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Newcastle's pitiful attempt at qualifying again for European football's top table last season brought the return of the underrated golden nugget into our consciousness again. The early round of the Carabao Cup.
Since the takeover, the key to us having a good season isn't determined by our transfer windows or managerial decisions, It's whether we wriggle through a cup tie in the school summer holidays.
Wriggle through was just about what we did tonight.
Nothing ever associated with Newcastle United is ever going to be easy, and though on the whole tonight we always had that little bit too much for a stubborn West Bromwich Albion side, the old ghosts of taking our eye off the ball still ghouled around St James’ while we also had possibly the strangest last ten minutes from a referee I've ever seen.
Throw in a £50m signing introducing himself on the pitch before hand (the announcer said his name 365 times in 30 seconds just in case you didn't know), and also throw in the fact Newcastle will be a good watch for both good and bad this season, and it was well worth the Carabao cup scheme money coming out just before the last pay day.
The City of Newcastle, despite the threat of storms coming up in the last few days, was hanging on to summer like someone losing an arm wrestle. The rare sort of night when you'd contemplate just the t-shirt, rather than be dressed like you are visiting the arctic circle and once in the ground the air of expectancy could be described as not in the same league as Sunday but looking down at the AirMalta cup and pointing.
United put a really strong team out. Jaissle stuck to his word and preached to the masses that the way for a new group of players under a new coach to get used to each other is to actually play in games.
One of the beneficiaries of Sunday was Joe Willock and it wasn't long before he cracked a shot just over. It looked closer than it possibly was. All this pleasant summer evening lark was blown away just before the twenty minute mark when West Brom took the lead, however.
Isaac Price, fresh from scoring two goals on Sunday, was expected to throw a ball into the mixer, but instead he caught out Jaouen completely by curling around the wall and into the net at the far post. Neither wall or goalkeeper covered themselves in any glory if we are honest and Albion were ahead. The split second silence before the roar of the away fans just reminds you how far they are away from the Gallowgate end.
At this stage we had a problem on our hands. Woltemade and Murphy were on the end of some stick for pretty limp performances. Steur on the other hand was dropping into the centre half position and taking the ball off Botman and picking passes.
One of those started the move to a very welcome equaliser. The ball found Dedić on the right and his flirt of a cross was finished by Bazoumana Touré, Touré going down the Barnes route of not doing much except scoring. He didn't reappear after half time.
Newcastle's super new scoreboards didn't tell you who had scored the goal, just reminded you (In capitals) “ USE THE RIGHT BINS FOR YOUR REUSABLE CUP”. It was the talk of the toilets at half time.
Jaissle looks like he will change things any time if he thinks that it's not happening and we won't have to wait for that set in concrete 62nd-68th minute substitution hinterland we did under Howe. Barnes was on at half time.
To say the impact was immediate was bang on. Barnes lashed in after the ball pinballed around the 18 yard box. After getting sick of all the ‘oohs and aahs’ Barnes almost apologetically put the ball in to save us messing around anymore. Newcastle were ahead on 48 minutes and it looked at that point like we could go to town on them.
Despite us looking menacing going forward, we looked equally susceptible on the occasions when Albion did push men forward. They seemed to exploit the gaps when they flooded the midfield. This meant the game always hung in the balance, whilst not being stuck on a cliff edge.
This jeopardy of us not putting the game to bed, despite chances for Willock and Elanga, really came home to roost on 77 minutes. Whitwell hit a hopeful cross into the box. The Albion fans immediately cried for handball as Hall defended it and it was instantly given.
More penalty anguish for Hall as Price stepped up to coolly leave Jaouen (just booked for having a drink) nowhere. 2-2. Game on again.
We roared back into the ascendency after the goal. Hall cracked the woodwork while Wissa, who entered with Miley and Elanga on 65 minutes missed a good chance also.
It's maybe too contrived to say we probably would have lost this game last year, but tonight that was never on the cards as we scored at great times. The killer third goal was a punch in the guts too many for Albion and it was Barnes again who got it, a nice little finish from Dedic’s cross which flew low and hard past Ingram who had only just finished the most blatant bit of timewasting.
The referee then took over with some decisions which fluctuated between wild and unbelievable. The highlight was Elanga and Woltemade both being taken out, but not even a free kick given and a complete loss of grip of a pretty stable football match which descended into chaos.
After SIX minutes injury time the whistle was blown and players from both sides rugby tackled each other to get to Madeley first. Jaissle came on as a peacemaker only to fool us all and have a go at him as well. You have to say I like this. Everyone else might hate him, which is great for us.
Pros: We are through; Steur and Dedić look players; Botman did well again and the high press is back, back, back.
Cons: Woltemade improved as the game went on but still looked lost at times and we looked very open when the opposition got at us.
So on to the Den then, and that will be a tough game in the next round. For now lets bask in the glory of the magnificent return of the Carabao early rounds and the fact that Harvey Barnes is still the only one who can finish at the club.
We got there in the end. You didn't think it was going to be easy did you ?
**Scott Robson**