2008/9 COVENTRY 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 3
COVENTRY: Marshall, Hall, Ward, Dann, Fox, Beuzelin (Doyle 63),Mifsud, Gunnarsson, Tabb (Simpson 88), McKenzie (Gray 74),Morrison. Subs Not Used: Ireland, Turner, Thornton, Clarke.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique,Milner, Geremi (Owen 75), Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Gutierrez.. Subs Not Used: Harper, Taylor, Edgar, Tozer, Donaldson, Ranger.
Att: 19,249
Michael Owen calmly slotted home an extra-time winner as Newcastle finally disposed of Coventry in a pulsating Carling Cup tie.
Other than Owen, no-one of a Newcastle persuasion, player, coach, owner or fan, would have taken even a perverse pleasure from Scott Dann's stoppage-time leveller to send the game into extra-time.
But for Owen, introduced as a substitute near the end, it represented another 30 minutes fitness and, more importantly, another opportunity to score.
And the England forward duly obliged, speeding past a static Coventry defence and chipping Andy Marshall to give the Magpies a victory early efforts from Charles N'Zogbia and James Milner should have given them without the extra effort.
Given his key talks with owner Mike Ashley tomorrow that should plot a way forward for the Tyneside giants, Keegan might have seen positives and negatives in the way his team performed for the vast majority of the contest.
The two goals they did score could easily have been doubled without much effort. And this from a team without a recognised striker.
Yet pleased as Keegan must have been with the performance of his side, it overshadowed some basic home truths.
Against Coventry, a limited side for all their hustle and bustle, the Magpies looked good.
Against teams from the top half of the Barclays Premier League they will struggle.
The carnage at the end of each half merely exposed such shortcomings and the damage could really have been bad if extra-time had brought more Sky Blues joy rather than a string of agonising near misses.
Keegan has made no secret of the fact he is looking for at least one more defender, a midfielder and a striker before the transfer window closes next Monday.
Yet for all the talk of signings, there is as much speculation about those who may leave.
James Milner figures high on that list, with Aston Villa keen to tie up a deal for the England Under-21 international.
On this form though, Newcastle could do with him.
A constant thorn in Coventry's side it was hardly a surprise Milner should play a major role in both Newcastle's goals.
The first came as a result of Milner's burst of pace down the left, which caught Coventry napping, allowing the former Leeds man to send a low cross towards the near post which Charles N'Zogbia, without a goal since last September, to squeeze home.
Milner scored the second himself, although it was hardly one of his finest as Marshall's hesitation allowed the cross-shot to skip through the Coventry defence and into the far corner.
Badly outclassed, Coventry looked ripe for a hammering.
But a couple of outstanding interventions from Dann, the second of which left Milner with his head in his hands, kept Newcastle in reach.
And when Jay Tabb failed to collect Clinton Morrison's square pass, the ball bounced back to the Republic of Ireland hit-man, whose well-struck shot hit the net just as the stadium announcer was confirming one additional minute to be added on.
If Marshall was at fault for the visitors second, he redeemed himself immediately after the restart with a fine block to deny Milner before Danny Guthrie fired wildly over.
The former Bolton man thought his next effort was going in before it cannoned wide off Marcus Hall midway through the second period, Newcastle again dominant even though their lead was precarious.
Owen's introduction for Geremi eventually came 15 minutes from time in a bid to quell the head of steam Coventry were starting to build up.
The move appeared to have worked.
But Newcastle could not survive one more bomb from Aron Gunnarsson, whose long throws had been a problem all night.
And with the contest deep in injury time, Dann leapt highest to power the tie into an extra half hour. Little did the defender know it but he was playing right into Owen's hands.
Coventry came desperately close at the end through Robbie Simpson before Elliott Ward's header crashed back off the bar, kept trying until the end.
But Owen was the matchwinner, in an instant proving his worth to England, even if problems for club and country go far deeper.
NEWCASTLE UTD v COVENTRY CITY ... THE HISTORY ...
2004/2005 Sat 29 Jan Newcastle Utd. 3 - 1 Coventry City F.A. Cup
2000/2001 Sat 13 Jan Newcastle Utd. 3 - 1 Coventry City Premiership
Wed 06 Sep Coventry City 0 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1999/2000 Sat 29 Apr Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
Sat 16 Oct Coventry City 4 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1998/1999 Wed 17 Feb Newcastle Utd. 4 - 1 Coventry City Premiership
Sat 19 Sep Coventry City 1 - 5 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1997/1998 Sat 14 Mar Newcastle Utd. 0 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
Sat 08 Nov Coventry City 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1996/1997 Sat 15 Mar Newcastle Utd. 4 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
Tue 17 Dec Coventry City 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1995/1996 Sun 14 Jan Coventry City 0 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sat 19 Aug Newcastle Utd. 3 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
1994/1995 Sat 17 Dec Coventry City 0 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Wed 24 Aug Newcastle Utd. 4 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
1993/1994 Wed 23 Feb Newcastle Utd. 4 - 0 Coventry City Premiership
Sat 08 Jan Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Coventry City F.A. Cup
Wed 18 Aug Coventry City 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1988/1989 Sat 11 Feb Coventry City 1 - 2 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Sat 08 Oct Newcastle Utd. 0 - 3 Coventry City First Division
1987/1988 Sat 26 Mar Newcastle Utd. 2 - 2 Coventry City First Division
Sat 24 Oct Coventry City 1 - 3 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1986/1987 Sat 03 Jan Newcastle Utd. 1 - 2 Coventry City First Division
Sat 13 Sep Coventry City 3 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1985/1986 Sat 01 Feb Newcastle Utd. 3 - 2 Coventry City First Division
Mon 26 Aug Coventry City 1 - 2 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1984/1985 Wed 17 Apr Newcastle Utd. 0 - 1 Coventry City First Division
Sat 13 Oct Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1977/1978 Tue 04 Apr Coventry City 0 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Sat 24 Sep Newcastle Utd. 1 - 2 Coventry City First Division
1976/1977 Wed 23 Mar Newcastle Utd. 1 - 0 Coventry City First Division
Sat 16 Oct Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1975/1976 Sat 27 Mar Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Wed 28 Jan Newcastle Utd. 5 - 0 Coventry City F.A. Cup
Sat 24 Jan Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
Sat 06 Dec Newcastle Utd. 4 - 0 Coventry City First Division
1974/1975 Sat 14 Dec Coventry City 2 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Sat 17 Aug Newcastle Utd. 3 - 2 Coventry City First Division
1973/1974 Sat 09 Feb Newcastle Utd. 5 - 1 Coventry City First Division
Sat 22 Sep Coventry City 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1972/1973 Sat 10 Feb Newcastle Utd. 1 - 1 Coventry City First Division
Sat 16 Sep Coventry City 0 - 3 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1971/1972 Sat 08 Jan Newcastle Utd. 4 - 2 Coventry City First Division
Sat 28 Aug Coventry City 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1970/1971 Sat 01 May Coventry City 2 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Sat 26 Sep Newcastle Utd. 0 - 0 Coventry City First Division
1969/1970 Tue 14 Apr Newcastle Utd. 4 - 0 Coventry City First Division
Sat 22 Nov Coventry City 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1968/1969 Sat 29 Mar Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Coventry City First Division
Sat 07 Sep Coventry City 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd. First Division
1967/1968 Sat 20 Jan Coventry City 1 - 4 Newcastle Utd. First Division
Sat 16 Sep Newcastle Utd. 3 - 2 Coventry City First Division
1966/1967 Sat 28 Jan Coventry City 3 - 4 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
1964/1965 Sat 16 Jan Coventry City 5 - 4 Newcastle Utd. Second Division
Sat 12 Sep Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Coventry City Second Division
1947/1948 Sat 21 Feb Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Second Division
Sat 04 Oct Newcastle Utd. 0 - 0 Coventry City Second Division
1946/1947 Mon 16 Sep Coventry City 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Second Division
Wed 11 Sep Newcastle Utd. 3 - 1 Coventry City Second Division
1938/1939 Sat 04 Feb Newcastle Utd. 0 - 4 Coventry City Second Division
Sat 01 Oct Coventry City 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Second Division
1937/1938 Sat 12 Feb Coventry City 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Second Division
Sat 02 Oct Newcastle Utd. 1 - 2 Coventry City Second Division
1936/1937 Sat 13 Mar Newcastle Utd. 4 - 2 Coventry City Second Division
Sat 07 Nov Coventry City 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Second Division