UEFA Cup third round, first leg: Valerenga 1; Newcastle United 1: Coventry City's one and only appearance in European competition came 33 seasons ago but there was reason for some sky blue thinking on the Continent last night.
In Craig Bellamy and Runar Normann, Coventry had two former team-mates on the scoresheet. Normann's goal may have meant more to him personally but Bellamy's fifth goal of an injury-riven season was important for Newcastle.
Bellamy's was a precise, volleyed finish which had Newcastle ahead at half-time, but Valerenga showed surprising fitness, given that this is their pre-season, and Normann's 54th-minute headed equaliser was well deserved.
Normann joined Coventry five years ago for £1 million but made only 15 appearances over three years and left for Brann Bergen. This was his Valerenga debut and manager Kjetil Rekdal was pleased he had taken a chance on a player he described as "a little rebellious" - not unlike Bellamy.
Against low-grade but determined opposition the Welshman's was the brightest part of an average performance from Bobby Robson's side. But the draw and away goal should mean that Newcastle seize Wednesday's second leg to progress to the fourth round. Having said that, Newcastle will take nothing for granted; the memory of the home defeat by West Brom in the League Cup last October is still there.
Alan Shearer and Laurent Robert were left on the bench last night. Both will expect to start next week to ensure Newcastle go through and both are now well rested for Sunday's trip to Portsmouth in the Premiership.
But Shearer was not happy. He said he was "surprised, angry and very disappointed to be there. I've played there once in the last 10 days."
The annoyance is understandable but there was logic to Robson's decision. "We were better first half and one or two of our players thought the game was over at half-time," Robson said. "It wasn't, and they made it uncomfortable for us. They were in control. "We have a big game on Sunday (at Portsmouth) and I wanted our big players fresh."
Shola Ameobi partnered Bellamy, though it was the Welshman on his own causing disruption in the Valerenga defence. It was his third consecutive start since recovering from his knee operation and his goal was his third in those games.
Before any Bellamy endeavour, however, Valerenga had their only shot of the first half. Freddy dos Santos, referred to as "Valerenga's Alan Shearer" locally, had it in the seventh minute, a diagonal volley which Shay Given was at full stretch to push aside.
Newcastle settled after that, Darren Ambrose and Bellamy using their speed to effect. Ambrose tested goalkeeper Oyvind Bolthof in the 23rd minute and then Gary Speed sent a powerful header inches wide from Bellamy's cross.
When Speed had another effort cleared off the line by David Hanssen six minutes before half-time, Newcastle attacked again from the rebound. Hugo Viana, otherwise peripheral, floated in a centre which Bellamy met first time on the volley. From 12 yards the ball was speared into the bottom corner.
That should have been that, but Valerenga upped the tempo in the second half and Newcastle struggled, particularly in midfield. Ardian Gashi, the only home player near the Norway international squad, began to dribble the ball and Hanssen lent support to the front.
Ten minutes after the interval Gashi beat Viana in a tackle - "They didn't miss tackles, we did," said Robson - and fed the ball to the right, where David Brocken was waiting. Brocken's cross was directed to the far post where Normann climbed above Aaron Hughes to nod past Given.
VALERENGA: Bolthof, Brocken, Hagen, Dos Santos, Kjetil Rekdal, Berre, Hovi (Edvardsen 24), Gashi, Hanssen, Normann (Ovrebo 82), Daniel Fredheim Holm, Edvardsen (Krogstad 88). Subs Not Used: Hjulstad, Bohinen, Lund. Booked: Hanssen. Goals: Normann 54.
NEWCASTLE UTD: Given, O'Brien, Jenas, Bellamy, Speed, Ambrose (Dyer 51), Hughes, Bramble, Ameobi (Bridges 73), Bernard, Viana (Robert 74). Subs Not Used: Harper, Elliott, Shearer, Taylor. Booked: Bernard. Goals: Bellamy 39.
Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland).
