Source: Telegraph
Newcastle United 2 Nottingham Forest 0: match report
They came in their thousands to get their promotion party started at St James' Park and Shola Ameobi and José Enrique ensured Newcastle supporters left for home celebrating a victory which means their club are now destined for the Premier League.[LNB]In front of a 45,987-strong crowd, Ameobi and Enrique enabled the Championship leaders to plant a foot back in the top-flight and promotion could be secured for certain at Peterborough on Saturday with a 13-point gap now opened up over a Nottingham Forest side who represent the biggest threat to their upward mobility. [LNB] Related ArticlesTelegraph player raterChampionship tableChampionship fixturesHughton: I was right to stand by CarrollNewcastle keep their focusSport on televisionBilly Davies' side went into this crunch game on the back of seven successive away defeats since beating West Bromwich Albion in January. [LNB]But they shrugged off that debilitating form to push Newcastle on the back foot early on in a positive opening punctuated with some crisp passing. [LNB]Nonetheless, it was Newcastle who came closest to breaking the deadlock early on when Wayne Routledge curled a cross to the far post that eluded Wes Morgan and found Andy Carroll whose left-footed volley was expertly pushed aside by Lee Camp. [LNB]Back came Forest but Radoslaw Majewski resorted to illegal means to seize the initiative when he dived into the penalty box as Mike Williamson challenged, but Alan Wiley knew better than to award a spot-kick before Newcastle defender Danny Simpson gave the Pole a piece of his mind. [LNB]It took a perfectly executed last-ditch tackle by James Perch to deny Peter Lovenkrands as he sped into the penalty area and, when the loose ball fell to Carroll, a clutch of defenders combined to block a tame effort. [LNB]A resolute Forest defence was standing firm against a side who had scored 21 goals in their last five home games but when a gap appeared in the Newcastle back four the unmarked Dexter Blackstock miscued a volley with the goal at his mercy following a cross by Nathan Tyson.[LNB]Substitute Ameobi showed how it should be done when he broke the deadlock in the 71st minute as a Forest counter-attack broke down. Kevin Nolan picked out the striker who drilled an angled, left-footed drive past Lee Camp from the edge of the penalty box. [LNB]Camp superbly denied Routledge, Nolan and Danny Guthrie before Enrique added the second after a one-two with Ameobi in stoppage time.[LNB]Match details[LNB]Newcastle (4-4-2): Harper; Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Enrique; Routledge, Guthrie, Nolan, Gutierrez; Lovenkrands, Carroll (Ameobi 49). Subs: Krul, Barton, Ryan Taylor, Best, Butt, Kadar. Booked: Morgan, Wilson. Nottingham Forest (4-3-2-1): Camp; Perch, Wilson, Morgan, Gunter; Anderson, Moussi, Cohen; Tyson, Majewski; Blackstock (McGoldrick 77). Subs: Smith (g), Chambers, McGugan, Adebola, Earnshaw, McCleary. Referee: A Wiley (Staffs).[LNB]
