Bolton 1-0 Newcastle: Gary Megson celebrates new deal with big win

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Gary Megson repaid the faith of Reebok supremo Phil Gartside with a tactical master-stroke to celebrate his new contract.

Megson may not be every Bolton fan's cup of tea but he pulled off a smart trick over the half-time brew to hand his side another vital victory in their fight to beat the drop.

On came Ricardo Gardner, with Matty Taylor switching to the right wing, and little more than a minute laterWanderers had netted the winner.

Taylor delivered a cross from his new flank and Gardner popped up to sweep a glorious right-foot shot over Stephen Harper.

The Jamaican veteran does not score many - and fewer still with his 'swinger' - but the fine finish proved the difference as modest Megson tried to play down the significance of his assist in the goal.

Megson said: "Managers can't take the credit for that type of thing. I felt we needed more penetration and it had the desired effect. But why not start like that in the first place?"

And the Bolton chief was equally low-key about signing a new deal yesterday.

"I don't like talking about things like that when there are two-and-half million people out of work," he said.

"I was working without a contract. It wasn't a big deal.

I've just signed a piece of paper. We were at the bottom of the league when I came and we're trying to improve."

Megson may not be shouting from the rooftops about moving into the top half of the table but Newcastle would hire an open-top bus if they had that level of progress.

The Geordies counted the cost of having no-one who could put a chance away.

There was little to choose between the teams, but the five-point gap at the end sees Bolton dreaming of Europe and Newcastle worrying about the financial disaster of relegation.

The failure to find a goalscorer this season is the big handicap to their hopes of staying alive. This side is honest enough but limited where it matters.

The Toon could easily have been in front in their best spell in the first half.

Nicky Butt went close and Peter Lovenkrands tested Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Obafemi Martins made Jaaskelainen claw a header off the line before nodding a much easier chance wide from Jonas Gutierrez's tempting cross.

The Geordies did not look in much trouble at that stage but their failure to turn that superiority into a goal proved costly as Megson made his changes.

Their lack of a genuine finisher - with Michael Owen missing and Mark Viduka left on the bench until late on - could yet be the reason they go down.

New boy Ryan Taylor tried to haul them level with one lob that shaved the bar and a trademark free-kick that grazed the post.

But the travelling fans were groaning at the attempts of Martins and Shola Ameobi long before the end.

Ameobi had one shot pushed round by Jaaskelainen while Fabrizio Coloccini and Lovenkrands had efforts bravely stopped by Gardner's groin and Jlloyd Samuel's arms in a late siege.

Samuel could have been punished with a spot-kick but the left-back and his mates escaped as Bolton hung on for a third straight home win.

Newcastle caretaker boss Chris Hughton baffled the Toon Army by subbing Martins and not Ameobi. He was rewarded by chants of 'You don't know what you're doing.' Worse still for Newcastle, Damien Duff missed the game with his latest injury while skipper Butt limped off after twisting his knee in a tackle with Johan Elmander.

Butt and Matty Taylor could both have been out of the game earlier after a daft bust-up.

The pair exchanged words, slaps and squared up forehead to forehead.

A less charitable ref than Alan Wiley would have sent the pair off for their rank stupidity.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen 7, Steinsson 5, Cahill 6, O'Brien 7, Samuel 6, M Davies 6, Muamba 5 (Gardner 45, 7), McCann 5, Taylor 6d, K Davies 6, Elmander 5 (Smolarek 78d). Goal: Gardner 47
Newcastle : Harper 6, S Taylor 6, Coloccini 6, Bassong 7, Enrique 6, Lovenkrands 5, R Taylor 6d, Butt 6d(Geremi 67, 5), Gutierrez 6d, Martins 5 (Viduka 78), Ameobi 4.
Referee: Mike Riley
Att: 20,763

Man of the Match:
Christian Bassong: One Christian who was thrown to the lions and came out on top

Villain of the Match:
Shola Ameobi: Not the answer to Newcastle's scoring prayers, but who is?

Next three games:
Bolton
Wednesday: Stoke (a) Prem
Sat Mar 14: Fulham (h) Prem
Sat Mar 21: West Brom (a) Prem

Newcastle
Wednesday: Man Utd (h) Prem
Sat Mar 14: Hull (a) Prem
Sat Mar 21: Arsenal (h) Prem

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