NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 (Owen 57, Martins 86)
BARNSLEY 0

A BRAVE Barnsley were eventually undone by Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins at St James' Park.

Reds boss Simon Davey rang the changes although his hand was somewhat forced through injury and ineligibility. Istvan Ferenczi, Andy Johnson, Kayode Odejayi and Brian Howard missed out through injury and illness while Stephen Foster and Anderson De Silva were cup tied. In came Miguel Mostto, Grant McCann, Rohan Ricketts, Sam Togwell, Dwayne Mattis and Martin Devaney.

The Reds handed a first call up to Academy prospect Jacob Butterfield, who was named on the bench.

Michael Owen almost got his name on the scoresheet inside five minutes as he got a touch to Geremi's corner but could only divert the ball through to Heinz Muller.

Togwell almost put Mostto and Mattis clean through on 14 minutes as he split the Newcastle defence but Steven Taylor managed to stick out a leg to make an important block.

Owen had another clean sight of goal on 15 minutes as he raced onto Shola Ameobi's pass but found Muller in fine form as the big German comfortably dealt with his effort from 18 yards.

Charles N'Zogbia then managed to turn Rob Kozluk on 20 minutes before running at the Reds defence but saw his shot well blocked away. From Geremi's corner Nolberto Solano fired a shot a foot or so wide of the post.

The Reds had the rough end of the referee on 24 minutes as Devaney picked up a yellow card for nothing more than a firm challenge on Emre. Newcastle almost grabbed a controversial lead from Geremi's free kick as the ball took a deflection before bouncing through to Muller.

Barnsley's best chance of the opening half hour fell to Rohan Ricketts but his speculative volley from 30 yards was never going to trouble Shay Given in the Newcastle goal.

The Reds rode their luck again on 34 minutes as N'Zogbia raced past a couple of challenges in the area before seeing his path to goal blocked by Mattis' fine tackle.

Dominik Werling brought a fine save from Given on 38 minutes as he hammered a now trademark free kick through the wall but the Irish keeper was in the right place to parry the ball clear.

Muller again had to be at his best on 41 minutes to beat away N'Zogbia's drive after the Reds had struggled to clear Geremi's corner. Owen raced into the area again on 44 minutes but this time Lewin Nyatanga and Kozluk managed to clear the danger. Ameobi then found Nyatanga in the way in stoppage time as he let fly from just inside the area.

Newcastle started the second half on top and Jose Enrique almost gave Ameobi a chance on 53 minutes as he sent in a fine cross from the left but the striker just could not get enough on his header to put it on target.

Another Geremi corner caused problems on 56 minutes as the Reds struggled to deal with the aerial ball. The Cameroon international eventually picked the ball up again but Muller was able to deal comfortably with his shot.

The opening goal eventually came on 57 minutes and there was an air of inevitability about it as soon as Alan Smith sent Owen away beyond Nyatanga. The England star made no mistake with a fine finish when through on Muller's goal.

Barnsley rallied and Kozluk struck the frame of the goal on 64 minutes as his effort from the right touchline deceived Given but bounced to safety off the woodwork. McCann rifled the rebound straight at Claudia Cacapa.

Owen was in again on 65 minutes as he beat the Reds defence to race towards Geremi's cross but the bounce just took the ball away from the England star with Muller advancing.

At the other end Werling raced on down the left on 69 minutes to cross but Mostto could not get enough power behind his header to trouble Given.

Referee Graham Salisbury again showed a rather harsh yellow card on 72 minutes after Smith had upended Werling although the pair had enjoyed a bone-crunching tussle all evening.

Newcastle could have put the game safe on 74 minutes as Nicky Butt found himself clean through on Muller but could not find a finish under pressure from Dennis Souza and Nyatanga. Ameobi then tried his luck from distance a minute later but the German keeper was in the right place to make a comfortable save.

Substitute Obafemi Martins grabbed a second for Newcastle on 86 minutes although it had a touch of fortune about it as the striker looked to take down Butt's pass with his arm before scrambling a low shot past Muller from 16 yards.

It was a night Butterfield will never forget as he made his Barnsley debut in front of 30,523 inside St James Park when he replaced Devaney on 87 minutes.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Given, Enrique, Emre (Butt 51), Cacapa, Owen (Martins 83), N'Zogbia, Solano, Smith (Edgar 86), Geremi, Ameobi, Taylor.
Subs: Harper, Huntingdon.

BARNSLEY: Muller, Nyatanga, Kozluk, Souza, Mostto (Christensen 76), McCann, Ricketts, Togwell, Mattis (Coulson 83), Devaney (Butterfield 87), Werling.
Subs: Colgan, Atkinson.