NEWCASTLE UNITED........2
Parker 37, Ameobi 63

WIGAN ATHLETIC................1
McCulloch 58

Latics went down fighting in their Premiership opener and will be disappointed not to come away with at least a point after a battling display at St James Park.

New look Latics showed seven changes from the side that finished the season at Arsenal, nine from the one that started here in April and displayed enough promise and power to suggest they will be able to pick up this season from the standards they set last year.

Six of the new signings played and the Emile Heskey and Henri Camara combination looked very promising, along with some terrific dead ball play by Denny Landzaat. Chris Kirkland was impressive when called upon and both Fitz Hall and Emmerson Boyce were solid. Antonio Valencia showed enough quality to suggest he can be a hit at this level.

However, two defensive errors cost Latics dear and in the end all they had to show for their possession and aerial threat was Lee McCulloch's superb second half equaliser.

His goal was an absolute peach. Fitz Hall cleared the ball long out of defence and Steven Carr made a mess of clearing it, Heskey was too strong for the Newcastle defence as the ball came back down and he headed the ball to McCulloch on the left. He pulled it back onto his right foot and floated in a superb curling effort around Shay Given and into the top corner from 12 yards.

Latics were unfortunately only able to keep the scores level for five minutes, but pressed hard for the equaliser. Arjan De Zeeuw's goalbound header from a Landzaat corner had already been cleared off the line by Nolberto Solano before McCulloch's goal, and they came so close to equalising a second time. Landzaat shot inches over from Henri Camara's left wing cross, while Camara's rasping drive was deflected away for a corner by Steven Taylor.

Camara could have scored in the first half when he headed  Valencia's cross against the post with Latics' best other chance before the break coming when McCulloch's header from Landzaat's curling free-kick was tipped away,

At the other end, Newcastle  were twice magnificently denied by Chris Kirkland in the first half,  from Parker's long range shot and Solano's diving header.  Kirkland was unable to prevent Parker's header beating him just before the break, however, after Shola Ameobi's deflected cross came to him five yards out.

Newcastle's second goal came as Charles N'Zogbia's driven shot was parried by Kirkland, but Ameobi was first to the rebound to tap home their winner.  There was controversy in the final minutes when Titus Bramble had appeared to handle in the box after a Fitz Ball long ball although the referee decided to take no action,

LATICS
Kirkland; Boyce, Hall, De Zeeuw (Capt), Baines; Valencia (Kavanagh 89), Landzaat (Kavanagh 86), Scharner, McCulloch; Camara, Heskey
Subs: Pollitt, Jackson, Wright
Booked: Heskey, Valencia

NEWCASTLE
Given; Carr, Moore (Taylor 46), Bramble, Babayaro; Solano, Parker, Butt (N'Zogbia 15), Emre, Duff; Ameobi (Luque 76)
Subs: Harper, Milner
Booked: Luque

Attendance: 51,567

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Assistants: N Bannister, R Martin

Fourth Official: G Laws