Newcastle United...1 Bolton Wanderers...0If managing to play badly but still win is a characteristic of all successful sides, then Bobby Robson's barely concealed belief that Newcastle United can challenge for this season's Premiership title may be more than a mere pretension.
Newcastle were bad going on poor last night, yet beat a defiant, creative Bolton Wanderers all the same.
The victory, Newcastle's 11th in a row at home, lifted Robson's team to within two points of Manchester United in second place, but on this evidence it is more than that which separates the two.
In front of Sven-Goran Eriksson young Jermaine Jenas scored the winner, his third in four matches, and at that early stage Newcastle threatened to put on an exhibition.
But Jenas and his colleagues faded gradually, though Alan Shearer put a diving header on to the bar just past the hour.
Bolton deserve much of the credit for this. They had beaten Newcastle 4-3 on St Stephen's Day and could have had two second-half penalties. But their relegation battle goes on.
From the kick-off last Saturday here, Newcastle had taken 10 seconds to score against Manchester City via Shearer. Last night, it was as many as 21 seconds before Kieron Dyer registered Newcastle's first effort.
Jussi Jaaskelainen did well to parry that and Bolton did well to withstand the predictable home surge that followed.
This was all the more impressive given that Per Frandsen had to limp off in the 10th minute. Ivan Campo came on.
Campo played no part in what happened next, but Bolton broke away from another United attack and, when Henrik Pedersen showed unexpectedly skilful dribbling, Ricardo Gardner was clear on goal. Sadly for Bolton, Gardner, in front of a baying Gallowgate, sliced wide.
Bolton's regret at that was only seven minutes in coming. Steve Caldwell, the young centre half who looks increasingly composed, sent Craig Bellamy tearing away down the Bolton left with a long pass out of the Newcastle defence.
Bellamy's pace, as it does, had Bolton's defenders fretting. Reaching the byline, he held the ball up intelligently, put the ball through Bruno N'Gotty's legs and Jenas, running in, guided the ball past Jaaskelainen from six yards.
Yet Bolton were very much part of proceedings. In the 50th minute Pedersen was bundled clumsily to the turf in the Newcastle area by Nikos Dabizas and many referees would have awarded a penalty. Phil Dowd waved play on, but it was still Bolton dominating.
It was past the hour before Newcastle made it into the Bolton box again. It was to good effect, though, Shearer rattling the bar with a diving header from a cute Solano cross.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, Caldwell, Dabizas, Bernard, Solano (Kerr 84), Dyer, Jenas, Robert, Bellamy, Shearer. Subs Not Used: Elliott, Harper, LuaLua, Ameobi. Booked: Dabizas. Goals: Jenas 18.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Mendy, N'Gotty, Bergsson, Barness, Charlton, Nolan (Facey 81), Frandsen (Campo 10), Gardner, Djorkaeff, Pedersen (Ricketts 67). Subs Not Used: Poole, Bulent. Booked: Bergsson, Campo.
Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
Guardian Service
