Alan Shearer's Return To The Toon Army

In what was a fairly busy March for Newcastle, they were left disappointed after failing to win any of their four league matches. They also played in the Europa League 2nd Knockout Round against Galatsary. The other competition they played in was The FA Cup 6th Round against Brighton & Hove Albion.

: Bacary Sagna

As Newcastle's Premier League campaign neared its end, they traveled to London where they faced Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium. Arsenal took the lead in the first half when Olivier Giroud headed in fellow Frenchman Bacary Sagna's cross. They doubled their lead in the second half when Sagna nodded Mikel Arteta's corner into the net. However, Arteta's game did not last much longer. He was sent off for a second bookable offence when he tripped Moussa Sissoko. Newcastle pulled a goal back when Davide Santon's attempted cross bounced off of the bar into the path of Hatem Ben Arfa, who tapped the ball into the net. Newcastle equalized when Marco Capuano headed Santon's corner past Wojciech Szczęsny. It was a great comeback from Newcastle but they only really started playing well after Arteta was sent off. Attendance: 54,161.

: John Stones

Newcastle looked to continue their impressive unbeaten record as they hosted Everton at St James's Park. However, Newcastle fell behind in the first half when Everton forward Nikica Jelavić headed in Leon Osman's corner, past keeper Tim Krul. The score remained the same until late into the second half. With less than ten minutes to go until the end of the game, fullback Rubén took a shot at goal. Tim Howard saved it but he could only push it into the path of Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini, who smashed the ball into the net. Attendance: 51,196.

: Alejandro Faurlin

Newcastle hosted London side QPR as they looked to improve on their result against Everton. QPR took the lead when Alejandro Faurlin made a brilliant run into the penalty area before squaring the ball to controversial French striker Loïc Rémy who tapped the ball past Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul. Italian striker Alessandro Matri grabbed an equalizer when French fullback Mathieu Debuchy floated a cross into him. He planted his head on the ball, which flew into the top corner past the keeper. A disappointing draw for Newcastle but they maintained their unbeaten record. Attendance: 48,335.

: Rubén

After three draws in the league in March so far, Newcastle looked to change that in their last league game when they hosted Sheffield Wednesday. It was a very quiet game, with Newcastle dominating. However, as many people accused them of last year, they failed to take their chances when it mattered and could only manage a goalless draw. The best chance of the game came when Ian Evatt fouled midfielder Tom Cleverley in the box. Hatem Ben Arfa stepped up to take the penalty but he could only hit the ball into the welcoming arms of Sheffield Wednesday keeper Lee Camp. Attendance: 48,224.

Having fantastically qualified from the 1st Knockout Round against AS Monaco, Newcastle faced an equally tough challenge in the form of Turkish side Galatasary, with the first leg being played in Turkey.

: Moussa Sissoko

After beating Monaco in fantastic style, Newcastle traveled to Turkey where they faced Galatasary. Fullback Mathieu Debuchy and center back Davide Astori missed the tie through injury. It was a quiet first half with Newcastle dominating the possession. However the chances they had were only coming through counter attacks. After half time, French midfielder Moussa Sissoko got the first goal of the game when Alessandro Matri headed the ball down to him. Sissoko took a touch before firing past the keeper from 20 yards out. Galatasary equalized when Johan Elmander's cross found Didier Drogba in the box. He trapped the ball before firing it low and hard past Tim Krul. Attendance: 52,695.

: Tom Cleverley

Newcastle had the services of fullback Mathieu Debuchy, who had missed the 1st leg through injury. Newcastle took the lead on the brink of half time when Semih Kaya attempted to clear the ball with his head. However, he could only find English midfielder Tom Cleverley who volleyed the ball into the bottom corner. In the second half, Newcastle doubled their lead when Fernando Gago tackled Cleverley in the penalty area. The ball went through to Nicolás Gaitán who smashed the ball low into the corner. The final goal came when substitute Gabby Agbonlahor picked up Moussa Sissoko's through ball before firing the ball past the keeper, into the top corner. This meant that Newcastle had won the tie 4-1 on aggregate and would play in the Europa League quarter-final against fellow English side Arsenal. Attendance: 44,174.

: Demba Ba

Newcastle hosted Sky Bet Championship side Brighton in the FA Cup 6th Round as they looked to continue their cup run. They took the lead when Demba Ba picked up Nicolás Gaitán's through ball and dribbled the ball around the keeper. He had an open goal to fire at and scored with ease. Fabricio Coloccini doubled the lead when he picked the ball up on the edge of the penalty area before firing past the Brighton keeper. Ba bagged his second when Moussa Sissoko played a short ball into the box to him. Ba took the ball before smashing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Brighton pulled one goal back when Ashley Barnes played a fanatstic lofted ball through to Leonardo Ulloa, who controlled the ball before firing the ball low to Tim Kruls' left. They got another goal when Ulloa passed the ball to David López, who smashed the ball in from 22 yards out. Ba got his hat-trick when Italian striker Alessandro Matri played a through ball into the box. Ba ran onto it before firing the ball past the keeper.
Attendance: 51,641.

Fabricio Coloccini picks up our Player Of The Month award after some impressive defensive performances. He also managed to score two goals in all competitions.

Rubén picks up The Young Player Of The Month award after some dazzling performances in his left back position. He also managed to score once and also created one goal.

It was a busy month for Newcastle, with a massive 8 games being played in April. Four of the eight games were in the Premier League with matches against Norwich, Wigan, Hull and Manchester United. They also played in the Europa League Quarter Final against Arsenal and would have to play the 1st leg of the Semi Final if they got through. The other competition they played in was The FA Cup Semi Final against relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley.

: Sébastien Bassong

Newcastle played their first league game of April when they hosted Norwich City at St James's Park. Just after half an hour had been played, Italian center back Davide Astori was sent off for a second bookable offence when he apparently pushed striker Ricky Van Wolfswinkel on the halfway line. Nobody could understand why he had been set off but the referee was adamant that he had made the right decision. There were no goals in the first half but the second half opened with one. With not even five minutes gone, Hatem Ben Arfa played a fantastic cross into Alessandro Matri, whose header hit the bar before bouncing in. Attendance: 48,547.

: Fabricio Coloccini

After their win over Norwich, Newcastle hoped to get another win under their belt as they entertained Wigan Athletic at St James's Park. They were without the services of vice-captain David Astori, who was sent off in the match against Norwich. The first goal came when Alessandro Matri reacted first to a defensive mix-up and took the ball in the penalty area before firing past the angry keeper. Wigan equalized when James Mcarthur crossed the ball in. Fullback Mathieu Debuchy missed a crucial header and the ball went through to Chris McCann who headed the ball past Tim Krul. After half time, Newcastle regained the lead when Gabby Agbonlahor beared down on goal. He looked set to shoot but he unselfishly squared the ball to winger Hatem Ben Arfa who tapped the ball into the empty goal. They made it 3-1 when Gaël Bigirimana played a fantastic ball to Agbonlahor who shot at goal. The shot was saved but only pushed out to substitute Giuseppe De Luca. He was tackled by Mcarthur, but the ball went through to Agbonlahor, who poked the ball into the open goal. Attendance: 48,409.

: James Chester

After two consecutive league wins, Newcastle looked to make it three as they traveled to Hull. However the game didn't go to plan for Newcastle and they conceded when Robert Koren's free kick found James Chester, who took a touch before firing past Tim Krul. A disappointing result for Newcastle but after performing so well for the majority of the season, they will surely be praying that their good form doesn't end here. Attendance:23,030.

: Marouane Fellaini

Newcastle faced their toughest league game in April, when they traveled to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. They managed to keep United at bay for the first 45 minutes but they managed to find their scoring boots after half time. Manchester United scored the first goal of the game when Vurnon Anita fouled Marouane Fellaini in the penalty area. Wayne Rooney stepped up to take the penalty and slotted it into the bottom corner. The lead was doubled when Danny Welbeck's cross found Rooney, ho headed he ball past Tim Krul at the near post. The final goal came when Welbeck headed in Nani's corner. Attendance: 75,765.

Having beaten Galatasary to reach the Quarter Final, Newcastle faced a more familiar opponent in the form of fellow English side Arsenal.

: Hatem Ben Arfa

Arsenal traveled to St James's Park for the first leg where Newcastle played host. Newcastle took the lead after just two minutes when Alessandro Matri picked up Moussa Sissoko's short pass before dribbling the ball past three defenders and firing into the net. They doubled their lead after half time when Hatem Ben Arfa's free kick found captain Fabricio Coloccini in the box, who headed past the Arsenal keeper and into the top corner of the net. They really showed how much they wanted to win when they scored another. Tom Cleverley took a shot at goal. The keeper saved it but only pushed the ball out a far as substitute Gabby Agbonlahor, who fired past the floored Szczęsny. The three goal margin was a brilliant victory for Newcastle and they should defend it in the return leg. Attendance: 52,405.

: Moussa Sissoko

Newcastle looked to hold on to their comfortable lead as they visited London for the second leg against Arsenal. The first goal of the game came in the second half when Gabby Agbonlahor's cross deflected in off French midfielder Moussa Sissoko. Ivorian midfielder Cheick Tioté was then sent off for a second bookable offence when he tripped Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla. Minutes after he was sent off, Newcastle doubled their lead when Laurent Koscileny tackled Shola Ameobi in the box. The ball came back out to Alessandro Matri who smashed the ball past the keeper at the near post. Arsenal pulled a goal back when Urby Emanuelson's cross found Olivier Giroud. His header hit the bar but bounced back out to youngster Joel Campbell who tapped the ball in. Arsenal equalized when Campbell's through ball found Theo Walcott who slipped the ball past Tim Krul at the near post. Newcastle retook the lead when Ameobi's fantastic lofted ball found Sissoko who slotted the ball under the keeper for his second goal. The scores remained 2-3 which meant that Newcastle would go through to the Semi Final with an aggregate score of 2-6. The next opposition would be Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
Attendance: 60,361.

After their magnificent 6-2 aggregate win over Arsenal, Newcastle traveled to Spain for the first leg of the Semi Final against Atletico Madrid.

: Miranda

Newcastle had surprised a lot of people by reaching this stage but they were going to have to contain their excitement if they were going to get a good result at Vicente Calderón. Atlético Madrid scored the only goal of the first leg when young midfielder Koke headed in Gabi's corner. The only other talking point of the game was when Diego Costa received a straight red card late on when he elbowed Fabricio Coloccini in the face in an off the ball incident. He will now miss the return leg. This will be seen as a good result by many people, as Madrid were expected to beat Newcastle by more. Newcastle can easily over turn this result if they play well at home in front of their own fans. Attendance: 54,851.

Having beat Brighton in the 6th Round, Newcastle faced relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday in the Semi Final at Wembley.

: Gabby Agbonlahor

Newcastle and Sheffield Wednesday faced off in the Semi Final of the FA Cup at Wembley, with Newcastle the favourites to progress to the final. Newcastle took the lead when Davide Santon's cross found Gabby Agbonlahor at the near post. He planted his head on the ball and powered it past the Wednesday keeper. The second and final goalof the game came when substitute Lazar Markovic reacted frst to a goal line scramble and smashed the ball past the sea of defenders. Newcastle will now play London side Arsenal in the FA Cup Final in May at Wembley.
Attendance: 56,577.

The Player Of The Month award goes to Alessandro Matri, who scored four goals in all competitions.

The Young Player Of The Month award goes to young Italian center back Marco Capuano, who despite only playing twice, performed extremely well when needed for cover for the injured Astori.

With just three days to go until the FA Cup Final, a lot of people are preparing themselves for their visit to Wembley to watch Newcastle take on Arsenal. With a lot to play for, both sides will be giving their absolute all in order to lift England's most famous trophy. With both teams doing well in the league, many pundits are finding it hard to separate the two sides. So to make it a bit clearer to you, let's give you a preview of Sunday's match and how the two teams got here.

Arsenal started their FA Cup campaign with an away tie against Stoke City in the 3rd Round. The match ended in a 1-1 draw which meant that a replay would have to be played at The Emirates Stadium. Arsenal won the tie 2-1 but they had to play an extra half an hour to find the winning goal.
The 4th Round drew Arsenal against Sky Bet Championship side Burnley at Turf Moor. Arsenal finished the leg in one tie this time, with two second half goals, to which Burnley could only reply with a late consolation goal. The final score was 2-1. The 5th Round draw put Arsenal up against Manchester United at The Emirates Stadium. Fans from all around the world were highly anticipating the game. Arsenal won the game thanks to a goal by captain Thomas Vermaelen which was the only goal of the game.

In the 6th Round, another Sky Bet Championship side. This time, they faced a trip to league leaders Blackburn Rovers. Rovers took the lead through Scottish striker Jordan Rhodes but Arsenal equalized. Before the halftime break, Blackburn were back in the lead thanks to another goal from Rhodes. Arsene Wenger must have said something during half time because the players reacted brilliantly, scoring three goals and winning the tie 4-2.

The Semi Final. Arsenal faced a short trip to Wembley where they faced Newcastle's local rivals Sunderland. Sunderland center back John O'Shea gave Sunderland the lead with just five minutes on the clock. Arsenal winger Diego Perotti equalized in the first half before midfielder Santi Cazorla rounded off the game in the second half. The final score was 2-1 and they will be hoping they can beat Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle in the upcoming final.

Olivier Giroud has been in magnificent form this season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions. He is best known for his strength on the ball and is seen by his teammates as the main target up front. His finishing has been wonderful this season and his positioning has been a key factor in his scoring, as he has poached a lot of goals. Newcastle's defence will have to be on their best form if they are to keep the Frenchman from scoring.

Newcastle began their FA Cup journey at home to Sky Bet Championship side and local rivals Middlesborough in the 3rd Round. Marvin Emnes gave Middlesborough the lead early on in the first half. Manager Alan Shearer has often been praised by his players for his inspiring half time team talks and this was the case here. He must have done something right because straight after half time, Tom Cleverley equalized before Italian striker Alessandro Matri rounded off the victory.

The 4th Round tie was a much easier one. They were drawn against Sky Bet League One strugglers Rochdale. A fantastic hat-trick from Tom Cleverley and a goal from January signing Lazar Markovic ensured a thrashing for Newcastle and they looked to be in high spirits as they headed off the pitch. The 5th Round draw put them up against yet another lower league opponent. This time, Birmingham City played host to Newcastle. It was an Italian job as Italian defender Davide Astori scored one and Italian striker Alessandro Matri bagged a brace.

The 6th Round put them against 'giant killers' Brighton & Hove Albion, who had beat Tottenham Hotspur in the 5th Round. Newcastle saw them off with ease, however, as a marvelous hat-trick from Demba Ba and a goal from captain Fabricio Coloccini were enough to see them through. Brighton replied twice through Leonardo Ulloa and David López.

The Semi Final put them up against their first top division opponent throughout their entire cup run. Manager Alan Shearer took his side to Wembley for the first time as they faced Premier League relegation threatened side Sheffield Wednesday. An early first half goal from Gabby Agbonlahor and a late second half goal from youngster Lazar Markovic was enough to earn them another tie at Wembley - this time in the final.

With Italian striker Alessandro Matri out for the rest of the season, Moussa Sissoko - who is one of the favourites for the English Player Of The Year Award - will be considered as Newcastle's main threat. The French midfielder has been in great form this season, scoring thirteen and setting up 11 goals in all competitions. He has been key to Newcastle's success and Arsenal's defence will do well to stop him from creating chances.

11.05.14. The day of the FA Cup Final. England's most famous trophy is there to play for today. Arsenal VS Newcastle. Arsenal, many people's favourites but as we saw two years ago, shocks can happen. Wigan beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final of this very competition and these two teams are more closely matched than those two opponents.
Wembley. The arch is glistening in the sky. The final few fans are piling in here. Thanks for joining me, Adrian Chiles and my co-host Gareth Southgate as we host this years' final. What a turnout. I can't see an empty seat anywhere. The last final between these two sides was back in 1998. Arsenal won the tie 2-0, so Newcastle will want to ensure that the result doesn't repeat itself today. Here are the highlights from when the teams played each other in the 1998 final.

With both teams wanting to win the trophy, we could be in for a very interesting tie. People are expecting a very close tie, with Arsenal being slight favourites. However, in the last two fixtures played between the two sides, Newcastle have won both. The matches were in the Europa League with Newcastle winning 3-0 and then 2-3.

With Alessandro Matri out, Newcastle will be forced to field Gabby Agbonlahor up front. However, I think that could turn out to be a great opportunity for Agbonlahor to show off his skills. Neither team will want to go home empty handed, so as we gear up for the kick off, let me hand you over to our commentary team, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and ex-Newcastle hero Kevin Keegan. Over to you.

Newcastle played their last four Premier League fixtures this month, with matches against West Brom, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Tottenham. They also played in the Europa League Semi Final 2nd Leg against Atletico Madrid, with a possible Final to be played this month if they were the winners. They also traveled to Wembley to compete in the FA Cup Final against Arsenal, but the score of that is already known. A 1-0 victory for Newcastle, meaning they will be guaranteed a Europa League Group Stage spot next season.

: Massadio Haïdara

In what was a must win game for Newcastle if they were going to compete in the Champions League next season, Newcastle hosted West Bromwich Albion. It was an even match, with both sides having a number of attempts on goal. The first and only goal came after half time, when Gabby Agbonlahor picked up Massadio Haïdara's fantastic through ball before slotting the ball past the keeper. Attendance: 42,263.

: Aislan

Newcastle traveled to London where they were hosted by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in what was another must win match for The Magpies'. However, the match was more evenly balanced than they were expecting and Crystal Palace ended up canceling them out and the match ended in a goalless draw. Attendance: 12,188.

: Ryan Bertrand

Newcastle played their most important league match of the season when they visited 5th place Chelsea. If Chelsea won the match, they would overtake Newcastle and Newcastle would drop down to 5th place and therefore miss out on Champions League qualification. However, Chelsea won the tie by one goal when Romelu Lukaku's through ball found Robert Lewandowski, who hit the ball first time past Tim Krul and into the net. Chelsea overtook Newcastle but they were only ahead on goal difference. There was still much to play for in the last game of the season.
Attendance: 41,798.

: Jonny Evans

On what was the last day of the season, Newcastle hosted Tottenham Hotspur, knowing they had to win to have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. However, a quiet game, in which Spurs had more chances in, led to a Spurs victory. The only goal of the game came when Spurs center back Jonny Evans headed in Gylfi Sigurðsson's corner. Despite shockingly losing 5-1 to Norwich City, Chelsea still finished above Newcastle on goal difference, therefore qualifying for the Champions League. Attendance: 52,405.

Having lost 1-0 in Spain, Newcastle hosted Atlético Madrid at St James's Park as they looked to turn the tie around.

: Alessandro Matri

Newcastle played host to Atlético Madrid as they hoped to turn the tie around and progress to the final. Talisman Alessandro Matri gave the side hope when he gave them the lead in the first half. He won the ball from Raul Garcia 30 yards from goal. He then took the ball past two defenders before smashing the ball into the net from 20 yards out. This would take the tie to extra time. However, Matri scored again after half time when he reacted first to a penalty area scramble and slotted the ball past the keeper. Now Newcastle had to defend. One goal from Atlético Madrid and they would be out due to the away goal rule. However, they hung on to the lead and when the final whistle blew, they were Europa League finalists. They would head into the final at the Juventus Stadium in Italy against fellow English side Chelsea.
Attendance: 52,405.

The Player Of The Month award goes to Davide Astori, who played superbly at the heart of the defence and scored the winning goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

The Young Player Of The Month award goes to 24 year old Moussa Sissoko, who despite not playing key parts in any goals this month, has been brilliant defensively. He shut Arsenal down magnificently and has been rightly called up to the French World Cup squad.