Wasteful Newcastle pay the price

Newcastle 0 Blackburn 1

Blackburn substitute Matt Derbyshire plunged Newcastle deep into relegation trouble with a last-minute winner at St James’ Park.

The striker fired past goalkeeper Steve Harper with just seconds of normal time remaining as the Magpies were made to pay for missed opportunities.

On another day, England striker Michael Owen might have claimed a hat-trick, but having missed the target after rounding Rovers keeper Brad Friedel 10 minutes before the break, he was twice denied by the American in the second half.

Manager Kevin Keegan has now gone seven matches without a victory and his side have won none of their last 11 Barclays Premier League fixtures.

There were both boos and applause on the final whistle as the home fans among a crowd of 50,796 acknowledged the efforts of the players, but bemoaned their inability to make the pressure tell with the fight for survival now firmly on.

Confidence has been the watchword on Tyneside all week in the wake of last Saturday’s 5-1 humiliation by champions Manchester United at St James’ Park.

Both Keegan and skipper Owen had spoken of the lack of that vital commodity within the dressing room, but both were convinced one good performance would bring it flooding back.

For half an hour or so, the Magpies looked to have shaken off the traumatic effects of what happened seven days ago, and with a little more fortune could have found themselves enjoying a rare lead at the break.

In the event, some nervous finishing and a sizeable portion of brave defending sent the two sides in at the break level, although Owen for one will have left the pitch wondering just how that was the case.

The England striker endured a quiet start to the game as Damien Duff saw a third-minute shot deflected inches wide by Rovers skipper Andre Ooijer and Alan Smith powered a header just over in the ninth minute.

But he burst into life in the 21st minute, cutting inside from the right wing to find Duff, who took longer than he might have to set himself and allowed Morten Gamst Pedersen to get in a block.

However, Owen’s big moment arrived 10 minutes before half-time when he ran on to Joey Barton’s pass to go around Friedel, only to shoot wide of the far post as the cover got back.

Rovers, for whom Ooijer had earlier shot wide on the turn, took that as their cue to step up the hunt for the opening goal, and they might have got it twice within seconds as the half drew to a close.

First Zurab Khizanishvili glanced a David Bentley corner across the face of goal, but it was Ooijer who perhaps should have made the breakthrough in injury time.

It was Newcastle’s good fortune that Roque Santa Cruz’s neat knock-down fell to the defender in acres of space inside the box, but there was no element of luck about Harper’s charge from his line to block.

The home side were careless in possession as the second half got under way, although it was Steven Reid who was caught on the ball by Nicky Butt in the 50th minute to allow Duff to force Khizanishvili into a hurried clearance.

However, hearts were in mouths at the other end of the pitch seconds later when Steven Taylor’s error handed Santa Cruz a golden opportunity, although the Paraguayan could only blast his shot high over the top.

Smith might have broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute but dragged his shot wide of the far post, and it took a fine reaction save from Friedel to keep out Owen’s bullet-header three minutes later.

The American distinguished himself once again with 61 minutes gone when he managed to get a foot to Owen’s shot after the striker had run on to another Barton pass.

Keegan made his move when he replaced Butt with striker Obafemi Martins, handing him a first appearance for his club since January 2, but it was Milner who forced another save from Friedel 13 minutes from time.

Rovers almost snatched victory three minutes from the end when Harper had to block Santa Cruz’s effort, but the reprieve was only temporary for the home side.

As Newcastle committed men to the search for a winner, Bentley played Derbyshire into acres of space and the substitute finished with ease to pile on the misery for Keegan.