About 6pm last night I sent Shay a text saying "Good luck tonight man. We can beat them. Cammm Onnn"

His reply, almost instantaneous, was, "Yeah man, bring on the San Siro. Come on!"

The excitement was building to what I believed would one of the greatest evenings in NUFC's history.

By the time I was sat in front of the TV, an hour later, the blood pressure was way too high and the neighbours would surely have been questioning the TV noise level and that strange incomprehensible tongue that was emanating from the next door living room.

Whatever talk there had been prior to the game about Newcastle being able to step up to the big stage, their on-field performance was indicative of a side that could potentially claim to rank among the best in Europe at the moment.

The passing was fluid and confident. The defence, with the exception of a jittery start by Andy O Brien, stood head and shoulders above their hosts attacking line and both Titus Bramble and in particular Olivier Bernard deserve high praise for tackle upon tackle and clearance upon clearance.

Throughout the game the 'gamesmanship' was prevalent and sickening. I don't know where that referee was from but he was obviously getting a lift to the San Siro by Inter Milan and must have been trained at a special school for referees with cataracts.

He awarded at least 5 frees against Olivier Bernard for what were, on slow-mo replay, superb tackles.

He yellow-carded Craig Bellamy for being clipped by Inter's goalkeeper, despite Craig not even looking a free, and better still imploring the ref that he was OK and there was nothing in it. Needless to say I made these feelings known to the TV set in extremely candid terms.

The Italians didn't help matters by doing more diving than a scuba school day-trip to Sea World. But, there's nothing to release pent up frustration better than a goal by Alan Shearer.

And boy he did not disappoint. The build up to it was all Craig Bellamy and he skinned their wing-back before daisy-cutting in the perfect cross to land at Alan's perfectly timed run.

How good did that feel? Shay was very steady and he pulled off a couple of blinders.

The commentators on ITV2 need to get their eye prescription checked themselves. One remark after a fantastic left hand touch that sent the ball wide of his own goal, was 'Given nowhere near that'. Replay showing Shay palming it wide.

Sometimes quality like that is too quick for the commentator eye. But his second half save from Vieri was world class top drawer for all to see. A snap shot from the Italian international on his favoured left foot saw a salmon like dive from Shay to put wide, Vieri clasping his palms together and muttering words to the skies in disbelief.

Absolutely no evidence of dislocated fingers and strapping here.

The second half goal from them with only 90 seconds on the clock stunned us all to silence.

But what about the reply minutes later from what's his name again? Alan Shearer.

NUFC's record onion bag buster. Capitalising on some sloppy defending from the Italians. Euphoria.

The neighbours will definitely be in touch with the Estate Agents looking a 'For Sale' sign after the bellowing that followed that one.

I prayed we would hold on but alas, they drew level with a bullet header from a cross which we could've had no complaints about, except perhaps to ask whether Gary Speed was impeded or not, but in my opinion their scorer (their man-of-the-match defender Cordoba) just jumped higher. And so it finished.

On any other evening a fantastic result away form home. Under present circumstances, we are left to beat Barcelona in St. James park (what a night that'll be) and leave the rest of our destiny on the laps of Bayer Leverkusen against last nights foes.

Shay and I shared a few more texts before he boarded the plane home and the sentiments were mostly of the kind that they were gutted to not to have won, rued the 'gamesmanship' of the Inter players, and some thoughts on the referee.

One last thought on that. There was a referee back in Donegal one time called, and I better use an alias here for fear of recrimination, Gerry Drover, who was, let's say, not the best.

I saw this game one time where a defender dived full stretch to palm a ball wide from a certain goal. Gerry gave a corner. No card. No penalty.

Shay and I both agreed last night that he would've done a better job that our man in San. Enough said. :-)

Thanks Bear for that. Well done Newcastle, well done Shay, you've done us more than proud. Shay-Given.com

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