UEFA Cup first round, first leg/ Newcastle United 5; NAC Breda 0: Bobby Robson began a period of three games in 10 days that seem critical to his future as manager of Newcastle United with a heartening victory.
It was only the second in eight games this season, their first at home, and it came against limited opposition, but the stadium roared its approval.
Two first-half goals from Craig Bellamy, his first strikes in 10 games, set Newcastle on their way, and Titus Bramble, Alan Shearer and Darren Ambrose, with his first goal for the club, completed the rout.
The margin should guarantee Newcastle progress to round two and inject some much-needed confidence for tomorrow's visit to Arsenal. That will be a different prospect altogether.
The evening began with bad news. Jonathan Woodgate's absence from the teamsheet was not some precaution with Highbury in mind. Woodgate, who has played in only two of the club's past five matches with a stomach strain, injured himself in training and it is feared he has a hernia problem.
He may be out for a month to six weeks. Nolberto Solano is another likely to be missing tomorrow night.
Kieron Dyer played in Solano's right-side position and it was from that flank that Newcastle created danger early on. Bellamy then went close with a snapshot half-volley on 26 minutes as Newcastle's pressure whittled away at the Dutchmen.
When Shearer then supplied a flick-on to an Andy O'Brien pass upfield, it left Bellamy in the clear with only Gabor Babos to beat. Although the Welshman had gone so long without scoring, his chipped finish was confident and perfect.
Things got even better when Bellamy rolled in the second just minutes later. Dyer's purposeful diagonal burst was matched by a cute pass that put Laurent Robert behind his full back. When he crossed to where Bellamy had raced free, the finish was a formality.
The scoreline was reassuring, all the more so as at the other end Shay Given made two excellent first-half stops. The first prevented Johan Elmander scoring with a low shot, the second a spectacular, one-handed deflection to deny Tamas Peto from 25 yards.
So Breda posed an attacking threat. But at the back they were capable of mistakes and Bellamy came close to a hat-trick when he profited from a blunder by Mark Schenning and struck the crossbar.
As the hour approached there was further evidence of Breda negligence when Bramble was allowed to wander up for a Robert corner and meet it unchallenged at the near post. His header was emphatic.
With Newcastle flowing, Shearer then missed a seven-yard sitter from Robert's centre, but made amends with a thunderous shot on 77 minutes. Ambrose completed the scoring in the 89th minute.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Given; Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard (Viana, 84); Dyer (Ambrose, 78), Jenas, Speed, Robert; Bellamy (Ameobi, 84), Shearer.
NAC BREDA (4-5-1): Babos; Feher, Penders, Schenning, Gudelj; Diba (Boussaboun, 73), Peto, Engelaar, Slot (Koning, 62), Seedorf; Elmander.
Referee: N Ivanov (Russia).
Guardian Service
• Slovak club Puchov shocked Barcelona with a last minute goal to grab a 1-1 home draw last night. The feisty Slovaks had several credible attempts in a goalless first half, but Barcelona woke up in the second half and four minutes in Patrick Kluivert slotted home a soft lob from Ronaldino.
But Barcelona played it safe and the strategy proved a mistake when in injury time Puchov's Mario Breska found Milan Jambor, who drilled home the equaliser.
Valencia's Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira gave them a 1-0 win at AIK Stockholm in their first round match. Oliveira scored in the 65th minute after his strike partner Juan Sanchez set him up inside the area for the only goal.
AS Roma opened their challenge with a 4-0 win, outclassing Macedonian side Vardar at the Olympic Stadium.
