Match Report from NUFC.com mackems 2 Crystal Palace 1 (4-4 on aggregate, Palace win 5-4 on pens) Newcastle fans woke up this morning, nursing aching sides, presented with something of a dilemma; was Crystal Palace's triumph at the Stadium of Plight as good as Charlton's at Wembley or Gillingham's at Joker Park? It's a difficult one. The script last night must have been penned in black and white such was it's hilarity for watching Mags. With minutes to go Palace were reduced to ten men and the home side began to celebrate a trip to Cardiff as they led 4-3 on aggregate. But then, 52 seconds into injury time up pops sub Darren Powell to head a corner goalwards, the ball crossing the line in comical fashion off mackem Robinson. TV replays then showed a fantastic sneaky foul on keeper Poom by Palace's Shipperley. It should have been disallowed.... So 10-man Palace comfortably glided through the 30 minutes of extra-time, with the visitor's midfielder, Michael Hughes, staying on the pitch after clearly scraping his studs down the back of Jason McAteer. Oster then missed the inbred's first penalty - the ball hitting the inside of the post and only staying out by the narrowest of margins. Shame. Palace then wasted their first chance of glory by missing the last of the ten kicks - 4-4 - renewed hope for the home side. Up stepped McAteer to scuff a horrible Michael Gray-like penalty before collapsing head-in-hands. But Palace missed again as Poom leapt around in demented fashion. Jeff Whitley then emulated our very own Jermaine Jenas with an absolutely delicious shimmy and weak chip that Palace keeper Vaesen had time to throw his cap on. Hughes - who shouldn't have been on the pitch, remember - then hammered in the winner. Magic. SkySports showed fabulous footage of bubbling mackem bints (and McAteer), McCarthy hoofing over innocent water bottles and cavorting Palace players clad in their 1970s toonish away kit of sky blue shorts and yellow tops. And watching it all from the director's box was Sir Bobby Robson, who somehow managed to keep a straight face. Oh and rows of empty seats as the great unwashed voted with their hooves and stopped in their caves - 34,536 was very far from the sellout hoped for by the rabble-rousers.
