UEFA Cup/NAC Breda 0; Newcastle United 1: Laurent Robert handed Bobby Robson his 100th win as Newcastle manager to ease the Magpies into the second round of the UEFA Cup.
The Frenchman beat substitute goalkeeper Gino Coutinho four minutes from time to finally settle a match which never really got going.
Robert's effort was his side's first shot on goal since the opening minute, and although a much-changed Magpies line-up never really looked like losing the game, they rarely threatened to repeat their first-leg demolition job despite substitute Lomana LuaLua hitting a post in injury time.
Newcastle will at least head into Saturday's derby trip to Middlesbrough with another victory under their belts, and by then they will have discovered who their second round opponents will be with the draw taking in place on Friday.
However, they know they will have to be sharper both at the Riverside Stadium and against their next European opponents if they are to make a success of their season after a faltering start.
Robson's players were given a warm hand by the Breda supporters as they left the pitch, but they walked off well aware that there will be tougher tests to come.
The party atmosphere surrounding the game was marred before kick-off with news of trouble in Breda town centre, although the Dutch fans packed into the 16,400-capacity MyCom Stadium were determined to ensure that - if their first sortie into Europe in 30 years was to fall at the first hurdle - they were going to enjoy it to the end.
United ran out knowing their passage to the second round was a formality barring a disaster of epic proportions, but equally aware their hosts would fight to restore some pride after their 5-0 drubbing on Tyneside.
Robson made six changes, choosing to rest Alan Shearer, Gary Speed and Shay Given, confident the men who came in would do a job, but he set off down the tunnel at half-time less than impressed.
United threatened only fleetingly as lone striker Shola Ameobi saw too little of the ball to test out a NAC defence which simply did not cope at St James' Park, and it was the visitors' rearguard which underwent the sterner examination in the opening 45 minutes.
The Dutchmen dominated the possession, but what real action there was before the break came inside the opening 52 seconds and then the final three minutes.
Steve Harper had to race from his line to prevent dangerous striker Johan Elmander reaching Marcel Koning's long ball in the game's first attack, but the Magpies streamed straight down to the other end for Hugo Viana to force a fine save from 'keeper Gabor Babos.
If the early exchanges suggested a free flowing game with chances galore, that illusion was soon dispelled as Breda tried manfully to break down a sometimes faltering United back four, but rarely succeeded.
However, Harper had to rely on the woodwork three minutes before the break when Koning met Nebojsa Gudelj's free-kick with a powerful header which came back off the upright.
If anything, the second half was even less eventful as United tightened up at the back but were no more adventurous in attack.
That said, Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien almost gifted Elmander an opening within seconds of the restart and it took Jermaine Jenas to tidy up the mess after Harper's clearance had come back off the striker.
Ameobi sent a looping back-post header over on 49 minutes, but there was little to concern either goalkeeper until six minutes later, midfielder Ronnie Stam's quickly-taken free-kick allowed Elmander to run into space down the left, but when his low cross came in, Stefano Seedorf missed it in front of goal.
By then, the game had started to resemble a meaningless friendly with little at stake but pride, although Jenas had to get in a fine tackle 15 minutes form time to deny Engelaar a close-range shot at goal.
Robson opted for change 12 minutes from time when he sent on Darren Ambrose and Steve Caldwell in place of Nolberto Solano and Bramble, but it was Dyer who almost broke the deadlock two minutes later when he collected Ameobi's pass but saw his shot blocked at close range by Coutinho.
And it was left to Robert to snatch victory with four minutes remaining when he ran on to Jenas' nicely weighted pass to beat the helpless Coutinho from close range.
NAC BREDA (4-5-1): Babos (Coutinho, 36); Gudelj, Collen, Penders, Koning (Vos, 69); Seedorf, Stam, Slot, Engelaar, Boussaboun (Barakat, 69); Elmander. Booked: Slot, Stam.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Harper; Griffin, O'Brien, Bramble (Caldwell, 78), Bernard; Solano (Ambrose, 78) Jenas, Viana, Robert; Dyer (LuaLua, 84) Ameobi. Booked: Bramble, Bernard
Referee: E Berntsen (Norway).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)