Bramble spares blushes as Magpies toil in Riga

NEWCASTLE BOSS Glenn Roeder hailed Titus Bramble for helping the Magpies avoid UEFA Cup embarrassment with a second-half winner against FK Ventspils in Riga.

Bramble recovered from a ragged start and Roeder felt it fitting he should have scored the only goal having earned the club their European excursion in the first place.

Bramble had hit the crucial winner against Chelsea on the final day of last season which squeezed Roeder’s men into a vital Intertoto Cup berth.