NEWCASTLE UTD: Harper, Carr, Taylor, Bramble, Babayaro, Duff,Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia, Luque, Milner.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Solano, Butt, Ramage, Huntington, Pattison, O'Brien.
FK VENTSPILS: Vanins, Kacanovs, Ndjoumek-Ndeki, Gorkss,Pokarynin, Vukovic, Dubensky, Bicka, Zizilevs,Rimkus (Stukalinas 90), Kolefnicenko (Kosmacovs 86).
Subs Not Used: Davidovs, Soleicuks, Sokolskis, Goncars, Lazdins.
30,498 fans turned up to watch Newcastle edge their way into the first round of the UEFA Cup. Although the team got the result and put in a workmanlike performance, the lack of a class striker only confirmed what those 30,000 Toon fans knew before the match.
Shay Given had warned his team-mates that Latvian outfit Ventspils had nothing to lose, and although they were hardly a team that got out of first gear, they frustrated the crowd and Glenn Roeder's players.
Prior to the match Given said: "At 1-0, it's still very much open. They have nothing to lose. They will be coming maybe expected to be beaten, so they will come all guns blazing to try to get a result. It's up to us to make sure that does not happen."
As it happens, Given played no part and Steve Harper took over the gloves, but luckily Newcastle completed their convoluted journey into the UEFA Cup proper despite being shut out by the Latvian minnows.
On another night, the Magpies might have run up a cricket score against Roman Grigorchuk's men, but a combination of the woodwork, poor finishing and keeper Andris Vanins kept them at bay as they had to make do with the single goal they scored in Riga a fortnight ago.
After starting their season in the Intertoto Cup on July 15, Newcastle - who paraded new £10million signing Obafemi Martins on the pitch before kick-off - have achieved their first aim for the season. They will be in the hat when the draw for the first round of the competition is made in Monaco tomorrow, and by the closure of the transfer window next week, hope to have further new faces in the squad.
James Milner came closest to breaking the deadlock with an 81st-minute free-kick which hit the bar, but with Ventspils not mustering a single credible effort on goal, the game - the Magpies' 12th without defeat - was a virtual procession.
The home fans even had time to voice several choruses of "There's only one Bobby Robson" a day after the club's former manager underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour.
Goalkeeper Steve Harper, starting his first game in more than a year, could have brought a deck chair, so uncomplicated was his first 45 minutes. Yet for all the pressure they exerted on the visitors, it took the Magpies 38 minutes to force Vanins to make a genuine save. With seven minutes of the half remaining, Emre fired in a long-range effort which Vanins fumbled around the post, and N'Zogbia and Milner both had shots saved in quick succession.
Defender Titus Bramble almost broke the deadlock on 54 minutes, then Luque missed with the goal yawning, and Emre tested Vanins once again with a well-struck 30-yard effort.
Luque missed another sitter when he couldn't keep his header down, and Vanins was helpless as a Milner free-kick bounced down off the crossbar and ran safe.