Pardew - There is life after Carroll

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew heaped praise on strikers Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best as they helped their side to a first victory since the departure of Andy Carroll to Liverpool.Lovenkrands and Best were both on target in a comfortable 2-0 success over a jaded-looking Birmingham at rainswept St Andrew's on Tuesday night night.It lifted the Magpies into ninth in the Barclays Premier League, while the end of City's recent revival leaves them only three points above the relegation zone."I think it was evident that the players we have can fill the gap after Carroll," said Pardew. "The pleasing thing is that the two strikers showed effort and commitment despite the pressure that is on them."One (Lovenkrands) came off with a thigh strain and the other (Best) had to be substituted because of the amount of work he was doing."But for them both to score from open play is the biggest plus for me."