Football story by Fred Smith, Mon, 20 Feb 2006 01:04:00 GMT


Kieron Dyer guided Newcastle United into the FA Cup quarterfinals as the Magpies overcame Southampton 1-0 at St James' Park yesterday. Newcastle's caretaker manager Glenn Roeder was forced to make some changes in the side as Alan Shearer is injured, so Dyer got his first start at the club since August.

And Dyer repaid the faith as he flicked Charles N'Zogbia's through pass into the net after the break on 68 minutes. Earlier in the first half Newcastle wasted plenty of chances as Shola Ameobi found the Saints' keeper Bartosz Bialkowski tough to beat. Jean-Alain Boumsong and Ameobi came close again, but their shots hit the bars rather than the back off the net.

For Southampton, Kenwyne Jones came very close to scoring, but his shot went just wide, while Peter Madsen hit the crossbar on one occasion. Nolberto Solano could have put the Magpies into the lead, but Bialkowski saved his shot as well. After the break, Newcastle went on the attack from the very beginning and earned rich rewards as Dyer put them through.

Kieron Dyer was very pleased with his goal, "The goal meant a lot to me, it felt so good just to be back out on the pitch. There was a lot of frustration coming out when I was celebrating the goal," he said. "All credit to Southampton, they played really well in the second half and we could have gone behind. But Charles N'Zogbia played me in and it went in."

Southampton manager George Burley said that his side deserved at least a draw, "In the first half we defended for our lives, but after the break we were the better team and created four or five great chances without taking any," he said. "They were top-class chances too and you'll get punished against a team like this - you have to take one of them."

Match Details
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Newcastle: Given, Ramage, Bramble, Boumsong, Elliott, Solano, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia, Dyer (Bowyer 76), Ameobi (Luque 70).
Goals: Dyer 68.

Southampton: Bialkowski, Ostlund, Powell, Lundekvam (Potter 45), Brennan, Cranie, Wright, Jones (Blackstock 76), Oakley, Pahars (Dyer 45), Madsen.

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