For Birmingham Fans Only!
Last updated : 08 December 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor
But we have been hammered by Birmingham fans for, as one gentleman put it ... "misleading the Newcastle fans".
I'm sure ALL Newcastle fans remember the FA Cup tie last season, which we pushed under the bed.
But, due to pressure from the Brummies, here it is.
If you are a Geordie, look away now!
NEWCASTLE UTD 1 BIRMINGHAM CITY 5
NEWCASTLE: Given, Solano, Taylor, Ramage, Huntington, Milner, Dyer, Butt, Pattison (O'Brien 57), Sibierski (Carroll 80), Martins.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Edgar, LuaLua.
BIRMINGHAM: Maik Taylor, N'Gotty, Martin Taylor, Upson, Sadler, McSheffrey (Kilkenny 88), Larsson (Danns 86), Muamba (Nafti 82), Johnson, Campbell, Jerome.
Subs Not Used: Doyle, Gray.
Att: 26,099
Woeful Newcastle imploded at St James' Park as Birmingham deservedly claimed a Barclays Premiership scalp to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
The Coca-Cola Championship leaders raced into a 2-0 lead by the break as Gary McSheffrey's fifth-minute strike and a Nolberto Solano own goal gave them the advantage their superiority warranted.
Glenn Roeder's men briefly gave themselves a lifeline on 56 minutes when Milner drilled home a 25-yard shot, only for defender Steven Taylor to depart within a minute for a professional foul on DJ Campbell.
Bruno N'Gotty took full advantage when he blasted home his side's third when Sebastian Larsson's blocked free-kick fell nicely for him.
The on-loan Arsenal youngster added a fourth goal in the 83rd minute and Campbell netted a fifth at the death.
Chairman Freddy Shepherd, who had earlier praised the efforts of the club's youngsters, sat stony-faced in the directors' box having witnessed the most embarrassing defeat in years - and the biggest at home since Manchester United's 6-2 win in April 2003 - in front of a crowd of just 26,099.
To make matters worse, Taylor and emergency full-back Nolberto Solano now both face suspensions for important league games.
Having been denied victory at the first attempt by Larsson's late strike at St Andrews, the Magpies ran out determined to complete the job with the minimum of fuss.
Steve Bruce's side arrived without the suspended Radhi Jaidi and the injured Stephen Kelly and Nicklas Bendtner, and although they had enjoyed a free weekend because of problems with their relaid pitch, few at St James' Park expected anything other than a home win.
However, whether it was the magic of the FA Cup or the fact Newcastle produced as inept a first 45 minutes as has been seen on Tyneside for some time, the reality was markedly different.
As resilient and enterprising as Roeder's side had been in their remarkable 3-2 Premiership win at Tottenham, they were as careless and insipid in the face of a spirited Birmingham display.
The visitors needed only five minutes to take the lead, McSheffrey collecting Larsson's half-cleared cross to thump a shot past Shay Given and set the stage for a shock.
The Magpies' ball retention was pitiful and when they did manage to work their way into promising positions, they lacked any kind of guile or craft.
Indeed, had striker Cameron Jerome taken any of the three chances which came his way with the home defence gasping for breath, the game could have been over as a contest long before the break.
The Magpies fleetingly looked as though they might drag themselves back into it as Matty Pattison, Obafemi Martins and Antoine Sibierski tried their luck from distance, but to little effect, and in was the visitors who extended their lead on the stroke of half-time.
Jerome slipped away from Taylor on the right and drilled a cross to the far post where Solano, under pressure from Campbell, put through his own goal.
Newcastle's evening was summed up in the 52nd minute when Martins worked a rare opportunity for himself, but completely missed his kick.
Maik Taylor had to get down well to claim Pattison's volley seconds later and the home side were at last making an impression.
The pressure paid off in the 56th minute when Milner ran on to Sibierski's lay-off and smashed a right-foot shot home from 25 yards.
Roeder immediately replaced Pattison with Alan O'Brien, but his plans were torn apart within a minute when Steven Taylor tugged back Campbell and then clipped his heels and was sent off.
Larsson drove the resulting free-kick into the defensive wall, but the ball ricocheted to N'Gotty and he lashed it into the net to restore his side's two-goal advantage.
Martins tested Maik Taylor with a well-struck shot on the turn, but City's numerical advantage made them dangerous on the break and Fabrice Muamba and Jerome forced last-ditch blocks in quick succession.
There were ambitious appeals for a penalty from the home fans when N'Gotty's flying boot caught Sibierski in the face 13 minutes from time, and referee Peter Walton was unmoved.
But the agony was far from over for Newcastle, Larsson and Campbell compounding the misery with 83rd and 89th-minute strikes to make it a black night for Geordies.