Newcastle United 2 Doncaster Rovers 1

Oct 25 2009 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

WHERE would Newcastle – and Mike Ashley and Chris Hughton, in particular – be without Kevin Nolan?

It’s a question few can have predicted would ever be asked, even at a club desperately short on answers.

What is certain is that Nolan’s injury-time winner – his eighth goal of a prolific season after a relegation fight to which he contributed nothing last term – revived United’s promotion bid Championship.

Would Ashley still be in situ had Nolan not come to life in recent weeks?

But for the Scouser’s 92nd-minute decider yesterday, would Hughton still be in line for promotion?

Who knows?

One other sure thing is that this victory did not speak all that much for a still unconvincing home side – and certainly not enough to vindicate the vow of silence they adopted afterwards.

Yes, Newcastle showed character. First, to recover from going behind a goal behind before half-time. Then, to sustain that Nolan-led late charge after Zurab Khizanishvili’s sending-off, six minutes from time.

But the truth is that this was a performance which generally justified the criticism which prompted Nolan and co to snub a section of the local press.

Courageous? Yes. Convincing? Anything but.

At times, most notably for a sustained period after Dean Shiels’ 18th-minute opener, United were a shambles.

Yet again, they improved markedly after the break, with Andy Carroll missing the mother of all sitters before making amends with a thumping equaliser midway through the second half.

But Ryan Taylor’s needless handball – for which he was spared by Martin Woods’ missed penalty – and Khizanishvili’s equally pointless dismissal epitomised the panic which too often drove a team living on its nerves.

And then there was Marlon Harewood, the pantomime villain come early.

Only after the hapless loanee had been mercilessly booed off did Newcastle raise much of a cheer.

No Fabricio Coloccini (again) and no Nile Ranger (again), but no Geremi . . . United’s teamsheet had both given and taken away.

But the upshot was a full league debut for Hungarian youngster Tamas Kadar alongside the tried, but far from trusted Khizanishvili in central defence.

And it took less than 20 minutes for the latest Magpie make do and mend policy to unravel.

Kadar hoofed a blind clearance straight to Newcastle old boy James Coppinger, who cleverly fed Billy Sharp into the space behind the centre-back.

And when Sharp pinged the ball across goal from the right-hand byline, Shiels crept in unnoticed at the far post to tap home.

It might have been rough justice on Kadar, but – as too often recently – the goal was a blow but not a shock.

Newcastle had struggled to get into gear from the off, with pass after pass misplaced, and the usual suspects a study in mediocrity.

Doncaster were not a great deal better, but Steve Harper had already had to palm away a Coppinger cross from danger, and was forced into a sprawling save by the same player soon after Shiels’ opener.

The scoreline apart, things got even worse.

Nolan and Khizanishvili exchanged words, Jonas Gutierrez hared down blind alleys, Carroll retreated deeper and deeper – to negative effect – and Harewood plumbed ever greater depths of ineptitude.

Increasingly, United’s back four opted for the long and aimless ball over doing business through a midfield several yards short of pedestrian.

It was worse than awful.