Articles 
Att; 23,163; including 4,000 (though a few non attendees) away fans
‘They’ say Champions are often made of a team who play poorly and win, well; take a bow this season’s team. Out played for most of the first half we went in 2-0 up somehow.
In the first 20 minutes I said to my youngest daughter’ we’ll probably go and score with our first attack’. No, I don’t have this week’s lottery numbers either...out of nowhere a clearance by Harper was helped on by Ameobi (more , or less, of him later) and Nerlan turned it in. Things got even better 2 minutes before half time when a counter attack led by Routledge resulted in a low cross from which again Nerlan tapped in.
For all of Reading’s possession and pressure Harper had little to save. Coloccini was superb and despite playing only 45 minutes was man of the match for me. One bizarre scare was of our own making; a ball skied into the air was descending around the penalty spot and under no pressure Harper elected to punch the ball; however he punched it straight up in the air and luckily no Reading striker was near enough and Harper caught his own punch.
The second half we played some nice stuff in parts and the score seemingly would only get bigger in our favour, Nerlan nearly got his hat-trick on 52 minutes but headed against the post. From a free kick, wrongly given to Reading, on 70 minutes; resulted in one of those familiar ‘pinball’ moments in our box ended up cannoning in off Simpson to give Reading hope: 1-2. A freak accident, from a clash of heads near full time lead to Gunnarsson being taken off on a golf buggy and accounted for 5 of the 7 minutes added time. We held firm and secured a great ‘ugly’ win to now be all but mathematical Champions; Marvellous.
I mentioned our ‘much maligned’ ‘striker’ Ameobi earlier; so much has been written of him but tonight he, in mine and a few around me’s opinion, sunk to new levels of apathy and never once looked like even trying to get on the end of some very decent crosses into the penalty area . Hungry and committed strikers would have ‘bust a gut’ to get to them and score, Ameobi bizarrely shown no such hunger. At full time the whole squad, un-used substitutes included, came over to applaud the away fans at full time; one however, Ameobi, turned tail and walked straight down the tunnel, draw your own conclusions.
So we will soon see Silverware and as unwelcome that the circumstances are in achieving it; a huge amount of respect to the players, coaches and supporters of this club should be afforded. The end of the beginning has arrived, now the hard work begins. Howay the lads.
Newcastle : Harper, RyanTaylor, Simpson, Smith, Williamson, Coloccini (Enrique), Routledge (Barton), Guthrie (Carroll ), Ameobi, Nolan, Gutierrez.
Subs not used : Pancrate, Best, Krul, Lovenkrands.
Reading: Federici, Griffin, Bertrand, Pearce, McAnuff (Robson-Kanu), Tabb (Church), Howard, Kebe, Sigurdsson, Gunnarsson, Long (Rasiak).
Subs not used: Hamer, Cisse, Henry, Karacan.
