Instant Reaction: Newcastle 2-0 Morecambe

Shola Ameobi came on as a half-time sub and made an immediate impact for Newcastle. As soon as he stepped on the pitch, Newcastle's attack looked better, they held possession longer, and attacks were sustained more. So, it may be only fitting that Shola's goal in the 84^th minute helped Newcastle survive a very game Morecambe side in Round Two of the Capital One Cup. Shola's younger brother, Sammy, added a stoppage time goal as the Magpies advance with a 2-0 win.

For awhile though, it looked like the ghosts of cups past would haunt NUFC. The Shrimps had plenty of opportunities to score, and may have been unlucky to not grab an early lead. The best thing that can be said about the first half was that Newcastle managed to get back to the sheds without conceding a goal. The Magpies had great difficulty defending against Morecambe's corner kicks. Dan Gosling saved two balls off the line, and at times the Newcastle defense was frantic and unorganized, as the ball would bounce dangerously in the box. Rob Elliot stood tall in net and made a few acrobatic saves to keep Morecambe off the scoreboard. The Shrimp managed 10 shots in the first half, with three of them getting on target.

Newcastle had little in terms of sustained possession in the opening 45. Sammy Ameobi was able to provide a spark down the left side and had some dangerous shots from the top of the box. Gosling got in on the act on the offensive side with a header that found itself on target, but handled easily.

As much as the Shrimp controlled the first half, the second half was much more free-flowing and gave Newcastle some chances. Hatem Ben Arfa came on in the 71^st minute and his presence in the midfield helped tip the tide to the Black and White. Ben Arfa played a through ball to Shola for his goal and was able to distribute the ball well to keep possession in the Morecambe half.

Morecambe put up a fight, but in the end, Newcastle got the better of the League Two side.