NEWCASTLE UTD 1 REAL SOCIEDAD 0
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Krul; Janmaat (Armstrong, 84), Williamson (S Taylor, 67), Coloccini (Yanga-Mbiwa, 67), Haidara (Dummett, 59); Sissoko, Anita (Abeid, 67), Colback (Obertan, 59), Gouffran (Aarons, 46); Cabella (Ferreyra, 74); Riviere Perez. Sub not used: Alnwick.
REAL SOCIEDAD: Rulli; C Martinez, Gonzalez, I Martinez, Berchiche; Granero, Bergara, Canales; Agirretxe, Prieto, Castro.
Attendance: 19,188
Moussa Sissoko
History has shown us Newcastle United's pre-season results don't mean a lot when it comes to form when the campaign starts, but it is always nice to end the friendlies with a win.
And that happened today, when French international Moussa Sissoko ensured Newcastle United’s pre-season campaign ended on a high.
Sissoko scored the only goal of this afternoon’s final friendly against Real Sociedad three minutes from time at a rain soaked St James’s Park.
Less than 20,000 made the journey, although the rain must have put many off, or those intending to pay at the gate anyway.
Those who stayed away missed NOTHING! It was one of those games when getting through the fixture without injuries was always the priority.
Entertainment was not what we got.
Newcastle’s only other real chance fell to defender Mike Williamson, but visiting goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was equal to his second-half header.
The game saw applause in the 17th minute in memory of United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney who lost their lives on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 on their way to watch Newcastle in New Zealand last month.
Pardew, without injured duo Cheik Tiote and Siem de Jong, handed full home debuts to Remy Cabella, Jack Colback, Emmanuel Riviere and Daryl Janmaat.
Neither side took the game by the scruff of the neck in the first half, which was poor (at best).
Cabella, handed a free role behind lone striker Emmanuel Riviere, was lively when he got on the ball, but he didn’t do anything with it. All fur coat and no knickers, if you get my drift.
At the other end, Imanol Agirretxe had a couple of half chances for Sociedad, but made nothing of them.
Pardew replaced Gouffran with man of the moment Rolando Aarons at the break.
Colback had a shot blocked early in the second half, and Aarons saw a weak shot deflected wide.
But Newcastle almost got a breakthrough in the 60th minute, when Williamson forced a fine save from Rulli with a header from a Cabella corner.
The game looked destined to end goalless when substitute Gabriel Obertan crossed from the right.
Sissoko was at the far post to drill a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
It was a very forgettable match, but the players came through it OK, and that is probably a major relief to Pardew.
Following Newcastle is what it is all about, but let's be honest ... the real winners were probably those who stayed away.