Magpies great Dane terrorises Plymouth

DESIRABLE or distracting? Either way, Newcastle United are in the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a replay win over Plymouth that was both comprehensive and clinical, if potentially counter-productive.

The Magpies will travel to West Brom in a week-and-a-half’s time, five days after they face the same opponents in the league.

Chris Hughton will be in no doubt as to which game he would rather win, and on the evidence of last night’s sparse St James’ Park attendance, it appears as though the club’s supporters are in agreement with him.

Only 15,805 made it through the gate, making it the lowest domestic attendance since a League Cup tie against Mansfield in 1992. So much for the romance of the cup.

Those that made it through the turnstiles will have gone home happy though after witnessing a one-sided encounter that extended Newcastle’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 matches.

Such success is not to be sniffed at, even if an FA Cup run is of minimal importance in comparison to guaranteeing promotion to the Premier League this season.

It can hardly do any harm to have a striker in form either, and Peter Lovenkrands’ first hat-trick in English football will have given Hughton considerable cause for thought as he ponders his selection for Monday’s Championship promotion clash with the Baggies.

Having waited patiently for a chance to cement a place in the side, try telling Lovenkrands that last night’s game was an irrelevance.

The Dane might not have been the marquee signing some supporters had hoped for last summer, but he has never let the Magpies down when he has been called upon.

Indeed, his presence in an attacking quartet that also includes Andy Carroll, Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger means it will hardly be a crisis if Newcastle fail to prise Jermaine Beckford from Leeds United this month.

Lovenkrands was not the only player to have benefited from last night’s encounter as the likes of Steven Taylor, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan also gained some much-needed match practice after last weekend’s postponed persuaded Hughton to name a much stronger side that he would have envisaged ten days earlier.

It was certainly a much stronger side than the one he selected at Plymouth and, by half-time, the Magpies were effectively home and hosed as Lovenkrands and Jonas Gutierrez combined to secure a two-goal lead.

Both players had been ineffective second-half substitutes in the original tie at Home Park, but both players displayed subtlety and skill as Newcastle took less than 45 minutes to put the replay to bed.

The opener came in the tenth minute, with Gutierrez surging down the left flank and slipping a precise through ball between full-back Karl Duguid and centre-half Kari Arnason.

Lovenkrands took advantage, displaying commendable composure to chip a precise first-time finish into the roof of the net.

That was the Dane’s third goal of the season, and the fourth came five minutes before the interval as Newcastle ensured their first-half superiority would be adequately reflected in the scoreline.

Gutierrez was the supplier again, delivering a teasing cross from the left, and while Lovenkrands’ glanced header appeared to be straight at Romain Larrieu, it boasted sufficient strength to prevent the Plymouth goalkeeper from keeping it out of the net.

The Dane’s second goal afforded the Magpies some breathing space, and ensured they were not forced to rue earlier misses from Carroll and Kevin Nolan.

Carroll headed Ryan Taylor’s 18th-minute cross into the side netting from a decent position at the back post, before Nolan scooped a 12-yard effort high over the crossbar after Lovenkrands’ vision had left him in space in the box.

Carroll was a thorn in Plymouth’s side all night, with his strength and positioning enabling him to win a succession of headers and flicks that helped create space for the likes of Lovenkrands.

With the old-fashioned striker becoming something of an endangered species in the top-flight, it is easy to see why the likes of West Ham and Wolves have been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old this month.

But for Carroll to realise his full potential, his finishing has to improve. The slashed shot he fired over the crossbar shortly after the half-hour mark confirmed that his finishing ability, particularly on the ground, remains incommensurate with other aspects of his game.

The same criticism could be levelled at Gutierrez, and the Argentine narrowly failed to claim the goal his lively displayed merited when he flashed a low drive past the post midway through the second half.

Thankfully, there was still time for Lovenkrands to show his team-mate how it should be done as he claimed Newcastle’s first FA Cup hat-trick since Paul Kitson struck three times against Swansea in 1995.

Nolan’s cross from the right evaded the Pilgrims defence, and Lovenkrands swivelled adroitly before firing a crisp half-volley past Larrieu from the heart of the penalty box.

Match facts

Goals: Lovenkrands (1-0, 10; 2-0, 40; 3-0, 72)

Referee: Andy D’Urso (Billericay) 6

Attendance: 15,805

Entertainment: ✰✰✰

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Krul 6; R Taylor 6, Coloccini 7, S Taylor 6, Enrique 7; Pancrate 5 (Guthrie 71), Butt 6 (Ranger 75), Nolan 6, Gutierrez 8; Carroll 6, LOVENKRANDS 9 (Donaldson 90). Subs (not used): Harper (gk), Tozer, Ferguson, Ameobi.

PLYMOUTH (4-4-2): Larrieu 4; Duguid 4, Arnason 5, Barker 5 (McNamee 76), Sawyer 4; Judge 4 (Sheridan 60, 5), Summerfield 5, Fletcher 5, Clark 4; FALLON 6, Barnes 5 (Wright-Phillips 60, 4). Subs (not used): Saxton (gk), Noone, Gow, Folly.

MAN OF THE MATCH: PETER

Lovenkrands – Made it five goals in nine starts with his first hat-trick in Newcastle colours.