Newcastle United were in London once more on Saturday, but the Magpies were unable to continue their recent run in the capital, with Fulham claiming a 2-1 victory in what turned out to be a dull and derivative fixture.

A pre-match announcement that Antti Niemi had injured himself during the warm-up was met with loud cheers from the away end, while Newcastle fielded on-loan defender Oguchi Onyewu for the first time.

First Half

From kick-off, Fulham instantly revealed their game plan, effectively mixing short passes with long balls towards battering ram Brian McBride. Bramble and Onyewu therefore had to be alert from the off, and Bramble started decently, preventing the Fulham strikeforce from receiving the ball in dangerous positions.

Onyewu took time to get into the game, conceding a silly free-kick and getting outmuscled by Brian McBride on numerous occasions in the first twenty-five minutes. He soon picked up however, and showed some real coolness when put under pressure by the opposition.

The Magpies, wearing their claret and blue away strip, picked up towards the end creating half chances for Taylor and Onyewu, which were blocked for corners. However as the first half came to a close, there had been no clear-cut chances for either side, with both sides looking particularly impotent. In particularly, Newcastle looked totally non-dangerous with Duff failing to cross the ball beyond the first defender, and Milner being cancelled out by the excellent Franck Queudrue.

Second Half

Following the half-time introduction of George Cohen, the game resumed pretty much as it started, and few would have predicted anything other than a 0-0 scoreline. Unfortunately, for the umpteenth time this season it was Newcastle who proved to be their own undoing.

Stephen Carr stepped up to take a throw in, but spent too long in taking it. By the time the throw-in was to be taken, Fulham had regrouped, leaving Carr with two realistic options – to throw the ball down the line and try to gain a throw further up the field, or to throw it to Nicky Butt, who would then have to clear the ball under heavy pressure. He chose the latter option and Butt was immediately surrounded by three Fulham players. Looking up, he saw Onyewu, and played the backwards pass, totally oblivious of the presence of Heidar Helguson, who collected the ball and lifted the ball over the stranded Steve Harper and into the back of the net.

Fulham found something extra following the goal, and attacked us with more urgency, camping in our own half. One such attack saw Titus Bramble booked for a tackle from behind, with referee Philip Dowd ignoring the calls for a red card from the Fulham fans, who felt that Bramble was the last man.

Replacing an ineffectual Damien Duff for Antoine Sibierski did little to halt the onslaught, and it was Fulham who doubled their lead on the seventy-third minute. While parts of the stadium were attempting a Mexican wave, Stephen Carr was out-muscled off the ball by Papa Bouba Diop, who found himself in space to play the perfect cross which Brian McBride couldn’t fail to put away and effectively seal the result for the home side.

The late introduction of Nobby Solano gave Newcastle a little bit of penetration, and although it was too late to change the result, it allowed Martins to score a consolation in what proved to be the last kick of the game. The Peruvian found the Nigerian with a well placed long ball, and Oba controlled the ball perfectly, held off the challenge of two Fulham players before placing the ball into the back of the net, showing great composure in the progress. It was the first time all game that Martins had been provided with any decent service, and he had taken the chance well.

The Fans

The Newcastle fans were exceptional for the whole ninety minutes, making more noise than the home fans. Even at 2-0, it was the Geordies who were singing, despite their frustrations. Calls for the introduction of Nobby Solano got louder when the Peruvian began to warm up in front of the Putney Stand. Crowd highlights would include the chanting of “One-Nil, and you still can’t sing,” while there was also a verbal altercation between fans sat in Block P1 and Fulham defender Ian Pearce after he was spotted sat in the Pavilion.

Verdict

The Newcastle performance was a disappointment, with the team lacking any penetration, and showing a failure to master some of the basics of the beautiful game such as throw-ins. Carr’s throw-in prior to the opening goal was bad enough, but Newcastle also had one foul-throw, something which should not be observed in Premiership football. Set-pieces need to be worked on in training if we are to improve.

Fulham also deserve some credit, for they had an effective game plan, and stuck with it.

Match Facts

Newcastle: Harper, Carr, Bramble, Onyewu, Taylor, Milner, Parker, Butt, Duff (Sibierski 68), Dyer (Solano 85), Martins.
Subs not used: Srnicek, Huntington, O’Brien.

Booked: Butt, Bramble, Milner.

Goal: Martins 90.

Fulham: Lastuvka, Rosenior, Christanval, Bocanegra, Queudrue, Routledge (Dempsey 78), Brown, Volz (Diop 67), Davies, Helguson, McBride (Montella 80).
Subs not used: Knight, Radzinski.

Booked: Bocanegra.

Goals: Helguson 49, McBride 73.

Crowd: 24,340

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)