Goals from substitute Shola Ameobi and full-back Jose Enrique saw Newcastle increase their lead at the top of the table and further stamp their authority on the Championship.

In a tight game with chances for both sides, it was Nottingham Forest’s goalkeeper Lee Camp who was the busier of the two ‘keepers. Andy Carroll’s volley in the first half showed just why Fabio Capello is showing an interest in the centre-forward, but Camp was equal to the effort, diving smartly to pull off a reflex save. The Newcastle defence didn’t have it all their own way though as Forest came forward with increasing confidence. It was difficult to judge on this performance why they haven’t won away from home in seven successive appearances.

After injuring his ankle in the first-half, Andy Carroll came off to be replaced by Shola Ameobi. The watching Alan Shearer would have been proud of Shola’s strike. After being played in by Nolan, Ameobi turned his marker and hit a low let foot shot across the Forest keeper which went in off the post.

Shola’s goal wasn’t his only contribution for the night as his smart back-heel played in fan favourite Jose Enrique who shot right-footed beyond the keeper. That saw Enrique mobbed by his teammates and it was plain to see the bond that the Newcastle players share – a far cry from the players who represented Newcastle when they were relegated.

This victory means that Newcastle can finish no lower than fourth, and a defeat for Nottingham Forest accompanied by a Newcastle win this weekend will see the Toon promoted. Chris Hughton’s name was once again chanted from the terraces and he deserves every accolade – this is a Newcastle side who are truly United.

In what was tipped as a potential banana skin for Newcastle, we could have been forgiven if we went into this game with a small amount of trepidation. After all, West Brom visited Ashton Gate and came away with nowt, so that meant anything we picked up, would be a bonus. A win would have ensured a play-off place.

Bristol City were managerless after sacking their manager Gay Johnson during midweek but it didn’t seem to dampen their spirits any. City went one up in the 10th minute thanks to a Lewis Nyatanga goal. The Toon came back into it though and there were several chances which we squandered, most notably by Leon Best who wasted several good opportunities. Things went from bad to worse though for NUFC as Nicky Maynard scored an absolute belter right before half-time. Newcastle could have clawed one back right on the stroke of half-time as Danny Guthrie failed to make the most of his chance in front of goal.

In a pretty even second-half Newcastle United waited until the 71st minute to get their first thanks to a poor throw by Bristol’s Keeper Dean Gerken. Gerken’s dodgy throw went straight to Gutierrez and the Argentinian put Newcastle back in the game and completely changed the momentum of the match. Just three minutes later, Andy Carroll managed to get the Toon level after he nodded home a Wayne Routledge cross which sent the Toon fans crazy.

The game was definitely Newcastle’s to lose and they pushed forward to try and seal the game. However, it wasn’t to be as several blocks by City defenders and a couple of decent stops by keeper Gerken made sure a share of the points was the end result.

All in all, a decent result and the manner of the fightback was superb. We only have to hope the injury to Fitz Hall won’t be too serious and we’ll be back on our merry way to the Premier League.

Unbeaten in 15 games, Newcastle went in to the game against Derby coming off the back of a 5-1 victory over Cardiff at St. James’s Park. However, such is life for a Newcastle United fan, that it all came to a screeching halt at Pride Park.

Sticking with an unchanged line-up which included two wingers, Chris Hughton opted for a pretty attacking approach against Derby. If this is from media or fan pressure, then I hope you’re all happy. It’s clear that steel is needed more than guile away from home (especially if this game is anything to go by).

Rub Hulse managed to get Derby’s first with a header. By all accounts he had the freedom of Pride Park and all that needed to be done was make contact with the ball.  Their second came from a penalty as Jonas Gutierrez was deemed guilty of the foul by the ref and Kris Kommons duly obliged as he stepped up to put the penalty away. Things went from bad to worse as the Toon failed to clear a corner and Shaun Barker scored Derby’s third.

Not even a triple substitution could save Newcastle’s blushes as Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands, and Alan Smith failed to add anything extra to Newcastle’s game.

Many have blamed the ref and linesmen for the goal we conceded, and our disallowed goal, but when the Newcastle United players cross the white line, they’re the ones responsible for their performance on the pitch, and they looked nothing like league leaders in this game. To a man the Toon players underperformed, blaming the officials just shifts the responsibility away from the players.

So, our worst defeat came after our largest victory and West Brom go top of the table on goal difference (although we do have a game in hand). Hopefully this will be the kick up the backside the Newcastle players needed as any thought that the league is taken care of is woefully off the mark. Let’s hope for a much improved performance this weekend as we face an in-form Swansea.

Forget the absolute stinker the referee had yesterday – our defeat at the hands of West Brom showed that it’s an absolute must that the Newcastle United squad be strengthened this January. This was a chance for some of the youngsters and second string to stake a claim for a first team place. Judging by this performance, they’ll be hard pressed to get a game at Gateshead.

We were constantly undone by the crisp West Brom passing which our defence looked clueless to stop. If it’s this bad against West Brom, what about next season when we face the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd, and Chelsea? It’s not even worth thinking about. Investment is needed and needed quickly.

On a day short of positives for Newcastle, Andy Carroll’s two goals in the second-half were at least a high-point for Newcastle and hopefully he can carry it through to the league.

Graham Dorrans on the other hand is showing just why he is a force to be reckoned with in this league. He was at the forefront of all the good West Brom attacking plays.

But, forget about the ref, the linesman, Graham Dorrans, or anything else which happened on this day. Let’s keep our eyes focused on the main prize – promotion to the Premier League. Quite honestly, we can’t afford to do anything else.

Newcastle United twice came from behind against West Brom thanks to goals from Danny Guthrie and Peter Lovenkrands.

Albion took the lead on 13 minutes thanks to Jonas Olsson losing his marker Shola Ameobi and dispatching the ball past Steve Harper. Many people are criticising Ameobi’s role West Brom’s goal and you can’t blame them, but Kevin Nolan can be equally blamed as he failed to close down Graham Dorrans who had plenty of time to put a good ball in.

The Toon started to put the pressure on and with the St James’s Park crowd baying for an equaliser, up stepped Danny Guthrie who scored with a sublime free-kick.

The half came with neither side able to take advantage of their chances. Just when you thought Newcastle would come out firing in the second-half, West Brom took the lead once more – just 34 seconds after the kick-off. Roman Bednar managed to get himself in a decent position and his header bounced off Harper’s knee, fortuitously hit the bar, and all Bednar had to do was put the ball home.

Man of the night Peter Lovenkrands, playing after the death of his father, leveled things up for NUFC after he got his head to a Jose Enrique cross and Scott Carson’s poor positioning meant he could only parry the ball and help it further over the line.

There was quite a let off for the Toon though as sub Ishmael Miller hit the post from about 3 yards out when it was easier to score. Thanks to that, Newcastle held on and could have sealed all three points at the end when Jonas Gutierrez decided to pass rather than shoot.

Overall, not a bad point against a decent side but the lack of pace and creativity in our midfield was plain for all to see. However, as we’ve done all season, we managed to grind out a point which extended our lead at the top of the Coca Cola Championship to 3 points and a game in hand against second placed Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle United were once again, found wanting in front of goal as they face Plymouth in the third round of the F.A Cup. Boss Chris Hughton decided to use the full squad with players such as Krul, Kadar, and Nile Ranger getting first team run-outs.

The Toon Army, who descended on the South Coast in their thousands, could be forgiven for wondering why Newcastle weren’t taking the F.A Cup seriously. The likes of Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool have such large squads that they can afford to rotate players. Clearly, this is a signal of intent by NUFC that the league is their priority, but the question has to be asked, would you rather take a lesser squad with the chance of a replay, or take your first team squad and win the game at the first time of asking?

The pitch at Home Park was hardly one that allowed free-flowing football, but Fabrice Pancrate, who could have had a hat-trick, could hardly blame the surface of the field for being so wasteful. Hopefully the Frenchman’s stunning finish at St. James’s Park a few weeks ago wasn’t a fluke.

With Newcastle building momentum, Nicky Butt had a delicate chip tipped onto the bar by the Plymouth Keeper. Lovenkrands and Gutierrez were brought on to replace Pancrate and Alan Smith, but the goal Newcastle were threatening to score never came.

So, we have to play one more game that we could have done without, but we’re in the hat for the fourth round of the F.A Cup.

Newcastle, guilty of missing some great chances to put the game away, ended 2009 firing blanks. There was plenty of endeavour, and arguably we’ve played worse and won, but the match against Derby was one that won’t be remembered fondly by many NUFC fans.

Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor, and Nile Ranger were the Newcastle players who failed to take their chances.

However, I reckon that we can take some positives out of the game. Yes, West Brom gained some ground on us, but if someone had offered you the position we’re in now at the start of the season, would you have taken it? I know I would. After last season left a bitter taste in my mouth all summer, it’s great to have the promotion job half done.

One thing that should be recognised though is that we need to bring in a couple of players to strengthen the first team. We’ve been fairly fortunate with injuries and still have Joey Barton to return, but there’s just over four months of hard work to come and we’re going to need some reinforcements.

An attendance of 47,505 were on hand to see the game. A Championship game which was shown on the telly, played in bitterly cold conditions, and right after Christmas. Best fans in the country? By a country mile.

What more can you say right now about the results Newcastle are getting other than I hope it lasts!

Goals from Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger’s first goal for the club solidified our lead at the top of the Championship to seven points, and 12 points ahead of third place. Once again, Steve Harper proved he’s still got what it takes, as he once more kept another clean sheet. Harper for England? I would really like to see a goalkeeper in better form than Steve right now, I reckon you’d be hard pressed to find one.

I have to admit, I’m not Chris Hughton’s biggest fan, but he (and the rest of the staff) deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve motivated the Newcastle squad, and brought about results at the same time. From what was a ragtag down-and-out group of players when we were relegated are now a determined group of lads who seem like they’re willing to give their all for Newcastle United.

Long may it continue.

Goals from Lovenkrands and Fabrice Pancrate were enough to send Newcastle United four points clear of second placed West Brom. Even though Kevin Nolan received his marching orders for a second bookable offence, the Toon now extend their unbeaten to eleven games (in all competitions).

When Newcastle were relegated, many pundits and fans of opposing clubs warned us that the Coca Cola Championship would be a difficult league to get out of. Well, I’m sorry to say that this league is becoming a bit of a cakewalk. It’s definitely not the huge physical scrap we’d thought it be, and we can undo many of the teams we play because of the quality we have. Make no mistake, we deserved to be relegated but quite clearly the players that we have are a step above other Championship players.

On-loan signing Marlon Harewood retained his spot in the starting lineup and managed to play his part in the Toon’s opening goal. Harewood chased down a backpass played by Craig Cathcart to his goalkeeper and played the ball across to Peter Lovenkrands who just had to slot it into an empty net.

Kevin Nolan’s harsh sending off reduced Newcastle to 10 men and Watford managed to put some pressure on the Toon’s backline. However, Watford didn’t make their pressure count as they lacked the extra quality to open Newcastle up. On came Nicky Butt to aid in defence and Fabrice Pancrate made an appearance in the 83rd minute. The Frenchman’s impact was almost instantaneous after holding the ball up in the box, managed to turn two Watford defenders and fire in an unstoppable shot past Scott Loach. Fabrice Pancrate’s goal was Newcastle’s second and finally made sure that Newcastle  held onto the victory.

Even though it’s great to be sitting here talking about the goals we’ve scored, we have to give credit where credit’s due. That’s another clean sheet for us with a total of 11 all season, and the Newcastle United defence can all be proud of the work they’ve put in over the past few months (I never thought I’d be saying that!). The record speaks for itself, the Toon have the best defensive record in the league.

Another three points, another home victory and we’re certainly in good form right now. It’s going to be difficult to see us not winning the Championship. We’re 10 points clear of third place and looking good to go straight back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Swansea came into yesterday’s game on the end of an eleven game unbeaten run thanks to one of the league’s most stingiest defences. NUFC meanwhile, were looking to cement their place at the top of the Coca Cola Championship.

A crowd of 42,616, were in attendance as the St. James’s faithful showed some of the Premier League big boys just how much they love their club.

The Toon managed to get off to a great start and the game was all but over as a contest thanks to headed goals from Marlon Harewood with Peter Lovenkrands also getting on the scoresheet. Some lapse defending allowed Harewood to get in and score, and then a cross by Jonas (finally) saw Lovenkrands score from close range. Not satisfied with two, Newcastle went for a third and Harewood again was there with the finish.

Cedric van der Gun and Andrea Orlandi did have attempts at goal for Swansea though as ‘Keeper Steve Harper was called into action to produce some important saves. Harper was replaced at half-time by Tim Krul after still complaining about a back injury.

Swansea came into it and enjoyed the majority of the possession. Danny Simpson made sure that Newcastle came away with a clean sheet after heading off the line. Swansea seemed incapable of producing the quality in the final third and just couldn’t manage to get past the Newcastle defence.

Another three points and we further extend the space between us and third place to eight points. Watford at home are up next and we’ll look to keep the run going. The league is definitely starting to take shape as ourselves and West Brom look clear favourites to get promoted at the first time of asking.