Barclays Premiership - Match 15
 

Season 2008-2009

MIDDLESBROUGH

0 v 0

NEWCASTLE UNITED

       
     
  Date: Saturday 29th November 2008
  Venue: Riverside Stadium
  Kick Off: 3:00pm (BST)
  Australian Live TV: Foxsports 1
  Attendance: 32,160
  Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
     

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor, Aliadiere (Mido 77), Arca, Digard, Downing, Sanli, Alves 
 
Subs not used: Jones, Emnes, Johnson, Hines, Grounds, Walker 
  Booked: Arca 
   

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Butt, N'Zogbia, Martins (Viduka 65), Owen 
 
Subs not used: Harper, Cacapa, Geremi, Taylor, Edgar, Carroll 
  Booked: Bassong 
     
 

Post Match Comments:

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate:
"Sometimes you draw and you are disappointed with the performance.

"But I am very pleased with how we played. Bar the finishing touch, we had pretty much everything.

"It was very much a point gained - a hard-earned point but one we certainly deserved. We had the majority of the game, certainly in the second half."
 Listen to Gareth Southgate in full

Newcastle coach Chris Hughton:
"As the game opened up in the second half we got into the better areas.

"If our final ball had been a little bit better, we could have gone on and taken the three points.

"That would be the only disappointing factor but to come here and get a draw is a good result."
Listen to Chris Hughton in full

  
     
  BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match:
Newcastle's Obafemi Martins - 7.54 (on 90 minutes)		  
     
 

 
     
  Match Report:  
  A second nil all draw in as many games was enough to lift Newcastle United out of the relegation zone at the expense of rivals sunderland. 
 
Newcastle did just enough to keep out Middlesbrough on Teesside, in a fixture that registered its first goalless draw for 34 years. 
 
Toon boss Joe Kinnear, who this week signed on till the end of the season, kept faith with the same back four that resisted Chelsea down at the Bridge last week, meaning there was no place in the starting XI for the fit again Steven Taylor. 
 
The first 45 minutes was a cagey affair, with real chances at a premium. Middlesbrough threatened from the flanks, with Stewart Downing and Tuncay both sending in dangerous crosses that just failed to result in openings for Afonso Alves.

Newcastle's Obafemi Martins came closest to breaking the deadlock with a shot that hit the bar after 35 minutes. Nicky Butt was then only inches off target with a 20-yard free-kick after David Wheater had fouled Guthrie.

However, in the second half keeper Shay Given had to make a fine 75th-minute save from full-back Justin Hoyte as the Teessiders piled on the pressure after record signing Afonso Alves had passed up a series of chances.

The controversial substitution of Martins for Mark Viduka on 65 minutes, saw the Nigerian storm straight down the tunnel. With Michael Owen looking very ineffective it was a strange decision to remove the lively Martins, however, Viduka nearly stole the points at the death when he shot wide and then had a shot blocked by Emanuel Pogatetz.

Kinnear would have been the happier manager with opposite number Gareth Southgate having to make do with a point a week after seeing his side humbled 3-1 on their own patch by Bolton.

Sebastien Bassong rewarded his manager faith by putting in another fine defence display alongside partner Coloccini, but Jose Enrique again was poor with his distribution extremely wayward.		  
     
 

AUSSIE MAGS By Row 'S' Army