No room for Bellamy as Magpies look to future

Flanked by chairman Freddy Shepherd on his right, there was certainly no way the prime place in the Milburn Stand was being left open for a certain Craig Bellamy. In fact the next time the Welshman is likely to return to the ground where he was, and still is, worshipped by supporters is with another club.

After being told he was never going to play under Souness again, Bellamy uncharacteristically chose not to stoke an already flaming fire and decided against taking up his allocation inside St James' Park to see his former club visit Tyneside.

But while the 25-year-old was nowhere to be seen as he headed for Birmingham to discuss a £6m move away from his 'beloved' Newcastle, his omnipresence could be felt by everyone who had turned up to see a Bellamy-less Magpies.

Ironically the frighteningly quick striker was part of the last Coventry side that had visited Newcastle in January 2001.

That day Sir Bobby Robson's side recorded a comfortable 3-1 victory and Bellamy delivered a performance, although he missed three clear cut chances, that played a large part in persuading the former England coach to gamble £6m on a player with untapped potential aplenty.

But also on that Saturday afternoon there was a man-of-the-match display from Kieron Dyer in the Newcastle midfield and, almost exactly four years on, he turned in another performance of equal dynamism when the Sky Blues visited this time around.

In a weird twist of fate, at the start of this campaign it was Dyer at the centre of the club's first crisis of the season when he refused to play right-midfield under Robson - had that been disciplinarian Souness in charge then things may have turned out differently.

But the England midfielder, now the only Newcastle player who possesses anything like Bellamy's drive and speed, showed against Coventry how important he is to Souness's cause.

"Kieron has not put a foot wrong since I have been here and he was excellent again," said the Scot, knowing Dyer still has to work hard to keep the fans on his side following his controversial start to the campaign.

"If you are a supporter you want to see players having a go for you. He has been really good for me and he has done that in every game he has played. I hope he has won over the fans, I really do hope so. There are not many like Kieron Dyer around. There aren't. We have to keep all the top men at the club."

A major flaw of Dyer's game over the years has been his lack of goals, highlighted by just the one this term and that came at Blackburn on Boxing Day.

"He does have to score more goals and we have told him that," said Souness. "I played with one of the best attacking midfielders in the game at Liverpool and he is now working with me. Terry McDermott never got less than 20 in a season and he will be blowing in Kieron's ear telling him how wonderful he was as a player.

"But Kieron has a great deal more to his game than pace. He is a cute little player. He works his socks off and he worked hard to retrieve it for us. I'm very happy with him."

A new pitch and, providing a deal can be completed for Bellamy today, a new start as Souness finally looks to draw a line under everything that has gone on over the past week.

Saturday's success was welcomed by a receptive crowd just happy to see Newcastle's passage secured into round five of the FA Cup - albeit against a side battling the drop into League One.

But as well as Dyer's contribution there were plenty of other encouraging signs. Both Alan Shearer and Shola Ameobi scored, while Patrick Kluivert surely will in time having started for the first time in six weeks.

Full-back Celestine Babayaro's adventurous play down the left excites and the early signs of Amdy Faye's £2m arrival look encouraging after playing things simple and breaking up play in an effective debut.

"Amdy had an excellent game but he should have. It will be harder in the Premiership," said Souness. "He had a lot of the ball and he was there at the right time when we lost it. That's why we bought him, to be a defensive midfielder. It's vital having someone doing that job."

Coventry's task was always going to be difficult but it was made even harder when striker Andy Morrell's return to the city - he made a name for himself with Blue Star in the Northern League - ended when he injured ligaments just 40 seconds in.

Newcastle had many opportunities to break the deadlock before they actually did but wayward finishing - from Kluivert - and fine goalkeeping from Luke Steele - as he saved Babayaro and Jermaine Jenas efforts - kept the score goalless.

That was until Jenas, enjoying a more attacking role following the arrival of Faye, broke free down the left and picked Shearer out on the edge of the area. The club talisman took a touch before firing low into Steele's bottom right corner to give the home side a deserved lead on 37 minutes.

It was Shearer's 20th FA Cup goal in a black and white shirt and he is now just three behind legendary Jackie Milburn's 48-year-old record tally for the club in the competition.

Just five minutes later Ameobi proved he is out to make the most of Bellamy's absence when he scored his third goal in six games.

After dispossessing Stuart Giddings on the touch-line, the forward's trickery sent Dean Leacock the wrong way and Ameobi's low left foot strike crept inside Steele's near post.

Dele Adebola's header, from Stephen Hughes' corner, offered Coventry a glimmer of hope on the cusp of half-time but Babayaro's first goal for Newcastle, after skipping between Richard Duffy and Michael Doyle, cemented victory.

It could and should have been more but Kluivert headed against the bar from close range, after a neat move involving Titus Bramble, Dyer and Shearer.

Nevertheless, for 90 minutes at least, the Bellamy saga was brushed to one side - all eyes now will be focused on maintaining the status quo for the trip to Manchester City on Wednesday.

l Newcastle's game at Fulham on February 12 has been postponed - the date clashing with the Cottagers FA Cup fourth round replay against Derby.

Result: Newcastle United 3 Coventry City 1.

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