.[LNB]48 Gutierrez, who has been quite, is stopped in his tracks as he looks to burst down the left.[LNB]47 Sloppy from Cousin as he stands in an offside position when looking right along the line. He would have been clear had he held his run.[LNB] Mention to Mark Evans, who believes Lovenkrands and Duff can step off the bench and inspire a 3-1 away win. Let's see![LNB] Newcastle get us up and running once more.[LNB] Bear with me here. In replay to Tom in Ireland, Owen has not looked at his best, but has had little to work with. A few irrate Magpies supporters want Geremi hauled off - and i can't blame them! Max in Finland is going 4-1 Newcastle, David Bennett wants to see Shola Ameobi second half and Carl Greig is standing by his Tigers and backing them to prevail 2-1. Phew, sit back and breath!![LNB] Quick run through the emails. Ian in Bahrain fears Newcastle may succomb to the drop this season, Nick Simpson sees the Magpies shipping out their dead wood over the summer and coming back stronger, while Norman is backing the hosts to win 3-1. Very optimistic![LNB] You can also bet inplay at skybet.com. Both sides are now 19/10 to take the points. The draw is 11/8. Geovanni is 10/1 to get the next goal, with Owen available at 13/2.[LNB] Hull 1 Newcastle 1. All square at the interval and all to play for after the break. Remember you can air your opinions throughout the game by contacting me direct at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com.[LNB]45+2 Last chance of the half falls to Fagan as he sends a bicycle kick spinning over the top. Great skill, shame he couldn't control the effort.[LNB]45+1 Coloccini is turned far too easily by Cousin and hauls the Frenchman to the ground. He was the last man but it was wide on the halfway line.[LNB]45 Two minutes of stoppage time to be played.[LNB]44 Dreadful from Cousin as he gets caught in two minds. He sneaks in behind Coloccini, but then provides neither a shot nor a cross and concedes a goal kick.[LNB]43 Smith attempts to free Gutierrez and sees his pass cannon off Webb's head. Fortunately for the ref he is saved by a poor challenge from Ashbee as Hull look to benefit from their good fortune.[LNB]42 Mendy thinks he has found acres of space on the right wing, but is pulled back by a flag. He was well off and can have no complaints - but he does![LNB]41 What will that do to Hull's confidence? Can they bounce back and nudge ahead once more or will the Magpies take heart from a first half in which they have largely struggled but look set to go in level?[LNB]39 GOAL NEWCASTLE - TAYLOR. Curse of the commentator strikes again as the Magpies level matters. Butt floats a clever cross into the box and Steven Taylor guides a composed volley past a motionless Duke. Game on![LNB]38 Martins fires goalwards from a tight angle, but can't beat Turner. Just not happening for the Magpies at the moment.[LNB] Thanks to Norman in Bermuda for getting in touch. He is keeping tabs on his beloved Tigers and is backing his boys to win 2-0. Could be on the cards, especially as Newcastle will have to open up the longer the game goes on.[LNB]36 Geremi lofts a free-kick into the middle. Owen nods over unmarked 10-yards out, but is flagged offside. Poor decision and poor finish.[LNB]35 Ashbee is lucky to escape a caution as he rattles into Butt. The Hull skipper is running around like a loon today and is definitely leading by example.[LNB] Jeremy Clarke believes a couple of seasons in the Championship might do the Magpies good. He feels it might see those who are only in it for the money shown the door. I agree you don't need players like that, but dropping out of the top flight should not be the way of going about things.[LNB]33 So close from Geovanni as he whistles an effort past the post. Harper was clutching at thin air as he threw himself across goal and is relieved to see the ball drift wide.[LNB]32 Geovanni leads a counter and is allowed to move to the edge of the box. He is then clipped from behind by Geremi. Another promising position for the Tigers. What can they do with it?[LNB]31 Good defending from Bassong as he calmly nods back to Harper with Cousin and Fagan closing in. Hull have been pushed back of late and need to get their foot on the ball.[LNB]30 Too many niggling free-kicks are ruining the flow of the game at the moment. From one such set-piece Duke comes a long way to get a high ball runs into the imposing frame of Bassong. He picks up a free-kick after being sent crashing to the turf.[LNB]29 Brian Horton not too happy with Geremi's challenge and is off the bench getting his point across. He did come over the top of the ball, but there was no intent.[LNB]28 Geremi again with a poor ball. How many more times! He then clatters into Zayatte trying to make up for his earlier error and sees yellow for his troubles.[LNB]27 Fagan goes into the book for kicking out at Steven Taylor. He feels he was caught by a stray arm, but Howard Webb is not the mood for excuses.[LNB] Max in Melbourne, who is up at 2.30 in the morning, is hoping his night will not be ruined by a Magpies defeat. Not looking too good at the moment mate.[LNB]26 Martins finds space on the edge of the box, but his first touch lets him down. Butt is able to get a shot away eventually, but fires straight at Duke.[LNB]25 Again the Magpies fail to deal with a loose ball and Ashbee is unfortunate to be pushed wide as he picks up the pieces.[LNB]24 Newcastle are troubled by Ricketts' long throws and struggle to clear their lines as Ashbee and Mendy look to profit from a sliced clearance.[LNB]23 Smith and Zayatte exhange words in the middle of the park. Didn't look to be much in the challenge, but the Hull man feels he was caught by an elbow. All blows over very quickly.[LNB]22 Kilbane whips over a croner from the right. Gardner gets a head to it but can't direct his effort goalwards. He claims another corner, but is left disappointed.[LNB]21 Ricketts' long throw is allowed to travel into the middle of the box and Fagan hooks an ambitious effort into the stands. Poor defending from the Magpies who should have dealt with the danger much sooner.[LNB]20 Smith is forced back into the left full-back position to cover Zayatte's run and is forced to concede a throw. Kilbane is able to get a cross in from the resulting throw, but it is easily dealt with in the middle.[LNB]19 Another poor set-piece from Geremi is taken easily by Duke. This time his delivery is too high and the Hull keeper is able to come through the crowd and claim. Yet to be tested the Tigers shot-stopper.[LNB]18 Newcastle have looked much better in the last few minutes. Falling behind appears to have woken them up![LNB]17 Coloccini rakes the back of Fagan's leg, allowing Geovanni another sight of goal. He opts instead to feed Mendy, who lifts a 30-yard effort high over the top.[LNB] Ludvik Grondal, a Tottenham fan in Iceland, believes Newcastle will prevail 2-1. He is backing the Magpies due to Chris Hughton (Spurs connection) being their coach. As good a reason as any I suppose![LNB]15 Newcastle are enjoying a decent spell of pressure and Martins wastes another good opportunity. Good build up play from Gutierrez frees the Nigerian, but he fires over the bar when attempting to find the top corner.[LNB]14 Geremi's corner is woeful. Far too high and far too long it drifts over those in the middle and out of play on the far side. Very disappointing.[LNB]14 Rare period of attacking pressure for the visitors sees Gutierrez win a corner off Ricketts. Chance for the Magpies to hit back.[LNB]13 Martins is dropping deeper and deeper looking for the ball. The result of that is Owen is being left isolated up front. He is many things, but a target man he is not![LNB]12 Newcastle waste possession with alarming regularity. On this occasion Smith fires an easy square ball straight out of play! Not good![LNB]11 I'm positive we are going to have a few more goals this afternoon. It's been an open start and Geovanni's breakthrough will force Newcastle to push men forward.[LNB]9 GOAL HULL - GEOVANNI. Great run from Fagan across defenders creates space for a cross. He doesn't disappoint as he picks out Geovanni at the back post with a pinpoint delivery. The Brazilian climbs well and powers a firm header past the stranded Harper. Perfect start for the hosts![LNB]8 Coloccini knocks a dangerous bouncing ball back towards Harper. In fairness to the Magpies keeper he deals with it really well and hammers down field.[LNB]7 Mendy makes inroads down the right and attempts to swing over a cross. He can't beat the first man, though, and would have been better advised to recycle possession.[LNB]6 Wonderful run by Geovanni as he ghosts past defenders and bursts into the box. He is eventually stopped by Coloccini who makes an important challenge. Good start by Hull's Brazilian playmaker.[LNB]5 First chance falls to Geremi, who meets a floated ball to the back post. He makes good contact, but appeared to lack belief and nods tamely into the grateful arms of Duke.[LNB]4 All a bit scrappy at the start. With so much at stake both sides appear to be a bit too fired up and are yet to gain their composure. Here's hoping the frantic start is not a sign of things to come![LNB] Mike Ashley looks nervous as he watches the game from the stands. He has every right to be![LNB]3 First touch for Harper as Bassong guides a composed header back to him despite the presence of two Hull forwards.[LNB]2 Free-kick in a positive position for the hosts. Mendy swings it in but Geremi nods clear unopposed.[LNB]1 Loose ball from Butt as he tries to free Owen over the top. He gets too much on it and it carries easily through to Duke.[LNB] Hull get us underway.[LNB] Alan Binley is first to get in touch and is throwing his weight behind the Magpies. He is all too aware of how vital three points could be today in the Toon's battle against the drop. Meanwhile, the players are on the pitch and we are ready for action![LNB] My friends at skybet.com inform me that Hull centre-half Michael Turner is proving to be a popular choice for first goalscorer. At 22/1, and with the Tigers proving to be handy at set-pieces, it is easy to see why! Magpies striker Obafemi Martins, at 6/1, is also well backed. Will either break the deadlock? With less than 10 minutes to kick-off we are about to find out.[LNB]Newcastle team: Harper, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Smith, Butt, Geremi, Gutierrez, Owen, Martins. Subs: Forster, Duff, Ryan Taylor, Ameobi, Lovenkrands, Edgar, Carroll.[LNB]Hull team: Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Kilbane, Mendy, Ashbee, Zayatte, Geovanni, Fagan, Cousin. Subs: Myhill, Dawson, Barmby, Hughes, Garcia, Halmosi, Manucho.[LNB] You can also bet inplay at skybet.com. It's too close to call prior to kick-off, with Hull available at 11/8 and the visitors at 15/8. The draw is 12/5. Michael Owen is 11/2 to mark his return to action with the first goal.[LNB] How do you see the game going? Will the Tigers claw their way to three points or will the Magpies soar to success? Who will be the key men - Geovanni, Fagan, Owen or Martins? Let me know your thoughts.[LNB] You can air your opinions throughout the game by contacting me direct at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com.[LNB] This promises to be an intriguing contest between two sides looking anxiously over their shoulder. Hull's early season form could see them safe, but they will want to get to the magical 40-point barrier as soon as possible. Newcastle, meanwhile, could be sucked into the bottom three should results go against them.[LNB]Welcome to our coverage of today's Premier League encounter between Hull City and Newcastle.[LNB]
