FK VENTSPILS 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 1
FK VENTSPILS: Vanins, Ndjoumek-Ndeki, Kaspars Gorkss, Kacanovs, Bicka, Zangareeb, Dubensky (Kosmacovs 90), Vukovic, Kolefnicenko (Pokarynin 84), Butriks, Slesarchuk (Zizilevs 16).
Subs Not Used: Davidovs, Sokolskis, Soleicuks, Stukalinas.
NEWCASTLE UTD: Given, Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro (Ramage 87), Solano (Milner 84), Emre (N'Zogbia 80), Duff, Parker, Butt, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Luque, Taylor, O'Brien.
This was a result that was earned through patience, sweat and toil, and a goal from unlikely hero Titus Bramble. And Glenn Roeder must be a happy man seeing his team carry out his instructions to the letter.
He said it was an attacking formation with three up front - Shola Ameobi in the middle with Nobby Solano and Damien Duff out wide - and he was going for the win. To a certain degree that was the outcome, but I'd be more pleased with the way every player was prepared to get behind when the situation called. Because this match didn't produce any wonder displays from anyone, but was a "team" performance to be proud of.
I've read the newspapers this morning, and as usual the London press (The Telegraph as always) say Newcastle were clueless, lacked imagination and were lucky to come away with anything. Personally I think this is what we have come to expect from a newspaper I wouldn't wipe my backside with! But it is all about opinions. They probably had the bulk of the story written before the match, and Titus probably ruined their headlines.
OK, it wasn't all Newcastle, and Bramble recovered from a nightmare start to emerge as the Toon's hero with a second-half winner. But every away tie in Europe has its problems. Ventspils may not have world class players are boast a strong pedigree, but the best Newcastle could do was win (which they did), and the worst .... well that was unthinkable.
When Igors Slesarcuks skated past Bramble with just five minutes on the clock and forced an outstanding one-handed save from Shay Given, the Bramble "adventure" was just starting. He was again rooted to the turf as Vladimirs Kolesnicenko rose between him and team-mate Celestine Babayaro to fire a 17th-minute header inches wide of the target, and the Toon Army gasped another sigh of relief.
But he put Ventspils to the sword when he charged in like an express train between two defenders and leapt to meet Emre's corner with a thunderous header in the 70th minute. And we can look back at what could have been, but that will surely be enough to see the Magpies past the Latvian league leaders in the second leg of this second qualifying round tie back at St James' Park in a fortnight's time.
Ridiculous defensive errors have cost United six goals in the last two pre-season games, both at SJP, and Roeder had to put it right. Especially as Newcastle have yet to play a league game this season and Ventspils can brag about an unbeaten domestic record with more than three-quarters of their season gone.
Emre tried a long-range effort which was almost deflected into his own net by Jean-Paul Ndjoumeck-Ndeki, and Scott Parker also had a shot knocked wide. But after riding their luck a little, Newcastle's best chance of the half fell in the 27th minute, moments after Duff's ball across the face of goal had not been met by any of the lurking front men.
The Magpies broke well from a Ventspils corner in the 57th minute with Solano setting Duff free down the right but the home defence got back well and forced Parker to screw his follow-up effort wide.
Duff was presenting more of a threat to the tiring Latvian legs down the left but Amoebi was always alone against a tough Ventspils central defensive pairing. But he battled away, an obvious threat that took two or three players out of the game watching him.
But Bramble came up trumps to surely make the second leg a mere formality.