12 Months Ago - It Seems Like A Decade!

Antoine Sibierski put his friendship with Frederic Dindeleux to the test as Newcastle shattered Zulte Waregem's UEFA Cup dreams.

The former Lille team-mates have known each other since the age of eight, and Dindeleux was Sibierski's best man at his wedding.

However, Zulte's former Kilmarnock defender endured a nightmare, opening the scoring with a 47th-minute own goal and then seeing his close friend outpace him to wrap up victory with a stunning solo effort 14 minutes from time at the Jules Otten Stadium.

Obafemi Martins' 13th goal of the season from the penalty spot had put the Magpies in charge, and although they wobbled momentarily after Karel D'Haene had pulled a goal back, Sibierski took his tally for the Magpies to eight to send them into next Thursday night's second leg in pole position to claim a last 16 clash with either Fenerbahce or AZ Alkmaar.

Zulte coach Francky Dury and his players may have been less than impressed with Bulgarian referee Anton Genov's decision to award a penalty for goalkeeper Pieter Merlier's challenge on Damien Duff, but in truth, his side were well beaten.

Indeed, had the Magpies made the most of the opportunities which came their way before the break, they would have been home and dry in the tie.

Dury, a detective by trade, had admitted before the game it would be a major shock if his side's first European adventure continued beyond their clash with Newcastle, saying: "If we had their reserves, we would be a top team in Belgium."

Opposite number Glenn Roeder nevertheless insisted as he and his players headed for Belgium that they would not take their unfashionable opponents lightly, but they should really have had the game, and perhaps the tie, wrapped up by half-time.

The Belgian Cup holders were neat and tidy in possession and nothing if not hard working, but they surrendered a series of chances to their opponents inside the opening 45 minutes which should have proved fatal.

That they survived to the break without conceding was simply a matter of poor finishing as the Magpies, without ever hitting their best form, failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Leading scorer Martins was the main culprit, firing hopelessly wide on 25 minutes after being played in by Kieron Dyer and then saw Merlier save his effort from point-blank range on the stroke of half-time.

James Milner and Duff had earlier missed the target after working themselves into promising shooting positions, and while Dyer did make the keeper work to preserve his clean sheet after Martins returned the favour with 29 minutes gone, he should really have done better.

Zulte, who included four part-timers in their starting line-up, created little at the other end, although they had appeals for a 29th-minute penalty turned down by Genov after Tony Sergeant's effort struck Steven Taylor's hand.

However, keeper Steve Harper did not have a single shot to save during the opening 45 minutes with his defenders rarely in any real trouble.

The deadlock was finally broken within 90 seconds of the restart, although the Magpies needed a helping hand from their opponents to beat Merlier.

Nolberto Solano picked out Dyer's intelligent run and when he drove the ball across goal, Dindeleux deflected the ball into his own net.

Martins hit the outside of the post from a narrow angle and then blasted wide from distance as the Magpies stepped up a gear, and he finally got his reward on 59 minutes.

Duff's surging run into the box came to an end when he went down under Merlier's challenge, and although replays showed there was minimal contact, the referee pointed to the spot.

Martins, who had handed spot-kick duties over to Solano after missing at Everton in December, took charge and sent the keeper the wrong way with his left foot.

Newcastle sensed a chance to get the job done and set up camp in Zulte territory, but the game changed on 68 minutes when the home side grabbed a lifeline.

Midfielder D'Haene climbed to meet Loris Reina's free-kick and glance a header past Harper to give his side hope, and then forced Shay Given's deputy to tip a long-range piledriver over the bar three minutes later.

But Sibierski restored order 14 minutes from time with a brilliant individual goal, mesmerising Dindeleux and Stefan Leleu before rounding Merlier to pass the ball into the empty net.