NEWCASTLE UNITED v WEST HAM UNITED, 2-2 Sat 20 Jan
2007
Newcastle United staged a second Barclays Premiership fightback in
a week to snatch a draw against lowly West Ham United.
Three days after their FA Cup exit against Birmingham but a week
after coming from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2, the Magpies
found themselves 2-0 down to goals from Carlton Cole and Marlon
Harewood inside 22 minutes.
But James Milners 45th-minute strike - his third in as many games
at St James Park - dragged the Magpies back into it and Nolberto
Solanos 53rd-minute penalty set the scene for a much improved
second-half display which might have brought victory but for the
woodwork and the heroics of keeper Roy Carroll.
Three points were the only requirement for the home side before
kick-off, but with Peter Ramage and Shay Given added to an already
depressing injury list, a spirited fightback left their supporters
among a crowd of 52,095 smiling all the same.
However, by the time the half-time whistle sounded, it looked so
different as Newcastle struggled to impose themselves on the
game.
Where Roeder had called on his players to be men, he got schoolboy
defending to allow the Hammers, fighting desperately against
relegation from the top flight, to race into a 2-0 lead.
First Cole was allowed to appear unmarked to fire home the opener
on 18 minutes after the similarly unoccupied Calum Davenport,
making his debut for the club, had headed back Luis Boa Mortes
corner.
But the Magpies did not learn their lesson and fell further behind
four minutes later when Harewood turned Ramage with the minimum of
fuss to collect George McCartneys pass and stab a shot past the
helpless Given.
Roeders woes increased on the half-hour when Ramage limped off
with a hamstring injury and David Edgar joined fellow 19-year-old
Paul Huntington at the heart of the defence.
With striker Obafemi Martins misfiring - he blasted wide from seven
yards after doing well to create space for himself on 33 minutes -
and Kieron Dyer struggling to get himself into the game,
Newcastles chances of dragging themselves back into a contest they
dared not lose looked remote.
But, after Nicky Butt had seen a goal-bound header turned away by
Carroll, they did just that in injury-time when Milners shot sped
past the keeper and into the bottom corner.
Newcastle took up where they had left off after the restart,
belatedly pinning the Hammers back inside their own half for long
periods.
And they were back on level terms within eight minutes when Boa
Morte needlessly blocked Milners free-kick with his arm and
Solano, taking over from Martins on spot-kick duty, sent Carroll
the wrong way.
The Nigerian very nearly made it 3-2 on 57 minutes when he span
superbly on to Dyers cross and blasted a shot towards goal, where
Carroll saved with his chest.
Martins should have laid on a third goal for Dyer four minutes
later after skipping past Davenport, but drilled his cross in
behind the England international.
Davenport saw a 65th-minute header ruled out for pushing, but the
Magpies relief was tempered by Givens departure through injury
with Steve Harper taking his place.
Martins saw a 72nd-minute header come back off the post with
Carroll completely wrong-footed, but having survived that scare,
the visitors staged a fightback of their own.
Substitute Matthew Etherington passed up a glorious opportunity to
win it on 76 minutes after Harewoods powerful run and Nigel
Quashies pass opened up Newcastle, but Harper bought his side time
and ultimately snuffed out the danger.
Both keepers were in action again in the dying seconds, Carroll
turning away another Martins piledriver and Harper denying Harewood
at point-blank range.