We’ve had better football teams over the years, but there is much to admire about this team. We struggled in the 1st half. Imho, this was once again largely down to our apparent inability to deal with the opposition playing an extra man in midfield.

Perch and Guthrie tended to move towards the same man, and where frequently passed around, leaving large gaps in front of the back four.

I had confidence Alan Pardew would sort this out at Half-Time, and he appeared to do so simply by telling Perch to stop chasing around the pitch and hold his position in front of the back four.

Villa created too many half chances for comfort, and Krul was kept fairly busy, dealing with pretty well everything thrown at him superbly. As usual, Simpson was awful, including on their goal when he did not get tight enough to Insomnia.

Santon was again decent going forward, and rather suspect defensively. He and Jonas are forming a useful partnership, but being right-footed they both slow progress by constantly needing to bring the ball onto the right foot.

Colo was less effective than normal, seemed rather hesitant, and made a number of unusual errors.

We were much brighter in the 2nd half with Obertan occasionally threatening down the right, Jonas working incredibly hard up and down the left, Guthrie working his nuts off in the provider role, and Cisse and Ba’s movement causing Villa problems. What a joy to have two mobile forwards!

After a tough night on Wednesday, we tired towards the end and let them come on to us; however, we saw it out. It would have been criminal if Cisse had been denied the winner after that phenomenal strike and a hugely encouraging debut.

Their goal was the end result of some sloppy defending by Williamson and Colo, but otherwise they offered little in the way of a threat.

We upped our game in the 2nd half, but despite a lot of good possession just couldn’t find the target. A Williamson header hit the angle and went out and, Shola blazed high and wide when wide open on the edge of the PA and with plenty of time.

It was looking as though Blackburn would hold out when HBA took possession around 35yds out. His mazy run and thunderous strike was truly Maradona-esque. Fabulous goal. His overall performance was a bit in and out, and he looked more comfortable after going out wide when Obertan was mercifully taken off. He seemed to benefit from that bit extra time he got in the wide position.

Jonas had a good 2nd half, as his developing partnership with Santon caused Blackburn all kinds of problems, and the winning goal was well created by Shola and beautifully taken by the Spiderman.

Abeid did ok on his debut and certainly didn’t look overawed. He could prove to be another good ‘un.

Without playing well, Shola improved things up front simply by getting in and around the box. Best needs to recognise that he is now expected to be the main man, and he needs to concentrate on getting on the end of things rather than getting involved in the build-up. We dominated posssession yesterday without offering a consistent threat, and this has to be a real concern over the next few weeks.

Not a classic but at least we’re in the hat.

Forest is, as history tells, a team where we never can beat in any competitive cup run before last night. My credits to AP who written a new chapter against them in the League Cup 3rd round, at their own ground. With the full 120 minutes of live report through an internet radio, we started not so well against them, a typical of cup run that we often saw from the Magpies but thank God it’s ended in high excitement!

Only three players that started on last Saturday match at Villa Park also playing on this cup match, with the longwait returning Ben Arfa looked excellent and produced some great services for the main striker Peter Lovenkrands.

Ben Arfa playing just behind him, and his passing was as great as before his terrible broken leg injury. He also did one excellent run in the second half, covered around 50 yards and went past about 4 players before he sets the ball up to Lovenkrands who unfortunately shot it right to Forest keeper.

Our first goal of the night was coming in the 39th minute from Ben Arfa great crossfield pass to his fellow compatriot Sylvain Marveaux who then delivered a delicate cross into the box for Lovenkrands who took the ball in with unstoppable close-range header. Forest then levelled the score with Findley who was allowed to marching towards before unleashing about 30 yards shot past despairing Toon third choice goalkeeper Rob Elliot and in to the bottom corner.

Everyone’s man of the match for the game, Sylvain Marveaux set us up to lead again with his run into the box before Brendan Moloney haul him back inside the penalty box. Referee Lee Mason no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Lovenkrands converted the penalty very well.

Within six minutes into the second half, Forest back on terms for a second time when Derbyshire got in behind our defenders and rounded Elliot with ease to slide the ball into an empty net. And just when I was expecting either one of the Ameobi brothers or Marveaux finally to score, it was Danny Simpson’s 93rd-minute cross that flewed into the back of the net.

The scoreboard shows 3-4 for us until the very last six minutes of extra time remaining and when I thought we are now comfortable to win this and through to the next round, the home side substitute Ishmael Miller’s breaks through from our right side of the field and cross the ball pass the packed of Newcastle’s defense and Elliott before Tudgay tapped in the easy ball from close range.

It looks like our faith has to be decided with penalty shoot-out as the clock runs down to an end of extra time. I bet everyone within the Black-and-White shirts are all held their breath at the City Ground when Newcastle’s substitute Gabriel Obertan fired the ball in from his run down the left.

It was Fabricio Coloccini that enhanced his Toon cult-hero status with his last-gasp winner with a header in the second minute of injury time before the end of extra-time. Toon bench celebrating, the travelling Toon Army erupted and everyone around the globe screaming as we are now surely in the fourth round of Carling Cup.

“We’re trying to make a stronger team than last season but not at that position yet, hopefully we will be.” said Pardew in the Daily Mirror.

Although the Erik Pieters saga is still in dark shadow, we still have fifty-fifty chance of getting the Dutchman. PSV club’s coach, Fred Rutten, revealed last week he was keen for Pieters to stay but admitted it was unlikely as the player himself is keen to leave and join Newcastle.

If we failed to realize the plan A, now we have a plan B in Lyon defender Aly Cissokho and is now the favourite for that position. He also got something that most of the Toon Army would like to see in each of Newcastle players, the ability to attacking the opponent.

But still, the Magpies would love to snap a four-game winless streak this weekend at home as they host Birmingham, who is looking to move further away from the relegation zone as well.

Newcastle has a pair of draws and two losses since a 4-1 win at home over Wolves on April 2nd, and they were spanked 3-0 at Liverpool, where they came face to face with striker Andy Carroll, who they sold to Liverpool for a club-record for $57.7 million at the transfer deadline.

They could have used Carroll to boost their faith among those who bet on sports right now, because they’re struggling to find the back of the net, scoring a single goal during this four-game winless skid. Now that Carroll is on Merseyside, Newcastle’s leading scoring is captain Kevin Nolan, who has 12 goals in 30 games from midfield, followed by forward Shola Ameobi, who has eight goals in 20 games, and then Leon Best, who has six goals in 10 games, but he’s gone for the rest of the year with an ankle/foot injury. Then you have another midfielder, Joey Barton, with five goals and a team-leading eight assists in 30 games, and you have what should be Newcastle’s main goal of the offseason.

The Magpies need to go out and find a goal-scorer to replace Carroll (who had 11 goals in 18 games), because you’re not going to be very successful when your main goal threats are your midfielders.

Nolan and Barton are great at supporting strikers from midfield, but they’re still not of the quality of a Frank Lampard, for example. This week’s forward pairing should continue to be Ameobi and Peter Lovenkrandis, which is fine against the likes of Birmingham, and Newcastle has a home game against West Brom to finish the season, so they should escape the season unscathed, but they need to find a striker in the offseason.