Penalty hoodoo ends as Roy's heroes get it spot-on

ROY Hodgson summed it up in a nutshell when he commented almost matter of factly -- "You know you can't go on forever losing penalty shoot-outs."

And he should know, for he was speaking from personal experience, as well as reflecting Blackburn Rovers' own disastrous experiences in these lottery competitions which are now the 'normal' way of settling crucial cup ties.

But what his words did not do were to capture the inner turmoil suffered by every Blackburn visitor to Tyneside before last night's historic victory was claimed.

On a cold, clear night in the North East, the ghosts of Bramall Lane and Sheffield United in 1993, along with West Ham and Chelsea last season, were perhaps finally laid to rest.

Those were three traumatic occasions when Rovers have gone out of the two major cup competitions on a shootout.

For Hodgson, under fire because of the club's Premiership position and his back to the wall in terms of team selection with a decimated squad, it has been even worse.

Penalties have been the bane of this man's life.

"Dreadful" is the word he uses to describe his record in these contests -- and there's no argument. Well, not until last night when boys became men and men stoood up to be counted.

In his last season at Inter an Italian Cup semi-final and the UEFA Cup final went against him in such a fashion.

Yet, intriguingly, it wasn't just the shootout that occupied everyone's thoughts at the end of a game which would have been cruel if it had left Rovers with nothing. The way their fans danced around St James' Park when Alan Shearer inexplicably fired an 87th minute penalty high over John Filan's crossbar, it was almost as if they were celebrating victory at Wembley.

Shearer, if memory serves me correctly, missed just two penalties for Rovers -- both against his former club Southampton.

According to Newcastle colleagues, this was the first he has missed for them -- against his last club!

The irony was sublime, yet, some three minutes later, Blackburn heads were hung in despair as Jeff Kenna's spot kick was saved by his former Ewood clubmate and current fellow Eire international Shay Given.

Connections were everywhere and all that was before we even had to endure the tensions of extra time and the shootout.

For me, Rovers' disciplined performance deserved to give them that even chance at the end. They did not field a bad team but the list of absentees read like an Ewood Who's Who.

Aware, however, of their limitations, especially in attack where Kevin Davies was the lone available striker in an unfamiliar role, they adapted.

The back four excelled, the midfield gave them cover and in their counter attacks, probably had the better chances.

It clearly frustrated Newcastle and their fans were soon groaning at a lack of progress, despite a flying start.

Shearer's powerful header in the ninth minute, when he just got in front of Darren Peacock to reach Dietmar Hamann's right-wing cross, looked as though it might be the signal for a rout.

Yet, so well did Rovers respond to the defensive challenge that it was Newcastle's only serious threat of the half.

And a cracking goal from Tim Sherwood levelled by half-time. It came in the 30th minute when Damien Johnson's corner was punched out to Kenna. He calmly slipped the ball back into the penalty area where Sherwood had found space to thunder a drive across Given and inside the far post.

A great move on 67 minutes saw Dario Marcolin, making his first start, drive his shot against a post and, for all Newcastle's much greater possession, they carried nothing like the same cutting edge.

Gary Speed and Paul Dalglish threatened but the game seemed up when Gary Croft was judged to have pushed George Georgiadis and Shearer stepped up only to hoist his spot kick into the crowd -- unbelievable.

Two minutes later, Davies broke and Given finger-tipped his shot to safety. Then, as the PA announced one minute of stoppage time, Sherwood was pushed over by David Batty in the box.

Given, however, dived to his left to save Kenna's penalty.

Both spot kicks were hotly disputed, both seemed decent decisions from my distant vantage point by a fair ref.

In extra time, Shearer stepped up a gear but Stephane Henchoz and Darren Peacock had his measure -- and teenage sub David Dunn was almost equally dangerous for Rovers.

Batty was booked for an x-rated challenge on Dunn which could easily have brought a red card before Rovers missed yet another golden opportunity.

Dunn and Callum Davidson combined to set up Davies who, agonisingly, miscued and so to the lottery of penalties which, for once, went Rovers' way.

The quarter-final draw had already been made but thoughts of Leicester were for another day as the character which had seen the side through 120 minutes eventually received its reward.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.