Robson sticks with Jenas and Viana

Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson kept faith with the men who launched the club’s Champions League adventure in Bosnia as West Ham arrived on Tyneside for their Barclaycard Premiership opener.

With Gary Speed and Clarence Acuna injured, 19-year-olds Jermaine Jenas and Hugo Viana were handed starts in midfield, while £4.5m summer signing Titus Bramble lined up alongside Nikos Dabizas in central defence and Lomana LuaLua partnered Alan Shearer in attack.

There was an outing too for left-back Olivier Bernard, the man at the centre of a tug of war between these two clubs during the summer.

Glenn Roeder fielded just one new face with loan signing Edouard Cisse of Paris St Germain earning a Premiership debut, but there was no place for injury victims Frederic Kanoute, who picked up a neck strain in training yesterday, Paolo di Canio or Steve Lomas.

Newcastle: Given, Hughes, Dabizas, Bramble, Bernard, Solano, Dyer, Jenas, Viana, Shearer, LuaLua.

Subs: Harper, Elliott, Griffin, McClen, Ameobi.

West Ham: James, Pearce, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Schemmel, Cisse, Carrick, Sinclair, Defoe, Cole.

Subs: Van Der Gouw, Labant, Breen, Moncur, Camara.

Referee: P Durkin (Dorset)