Newcastle United continued their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 win over Championship outfit Blackpool on Sunday.
Magpies boss Alan Pardew selected a strong side for the clash, with Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez and Shola Ameobi among the starters at Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool, meanwhile, had Premier League target Thomas Ince and former Ipswich Town striker Michael Chopra in their starting lineup.
It did not take long for the Magpies to open the scoring, Ameobi firing an unstoppable effort into the back of the net with just five minutes on the clock.
Steven Davies came close to levelling for Blackpool after 17 minutes, but his effort from distance just moved wide of Rob Elliot's left-hand post.
Blackpool thought that they had levelled late in the half courtesy of a powerful header from Craig Cathcart, but Elliot moved across to make a fine save to deny the former Manchester United defender.
The first chance of the second period fell to Ince after 53 minutes, but his effort moved high and wide of the crossbar.
The opportunities dried up in the latter stages as both teams made changes, but it was Ince who continued to cause problems, dragging another attempt wide of the target with 20 minutes remaining.
Adam Campbell, who entered as a late substitute, had a half-chance to extend Newcastle's lead in the final five minutes, but the young forward could not find the back of the net from close range.
Matt Law
