Newcastle United clambered to the summit of the Coca-Cola Championship last night, a feat greeted with a combination of celebration and concern. Five league fixtures without defeat suggests that promotion is a feasible ambition this season and yet the atmosphere at the club remains febrile; a reluctant owner, no permanent manager and a size-zero first-team squad.
In the face of Mike Ashley’s inability to sell Newcastle, the uncertainty that continues to define them and the drain of players from St James’ Park, their sequence of results has been heartening, although every sentence connected with Newcastle should contain the word “but”.
With the list of players who have left Tyneside this summer stretching into double figures — Xisco yesterday joined Racing Santander on loan — Gallowgate has been transformed into a departure lounge. Only Danny Simpson has arrived on a temporary basis from Manchester United.
Newcastle’s fifth successive victory in all competitions was narrow and unspectacular. Leicester City proved solid and combative, but as in most of their games, it was a whisper of superior quality that proved the difference for Newcastle. Danny Guthrie scored the only goal after 52 minutes with a shot worthy of the Barclays Premier League.
That, of course, is the division that Newcastle have just left and have designs on returning to swiftly, yet Chris Hughton’s hands have been tied by Ashley’s desire to slash a crippling wage bill and the need to reduce their overdraft. With Shola Ameobi, Nicky Butt, Andy Carroll and Jon?s Guti?rrez injured, none of the substitutes against Leicester had made a league start for the club.
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Barry Moat, Newcastle’s prospective new owner, and Alan Shearer, his choice of manager, were again both in attendance, yet a positive resolution to the takeover saga feels distant. On the pitch and against all expectations, unloved players such as Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Jos? Enrique have come to prominence.
There were fruity chants aimed at Ashley and praise for Hughton, the interim manager, whose name was sung by supporters. There was the sight of Nile Ranger battling gamely alone in Newcastle’s attack, a midfield of Barton, Smith, G?r?mi and Guthrie persevering without pace.
“I believed this group of lads could show a desire to do well,” Hughton said. “I never felt we’d lack effort or conviction, but we didn’t know what we would be up against on a game by game basis. I’m pleasantly surprised. We’ve experienced a fair amount and they’re a tight and determined group.”
Hughton confirmed that Guti?rrez has a grade two hamstring strain that will keep him out for between “three or four weeks”, that Ameobi’s stress fracture will cause him to be absent “for a longer period than that and that’s a big blow”. He admitted that Peter Lovenkrands, who was released by the club at the end of last season, is “one we’ve been interested in”.
Fitness permitting, Hughton can lay claim to a strong side, but beyond that his resources are thin. They struggled for penetration and aside from a tame shot by Nolan and a claim for a penalty, when Wayne Brown handled the ball, Newcastle scarcely troubled Leicester in a sodden first half.
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Nigel Pearson’s side were less circumspect. Twice, Steve Harper was obliged to repel their advances, adroitly deflecting a firm header from Steve Howard, who rose sharply to meet Matt Oakley’s corner, and diving smartly to punch away a curling 25-yard free kick, delivered with panache by Paul Gallagher.
There could be no misinterpreting the quality of Guthrie’s strike. Assisted by Nolan and Ranger, the former Liverpool player shot superbly from 20 yards, bending his right boot behind the ball and smashing it with venom beyond Chris Weale. A crowd of almost 39,000 hardy souls was another illustration of Newcastle’s perennial potential; they have more to fear from their owner than this division.
Newcastle United (4-4-1-1): S Harper — R Taylor, S Taylor, D Simpson, J Enrique — G?r?mi, A Smith, J Barton (sub: T Kadar, 89min), D Guthrie (sub: R Donaldson, 85) — K Nolan — N Ranger (sub: H Vuckic, 86). Substitutes not used: T Krul, K LuaLua, W Ngo Baheng, B Tozer. Booked: Guthrie.
Leicester City (4-4-2): C Weale — R Neilson, W Brown, J Hobbs, B Berner — D N’Guessan (sub: N Adams, 90), R Wellens, M Oakley, P Gallagher (sub: L Dyer, 60) — S Howard, M Fryatt (sub: M Waghorn, 69). Substitutes not used: C Logan, R McGovern, M Morrison, A King. Booked: Berner.
Referee: N Swarbrick.