Source: Daily_Mail
Newcastle 1 Leicester 0: Guthrie's rocket is just top-notch
Sometimes, just sometimes, its is possible to forget the pain, the turmoil and the disappointment and just concentrate on the football.
Sometimes, when it is chucking it down and your team are giving it everything and scoring a goal straight from a comic strip to go top of the league, it is possible to forget that your football club is falling to pieces and to just go home feeling rather grand.So it was at St James' Park last night.
'We are top of the league' sang the Newcastle supporters afterending Leicester's six-month unbeaten league run. It may not be theleague they would like to be in. Or indeed should be in. But theirteam are top of it all the same and - even if it is not likely to last- that always puffs out the chest.
In a league short of quality, there was a little bit of it aboutlast night. Joey Barton. Goalscorer Danny Guthrie. Leicester midfielderMatt Oakley.
But perhaps a piece of play in injury time summed up what this night was about. Achievement against the odds.
Newcastle midfielder Alan Smith lost possession of the ball in hisown half with a dreadful first touch. He won it back with a lungingtackle. Cue cheers. He then won the next tackle as the ball squirtedloose, sliding across the sodden turf with his shorts riding up hisbackside Cue more cheers.
Sometimes, the quality really doesn't matter The commitment and the effort can be enough.
This will be a long, difficult season for Newcastle. Make no mistakeabout that. In a division even more punishing than the Premier Leaguethe club without a manger has become the club without enough players.
There are lots of them on the back of the match programme.Thirty-two in all. And a couple more may arrive today.
But so few ofthem are fit and ready for action at this level that last night coachChris Hughton fielded seven substitutes without a single league startfor Newcastle between them.
Meanwhile, up front Newcastle paired Kevin Nolan - a midfielder -and young Nile Ranger, an 18-year-old making his first league start.
This is sadly a recipe for long-term disappointment. It may be wiseto enjoy this admirable and spirited outing to the top of the divisionas it is rather unlikely to last. But that only makes Newcastle's earlyprogress so admirable.
Last night Hughton - the man they always turn to when nobody elsefancies it - stood in the rain cajoling and demanding every ounce fromhis players. In the stand sat Alan Shearer while in the TV studio wasIain Dowie. Afterwards the two men who presided over last season'srelegation gave each other a handshake that almost became a high five.Sorry, boys, this really did have nothing to do with you.
This was all about a coach who is making the best of what he has anda set of players refusing to use their club's sorry financial situationas an excuse to throw in the towel.
Over recent weeks Newcastle have lost players such as Michael Owen,Mark Viduka, Sebastien Bassong, Damien Duff and Habib Beye.
With theclub up for sale and without a buyer, they will not be replaced.
But football is often about making the most of what you have and this is what Newcastle did last night.
Leicester were game opposition, ambitious and well organised. In thefirst half Nigel Pearson's team had some chances as Steve Harper savedwell from a Steven Howard header and then from a Paul Gallagherfree-kick.
But Newcastle - driven on relentlessly by Barton and benefiting froma mature centre forward's performance from 18-year-old Ranger - werealways marginally better and after Nolan came close in the first halfand they were denied a clear penalty, they strode ahead in superbfashion in the 53rd minute.
The build up play between Ranger and Nolan was impressive but thefinish - high in to the goal from 18 yards - by Guthrie was better. Thecelebration was loud and prolonged and for a moment it was quite easyto forget all Newcastle's problems.
Off the field there remains no progress. Spanish forward Xisco -whose signing a year ago prompted Kevin Keegan to resign as manager -left for Racing Santander while prospective buyers Barry Moat and anunknown American have kept their hands in their pockets.
But at full-time Newcastle's players hugged and smiled and the39,000 fans headed for the warmth of their cars imbued with a sense ofprogress. It had been a good night for once, a night for the footballto provide solace.
