Newcastle United v Stoke City - as it happened!

Rob will be here from 3.45pm. Or thereabouts. In the meantime, take a look at out squad sheets preview : Both Chris Hughton and Tony Pulis are likely to switch back to Premier League mode after making wholesale changes for their club's respective Carling Cup victories in midweek. Tim Krul will continue in goal for Newcastle following the news that Steve Harper is scheduled to miss up to 12 weeks of action with the shoulder injury he sustained during last week's win at Everton. Stoke also have injury concerns, with Kenwyne Jones, Jon Walters and Jermaine Pennant all doubts ahead of their visit to St James' Park. Lance Harvey Venue St James' Park, Sunday 4.10pm Tickets £30-£45 (0844 372 1892) Last season N/A Referee M Jones This season's matches 3 Y 10, R 1, 3.67 cards per game Odds Newcastle Evens Stoke 16-5 Draw 5-2 Newcastle Subs from Ameobi, Kadar, R Taylor, Gutiérrez, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Vuckic Doubtful None Injured Xisco (knee, Oct), S Taylor (shoulder, Oct), Simpson (ankle, Oct), Guthrie (knee, Oct), Harper (shoulder, Jan), Gosling (knee, March) Suspended Xisco (third of three) Form guide WLDWLL Disciplinary record Y15 R0 Leading scorer Carroll 4 Stoke Subs from Begovic, Whelan, Wilson, Gudjohnsen, Higginbotham, Fuller, Wilkinson, Tuncay, Pugh, Tonge, Soares Doubtful None Injured Sidibe (achilles, May) Suspended None Form guide DWLLLL Disciplinary record Y11 R0 Leading scorer Jones 2 Match pointers • Three of the last four matches between Newcastle and Stoke in all competitions have ended as draws • Stoke have lost four of their last five Premier League away matches and failed to score in four of their last six • Newcastle have hit the target with 57% of their shots, the highest percentage in the top flight • Seven of the eight goals Stoke have conceded have been netted in the first half • James Perch has been booked in all five of his Premier League appearances so far Good afternoon : Here's your teams: Newcastle United (4-4-1-1): Krul; Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, José Enrique; Ben Arfa, Barton, Tiote, Routledge; Nolan; Carroll. Subs: Soderberg, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Smith, Gutierrez, Ameobi, Ranger. Stoke City (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Collins; Whelan, Whitehead, Diao, Etherington; Jones, Walters. Subs: Begovic, Higginbotham, Gudjohnsen, Fuller, Wilson, Delap, Faye. Referee : Michael Jones (Cheshire) Pre-match thoughts : It's been a bit of a retro fixtures fest today with Bolton playing Manchester United and Villa v Wolves and this is no different. There's something redolent of the late 1960s early 1970s about this match and I can't banish thoughts of Joe Harvey and Tony Waddington, Terry Hibbitt and Jimmy Greenhoff from my mind. Andy Wilkinson keeps his place for City after his manager and coach, Dave Kemp, defended him for the tackle on Moussa Dembélé in the Carling Cup that infuriated Mark Hughes (and rightly so). In fact they defended his character rather than the foul itself but it's drwan the traditional criticism about Stoke and their manager's tactics. Gary Naylor makes an interesting point: "Pulisism has its detractors, but I like it. Beholden to nothing other than Stoke City and their followers, Pulisism delivers to its faithful. Is that enough? I'd say so - but many wouldn't." I used to dislike him at a fair few of his other clubs but I suspect Stoke fans, when they see the light on the night that they passed by his window, just wouldn't take anyone else. As for Newcastle – I'm looking forward to watching Cheik Tiote, Andy Carroll, Hatem Ben Arfa and, particularly, Tim Krul. I saw the huge keeper play a couple of games for Carlisle back in 2009 and thought then that he was going to be a top-class goalie so it will be good to see if those impressions were accurate. I suspect the stragglers are draining their dregs in the Strawberry and making their way in right now. Sky are still at Molineux. I'll be back when they switch to the game. Goal of the Premier League weekend : Emile Heskey's powerhouse header for Villa was superb but for a newspaper slot I'm still going to go with Nani just pipping Carlos Tevez unless any of you can convince me otherwise. Charlie Adam doesn't count, sadly. 1 min: Stoke kick-off, red and white stripes playing the black and white and Kenwyne Jones and the other ex-Sunderland players are already getting booed. One of them, Thomas Sorensen miscues a clearance almost immediately and nearly gives away a goal but Stoke scramble it away. 2 min: Ben Arfa moves infield from the left touchline into the central hole and plays in Perch overlapping on the right but the full-back miscontrols and runs it out for a goalkick. 4 min: Interesting that Wilkinson got the nod over Amdy Faye and Huth moved inside – I didn't think Pulis played orthodox full-backs but just picked four centre-halves. Gary Naylor goes for Tevez: "Huge game, better opponents, captain's performance. Nobody can deny City's credibility now." Stke get a throw-in and Wilkinson launches it. Newcastle clear. 6 min: Sparkling run from Ben Arfa down the left and a very good outswinging cross, slightly over Carroll's head but Routledge latches on to it. He's block-tackled out before he can shoot. 8 min: Tiote and Barton tap it about in midfield to each other but the long ball forward spins through to Sorensen who horses up another clearance, a rotten slice out for a throw-in. Have the boos rattled him? 10 min: Nolan is playing a lot deeper than he did last week and he picks the ball off Coloccini and runs forward but Stoke crowd out Routledge on the right. He gets his cross in, though, and it strikes and arm but the referee waves play on as Stoke clear to Kenwyne Jones. 12 min: Jon Walters gets a little irate when he concedes a foul by the corner flag after a bit of a tussle with Jose Enrique. Newcastle switch from left-back to right wing but, again, poor control allows Robert Huth to sweep up behind Danny Collins and clear. Perch's touch is not exactly consummate. 13 min: Barton gets on the ball in central midfield after a pass from Nolan. He curls a pass out to Jose Enrique who taps it on to Ben Arfa. The Spaniard gets it back and spins in a cross from the 18-yard line that Carroll just manages to get his nose on but no power. 16 min: First corner for Stoke but Krul comes and easily catches it and hurls it upfield. Tiote runs at WIlkinson and has him on toast, as they used to say. So Wilkinson, somewhat cynically, hauls him down. Barton's free-kick sails into Sorensen's hand but his awful clearance goes straight to Routledge and Newcastle are on the attack again. And both Barton and then Williamson are fouled on theedge of the area. 18 min: The ref played advantage when Barton was fouled but blew for Williamson's. Ben Arfa takes the free-kick from 30 yards but he can't get it down after chipping it over the wall and it flies over the bar. 20 min: Lovely interplay between Nolan, Barton and Jose Enrique and the left back is free 10 yards out on the left of the box. He hits a great ball, fizzing across the six-yard box but Carroll and Perch can't quite reach it. It's all Newcastle – they look confident, menacing and fairly direct. Sorensen and Wilkinson are having mares dealing with it. 22 min: Boo for Whitehead who clips a 20-yard pass to Jones who gets bigger boos. Stoke just can't keep the ball at the moment and though they have been excellent in getting last-ditch tackles in they are flying by the seat of their pants in midfield and at the back. Time for a Pulis paint-stripping half-time team talk. 24 min: Whitehead, on the right, hits about his seventh crossfield ball to Kenwyne Jones marauding down the left wing. He takes the ball in his stride, advances a few paces and scuffs his shot wide. 26 min: Interlude while Jones gets treatment for a facial injury. 28 mins : Play resumes with a drop-ball or bounce-up depending which part of the country you come from and Nolan boots it straight to Sorensen, which seems unfair given how awful his kicking has been. Goes for the second-phase ball again, whacking it long (and accurately) and Newcastle give away the throw-in. Stoke, without Delap, haven't quite got these right yet and Newcastle clear. 28 mins : Lovely sliding tackle from Jose Enrique takes the ball off Walters but Stoke then get a free-kick 30 yards out that they simply waste. I've seen very little of Etherington so far. The baseball-capped one has been giving instructions to Dean Whitehead so we'll see if they can get a bit more possession further forward. 31 mins : This is drab, in truth, but Newcastle get a free-kick when Glenn Whelan demolishes Kevin Nolan with a mistimed tackle. Barton takes from 30 yards, to the right of the goal, and hits it slap-bang into the wall. 35 mins : Collins' throw-in doesn't get the distance that Delap would and Routledge swivels on the knockdown from Jones and clears. Ben Arfa, now, runs and picks out a pass just inside Stoke's half that Huth bends down low to control with his shoulder/upper arm. Another free kick. Incidentally at all three of these Nolan has stood behind the Stoke wall facing the keeper. Coloccini takes this one and blasts it miles over. 37 mins : Tiote looks very assured in possession. In think Newcastle have found their very own Butch Wilkins, vintage era 1983-86. Scrappy stuff from just about everyone else. 39 mins : Stoke just can't keep hold of the ball, probably because every time they defenders/midfield do manage to string a few passes together they always look for the out ball to Jones instead of to Etherington or Walters. Very predictable so far. Ben Arfa gets free on the left but his cross is defelected away. 41 mins : PENALTY for Newcastle GOAL!! Newcastle 1-0 Stoke (Nolan 42) Slightly to the right of middle, Nolan hits it with power and Sorensen had already dived the other way. The penalty was given after good work down the left but Jose Enrique's final ball was a bit of a floater rather than zipping across but Robert Huth still panicked and hauled down Andy Carroll in a very stupid or clumsy fashion. 44 mins : They've deserved it, just. Stoke have been very negative, quite like they were against Villa before they got some life into them at half-time. Having said that Etherington had a good shout for a penalty up the other end but the referee waved it away. They're missing Pennant quite badly today. 45 mins : Ben Arfa drifts wide on the right and Tiote finds him. The Frenchman plays in Barton who runs on to the shot just outside the area and hits it hard but it's well and bravely blocked by (I think) Collins. Half time Stoke go in at half-time trailing for the sixth time in six games this season. They've lacked invention and ambition so far and let Nolan do his chicken impression goal celebration after a piece of ineptitude from Huth. Time for TP to get his baseball-cap-dryer out. 46 mins Newcastle kick off. Stoke were sent back on to the pitch early by their manager and had to listen to the Blaydon Races. No changes yet. 47 mins Barton spins away from Whelan in central midfield and feeds Enrique whose cross finds Carroll but he's squeezed out and Stoke clear. 49 mins Bit more zip from Stoke, pressing a bit higher up the pitch. Here's Senthuran Nagappan: "Are you not getting very many emails for this match? I agree that Tiote looks very assured and confident in the middle. Its been a while since we've had a player like that. Ben Arfa surely must be the signing of the season. Even if he lives up to only half his enormous potential, Newcastle can steal him away for just five million euros, and then if need be sell him on for a few times that amount. Great signing." Nothing much, so far, Senthuran, or should that be the late great Frank Swift? The ever reliable G Naylor esq apart. Stoke sub – Fuller on for Diao. 50 mins Great piece of control from Carroll with his left foot, killing the ball then knocking it up with his left but Huth manages to stand tall. Fuller almost immediately sprints on to a Jones knockdown and Stoke belatedly get a corner, which they waste. Delap will be on in a second. 52 min Ben Arfa looks quality – what a series of mercurial French left-wingers the Toon have had from Ginola, through Robert to Ben Arfa. What ever happened to Nicky Papavasiliou? Stoke corner headed wide by Shawcross who looks less threatening now he's grown his hair. 55 min Coloccini plays a bold backheel on the touchline and gets away with it as the ball is switched to the right. Barton hits a ball right to left into the box for Carroll to run on to but Stoke shepherd it out for a corner. The corner is overhit and Newcastle lose momentum. Glenn Whelan off, Delap on. Another former Sunderland player gets the treatment. 57 min I'm loving Tiote and without wishing to put the mockers on him he seems never to give the ball away. What a tidy player, beloved of my former colleague Liam Doyle, who worshipped these quintessential team men. 59 min Poor defensive header from Perch after a Stoke long ball lets Jones in but Coloccini bullies him out of it but the clearance is intercepted and Jones gets a second bite and powers in a header that poleaxes the Argentinian and the ball falls to Fuller with three-quarters of an open goal to aim at and he steers it wide. 62 min Newcastle substitution. Gutierrez on for Ben Arfa and he takes up a position on the left. Jones' strength wins a free-kick as he shields the ball and teases a foul out of Coloccini. Whitehead takes thirty yards out on the right, brilliant cross, smack on to Jones forehead and smack off the bar and away for a throw after Perch's touch. 65 min Stoke win another free-kick when Enrique wrestles Fuller down – well, on second view helps him go down. They've called for a stretcher, possible shoulder injury. While we wait here's Phil Sawyer: "I'm watching British Superbikes rather than the football but I'm happy to report on it if you're starved of emails. Sam Lowe's just pulled off a brilliant ride on a rain soaked Silverstone to take the Supersport title for the season. What? That's nice but I needn't bother? Oh." Oh, indeed, Phil. Fuller does look hurt and Eidur Gudjohnsen replaces him. 67 min GOAL!! Newcastle 1-1 Stoke (Jones, 67) Long break for Fuller's treatment ends when Etherington takes the free-kick on the right-side of Newcastle's box. Excellent cross is nodded back across the area by Huth and Jones crashes his header into the goal from about six yards. Unstoppable. 69 min : Oh! And Newcastle almost get ahead again from the kick-off after another bit of neat work from Enrique down the left. he plays in Gutierrez and his cross finds Carroll whose diving scissors kick is hard but straight. Though Sorensen parries, Stoke do manage to clear it. 71 min : Fuller's dislocated his shoulder apparently, and it was a very innocuous looking fall. The crowd has sparked back into life following the equaliser and Newcastle have responded well. Enrique is a brilliant attacking full back on this evidence these days. OK his final ball has lacked real zip some times but he really stretches defences. 73 min : Nolan has a run from the centre-circle – and Stoke do seem to be giving them possession again after dominating for the first 20 minutes after haf-time. Then Barton sniffs an opportunity to play in Carroll but overhits his chipped pass. A,meobi on for the Toon and Tiote goes off. 77 min : Oh, Phil. What have we done to Richard Sillett: "Thanks Phil Sawyer –I'm reduced to watching British Supers by Bittorrent and I was trying to avoid the results till the broadcast appeared. Great news about Sam Lowes though, he's a star in the making. But no comments about Tommy Hill, Kiyo, Laverty, Brookes and Rutter eh? Richard, who refuses to go to Silverstone out of principle." Newcastle, meanwhile, have grabbed this game and Routledge nearly fluked in a looping header that Sorensen caught iunder his crossbar. Then Perch has a thirty-yard shot, dipping and swerving. Sorensen catches it well. 78 min : Carroll breaks free on the left from Barton's long ball and wins a corner after slightly overhitting the pass to himself. But from the corner Stoke break very quickly but Gutierrez storms back to clear. It's end-to-end now – Ameobi has a header from Barton's long cross but Wilkinson clears now. 80 min : "Big Ken is turning into a useful buy, even at that price," writes Gary Naylor. Carroll almost does a Big Ken going up for a header with Sorensen who manages to flick it off Carroll's eyebrows with his fingertips. 81 min : Newcastle have had almost 80% of possession since Stoke equalised and look pretty dominant if vulnerable on the break. The gung-ho spirit is in their DNA. People mock them for it but I think it's admirable. Chucking on Ameobi for Tiote is something A certain KK would have done. 83 min : Re Big Ken. He is a remarkably effective player, but you need to feed him and that's something Stoke need to work on. I suspect that had Pennant passed his fitness test it would have been a different strategy. GOAL!! Newcastle 1-2 Stoke (Perch 84og) Etherington's corner – Perch had to head it or let it fizz across the box but he got it wrong. They feast on errors, the Oatcake eaters. 86 min Newcastle look game enough but desperation may make them lose a bit of patience. Petr Fremont asks, admittedly before the goal: "Tiote fits the Shearer-esque "no one knows anything about it him" mold, Belgium and the Netherlands being so far from the UK. But honestly, didn't anyone there watch when Twente played Arsenal? Along with Ben Arfa, Koscielny, and some others he's evidence there was a bit of value in the transfer market. Re: Stoke, how can anyone defend a team whose defensive philosophy is 'Just kick it!' and who's offensive ideas can be tidily summed up as 'maybe this will work'?" They just keep knocking relentlessly. 88 min Gutierrez has a long shot blocked but they reatin possession from the rebound. Routledge scuttle dribbles across the park and gives it to Enrique who spoons it over the bar ffrom 25 yards. 90 min Six minutes of stoppage time go on the board just after Jones has a wild shot that shoots high and wide. Then up the other wnd Gutierrez tees up Nolan after a sparkling run. He pulls it back to the penalty spot and Nolan opens up his body to steer a half volley in but it speeds wide. 90+3 min That was a gilt-edged chance for a finisher of Nolan's calibre. If Newcastle have been undone by anything, it's been crosses again. You wonder whether Campbell may be a better alternative against a team like Stoke than Williamson or Coloccini. Gutierrez has been torturing Wilkinson this past few minutes, giving him the runaround but so far Stoke have managed to get enough bodies behind the ball. 90+4 min Stoke clear and try to hold it up then break quick and win a cforner. They don't commit too many forward and Newcastle turn the tables and flood forward. Perch shoots, it's on target but Huth blocks and the corner is wasted. 90+6 min Peep! Peep! Peep! Stoke win. Thomas Fildes asks: "In response to 'how can anyone defend a team whose defensive philosophy is "Just kick it!" and who's offensive ideas can be tidily summed up as "maybe this will work"? They just keep knocking relentlessly." If this was the case, then surely it would be even easier to undo a team who played by such tactics?!?! Clearly you have very little knowledge of strategy. No need to start bashing a team (regardless of style or lack-of-style) just because of the scoreline." Only the "relentlessly" was mine, Thomas. "No need to start bashing a team just because of the scoreline." But that's what football fans do and it has more to do with the scoreline. I've got emails here calling Stoke the "antichrists of football" and they're not just from Newcastle fans. My view is that they're efficient, ruthlessly so at times, and without Pennant to offer some balance on the right, very conservative. That's not to say they didn't deserve to win or don't deserve to be in this division. As for Newcastle – cut out the crosses if you're vulnerable to headers and you would not have lost. A vibrant second-half. Thanks for your emails.