Ameobi lift for Magpies

SUBSTITUTE Shola Ameobi preserved Newcastle’s UEFA Cup dream and denied Valerenga an upset on Tyneside last night.

Newcastle 3 Valerenga 1 (Newcastle win 4-2 on aggregate)

Ameobi needed just 71 seconds after replacing the injured Craig Bellamy at half-time to make his mark, as Sir Bobby Robson's men struggled to kill off their Norwegian opponents and he then completed the job with a minute left to wrap up the victory.

Alan Shearer, who had been rested for the first leg, fired the home side ahead on 20 minutes.

Defender Erik Hagen levelled within five minutes to set up a tense night for the bulk of the 38,531 inside St James' Park.

Having seen Partizan Belgrade rob them of their Champions League place earlier this season, the Magpies were not about to let another European adventure slip from their grasp.

With injuries robbing him of Dyer and Darren Ambrose and suspension accounting for Olivier Bernard and Lee Bowyer, Robson's options were somewhat limited. The 71-year-old was confident he had enough in his squad to deal with a side who appeared to punch above their weight in the second half in Oslo.

Oyvind Bolthof denied Shearer a ninth-minute opener with a fine reaction save, but there was little he could do to keep out the 33-year-old's blistering drive 11 minutes later after one of Dutch referee Eric Braamhaar's eagle-eyed assistants spotted the goalkeeper straying outside the penalty area with the ball in his hands.

Shay Given had already tipped a Gashi shot on to the bar when the criminally-unaccompanied Hagen converted player-coach Rekdal's corner despite the best efforts of Michael Bridges on the line.

Given had to keep out another Gashi effort and a long-range free-kick from David Brocken as his side struggled to stem the tide in the closing minutes of the half.

Robson's problems increased during the interval when he was forced to replace hamstring victim Bellamy, but his deputy Ameobi who made the breakthrough almost instantly. Picking up possession wide on the left, he cut inside Hagen and unleashed a low right-foot shot which Bolthof could only palm into his own net.

With the visitors knowing that 2-2 on the night would be good enough to put them through, Newcastle's work for the night was far from done.

Valerenga enjoyed plenty of possession but were unable to trouble Given, and Ameobi went close at the other end with a 66th-minute looping header which had Bolthof scuttling back towards his line.

Shearer volleyed wide from an Andy O'Brien cross on 68 minutes, and Rekdal he sacrificed himself for Runar Normann.

The home supporters had their hearts in their mouths with 16 minutes remaining when Gashi cut inside Bramble and fired low towards goal, Jonathan Woodgate kicking his effort away before substitute Kjetil Waehler blasted the rebound over.

Nineteen-year-old Martin Brittain debuted as a replacement for Bridges two minutes later, but as the visitors pushed forward and after Berre went close, Jenas sprang the offside trap with a minute to go and squared for Ameobi to ease the nerves.

NEWCASTLE: Given, O'Brien, Woodgate, Bramble, Hughes, Bridges, Jenas, Speed, Robert, Shearer, Bellamy.

VALERENGA: Bolthof, Brocken, Hagen, Kjetil Rekdal, Hovi, Hanssen, Jalland, Gashi, Daniel Fredheim Holm, Berre, Dos Santos.

Referee: Eric Braamhaar (Holland).