Chopra and Magpies face harder days.

Byline: By Luke Edwards 

This will not be a European game which will live in the memory for very long for most of us, but it will always be a proud and memorable day for Michael Chopra.

Having been billed as the heir in waiting to Alan Shearer's number nine shirt ever since he broke scoring record after scoring record in the club's youth teams, Chopra has had a frustrating time on the fringes as his hopes of succeeding his captain have slipped steadily further away.

Indeed, after two years of failing to make the leap from prospect to Premiership predator, it was widely felt that the 21-year-old would have to leave the club to further his career, with many suggesting he would never pull on his beloved black and white shirt again following a season's loan at League Two side Barnsley.

Chopra, though, has never given up hope of making it at his hometown club and he got his reward in Slovakia, running on to James Milner's defence-spitting pass and then calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper for his first goal for the club.

It was only Chopra's second start and he will once again find his opportunities limited this season, but nobody will ever be able to take this European night away from him.

Chopra was in South Yorkshire when Newcastle were last on the Continent, their previous match in Europe taking them to the 50,000-capacity Jose Alvalade Stadium for a Uefa Cup quarter-final.

It is the club's thirst for more prestigious nights such as that which has driven them to begin their season a month earlier than planned, even if their manager Graeme Souness is less-concerned about boosting the club's reputation abroad as he is in rebuilding at home in the Premiership.

But that barmy ( if ultimately hugely deflating night in Lisbon ( seemed a very long time ago as the Magpies arrived at the rather less exuberant surroundings of ZTS Dubnica's 6,500-capacity home.

In terms of European football, a third-round clash in the Intertoto Cup and a quarter-final in the competition they will gain entry to if they win it, are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

And, even if Newcastle now look favourites to navigate their way past Dubnica, there are the rather more daunting challenges of Deportivo La Coru-a, Marseille and Lazio possibly awaiting them before they can start talking about the Uefa Cup once more.

Yet, there were also some similarities between Portugal and Slovakia ( Kieron Dyer's hamstring. When the England international limped out of the quarter-final against Sporting back in April, it sparked a spectacular collapse.

So, when Dyer complained about a tight hamstring in training on Saturday night, Souness immediately withdrew him from the side. Better to be without his playmaker during the phoney war of pre-season than when the real action gets underway against Arsenal on August 14. Dyer was joined in the stands by his fight club pal Lee Bowyer, who was also withdrawn with a slight thigh strain. With Jermaine Jenas and Stephen Carr left at home with new signings Emre and Scott Parker and Shay Given only on the bench, the match had the sort of low key feel befitting a contest which Souness, in the grand scheme of things, believes was little more than a pre-season friendly.

As is normal with these sorts of clashes, United's superior ability put them comfortably on top for the first half an hour and thankfully they were able to make the advantage count before their lack of match fitness enabled Dubnica to come back into things.

Chopra's strike gave United a fifth minute lead and this was doubled just two minutes later when Charles N'Zogbia's powerful run deflected off Dubnica centre-back Robert Novak and looped over the head of goalkeeper Dusan Pernis.

Shearer helped bundle the ball into the net, but the lack of celebration from the Newcastle skipper would suggest it had already crossed the line when he added the final touch.

Nevertheless, the former England captain ( nine short of overtaking Jackie Milburn's 200-goal club scoring record ( is claiming the goal.

Should Israeli referee Alon Yefet not credit him with it in his match report, however, Shearer's only hope of success on that front would appear to be asking Uefa to take a look at the TV footage of the incident. Cruising at that point, Newcastle perhaps should have pushed harder for a killer third, but at this stage of their pre-season preparations and in stifling conditions it was understandable to see them sit back and defend their lead.

That naturally invited Dubnica pressure and they hit the outside of the post, Marian Adam linking up well with the lively Igor Drzik to split open the defence.

Steve Harper had done well on that occasion to force the striker wide, but he did even better 10 minutes later, making a low save to keep out Drzik and then twice leaping up to push the ball away from the feet of arriving Dubnica midfielders. Nevertheless, the home side did manage to drag themselves back into the contest before the break, Lukas Tesak heading home Maten Izvolt's cross to punish some loose Newcastle marking.

Dubnica briefly looked like causing an upset as United's tired legs struggled to keep up with their energy. But, while Harper made two blocks, the Slovakians rarely caused him any other cause for concern.

And, as their self-belief began to drain, Milner made the game, and the tie, safe. The former Leeds forward, whose arrival at St James's Park led to Chopra's sabbatical at Barnsley, scored only his second goal for the club with a delightful lob over the head of Pernis, just minutes after he had hit the post at the end of a mazy run.