United tighten Iron grip on Championship
ANDY Carroll struck twice as Newcastle United took another step towards promotion at St James's Park tonight.
Peter Lovenkrands was also on target in a convincing 3-0 win for Chris Hughton's side, both goalscorers now leading the way with 14 goals.
More importantly, the result means the Championship leaders now have a 12-point advantage over third-placed Nottingham Forest.
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Fabricio Coloccini – who suffered a dead leg in Saturday's Tees-Tyne derby – passed a fitness test on the eve of the game, while fit-again duo Jose Enrique and Wayne Routledge returned to Hughton's starting XI.
Visiting boss Nigel Adkins, meanwhile, rested a couple of his bigger names ahead of six-pointers against Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United.
Newcastle's breakthrough came in the 10th minute, CARROLL rising above his marker to head a Danny Guthrie corner past Joe Murphy in the visiting goal for his 13th goal of the campaign.
And Guthrie put a free kick on the head of Kevin Nolan two minutes later, only for the resulting goal to be disallowed for offside.
Lovenkrands then somehow struck the bar from a low Enrique cross.
But LOVENKRANDS didn't make any mistake in the 22nd minute when Routledge skipped in from the right and played him in on goal, the in-form striker calmly beating Murphy with his left foot, the goal his sixth in five games.
Murphy denied Lovenkrands his second in the 27th minute with a good reaction save, and the chances kept on coming for free-flowing Newcastle, who looked like scoring every time they ventured into beleaguered Scunthorpe's half.
Somehow Adkins's men managed to avoid conceding any more goals before the break.
Routledge went down two minutes into the second half after getting sandwiched between former Gateshead and Hibernian defender Rob Jones and Grant McCann, but the winger was able to continue after treatment.
United's third goal came in the 55th minute, CARROLL running on to a ball over the top from Guthrie before beating left Murphy with a left-footed shot.
The 21-year-old leapt over the advertising hoardings to celebrate with fans at the front of the Gallowgate End, and was booked for his trouble.
Jonas Gutierrez – who famously donned a Spider-man mask when he scored on his previous appearance at St James's Park – had a goal chalked off for offside in the 71st minute.
Carroll and Enrique were withdrawn in the 75th minute, with Leon Best and Tamas Kadar replacing them.
Nile Ranger came on for Lovenkrands – who, like Carroll, left the field to a standing ovation – in the 82nd minute, but the teenager couldn't add to Newcastle's tally.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Harper; Simpson, Coloccini, Hall, Enrique (Kadar, 75); Routledge, Nolan, Guthrie, Gutierrez; Carroll (Best, 75), Lovenkrands (Ranger, 82). Subs not used: Krul, Butt, Pancrate, R Taylor.
SCUNTHORPE UNITED: Murphy; Wright (Woolford, 72), Raynes, Jones, Williams Thompson, O'Connor (Togwell, 56), Wright, McCann, Forte; Hayes (McDermott, 56). Subs not used: Lillis, Milner, Sparrow, Canavan.
Goals: Carroll 10, 55, Lovenkrands 22
Bookings: Carroll 55
Sent off: None
Referee: Phil Crossley (Bromley)
Attendance: 39,301
For reaction to tonight's game, see tomorrow's Gazette
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Weather for South Shields
Saturday 11 February 2012
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