Newcastle do it the hard way

Newcastle 0 Ventspils 0 (agg 1-0): Newcastle completed their convoluted journey into the UEFA Cup proper despite being shut out by Latvian minnows Ventspils.

On another night, the Magpies might have run up a cricket score against Roman Grigorchuk's men, but a combination of the woodwork, poor finishing and keeper

Andris Vanins kept them at bay as they had to make do with the single goal they scored in Riga a fortnight ago.

After starting their season in the Intertoto Cup on July 15th, Newcastle - who paraded new £10million signing Obafemi Martins on the pitch before kick-off - have achieved their first aim for the season.

They will be in the hat when the draw for the first round of the competition is made in Monaco tomorrow, and by the closure of the transfer window next week, hope to have further new faces in the squad.

James Milner came closest to breaking the deadlock with an 81st-minute free-kick which hit the bar, but with Ventspils not mustering a single credible effort on goal, the game - the Magpies' 12th without defeat - was a virtual procession.

Martins was welcomed by, by St James' Park standards, a relatively sparse crowd of 30,498, and then settled into his seat to watch his new club book him a season of European football.

What he saw will have both shown him why the Magpies were prepared to pay so much for his services and that, if his team-mates get it right, they could provide him with some decent service.

Goalkeeper Steve Harper, starting his first game in more than a year, could have brought a deck chair, so uncomplicated was his first 45 minutes. For all the pressure they exerted on the visitors, it took the Magpies 38 minutes to force Vanins to make a genuine save.

Skipper Scott Parker might have opened the scoring on 13 minutes had he made better contact with Milner's right-wing cross, and Parker again, Charles N'Zogbia, Emre and Damien Duff all went close without hitting the target.

The home side returned knowing the preservation of their clean sheet would be enough to see them through, but aware that a single mistake could prove costly, and that their fans were expecting much, much more.

Duff and Milner were playing noticeably wider as the half unfolded and both were prospering as Ventspils were looking increasingly vulnerable.