ALAN Pardew asked for a bit more from Shola Ameobi in north east Ukraine last night – and was rewarded with a match-winning performance.

The 31-year-old’s inclusion was a major surprise when Pardew named his team for the second leg of Newcastle United’s Europa League last-32 tie with Metalist Kharkiv.

And as well as playing his part in Pardew’s tactical plan, Ameobi also scored the only goal in 180 minutes of football between the sides – his 15th in continental competition.

Afterwards, Pardew revealed he had picked Ameobi in spite of being unhappy with some of his recent performances.

“I had a little quiet word with Shola before the game because, in the last few weeks, I thought his contribution could have been greater,” said the manager. “But he’s shown what quality he has, and against this team, I always thought he might influence the game.

“He did that all night really and it bodes well for moving forward. We will be fighting on two fronts and have some very important Premier League games to come as well as continuing in this competition. He’s going to play a significant role between now and the end of the season.”

Ameobi’s goal came from the penalty spot after 63 minutes. Newcastle also needed some impressive goalkeeping from Tim Krul, who pulled off a string of saves in the last quarter of an hour.

Krul left the stadium on crutches after an apparent stamp to his left ankle by Jonathan Cristaldo, but the problem is not thought to be too serious. Newcastle will certainly hope so, with a Premier League game at home to Southampton on Sunday.

The victory set up a tie with FC Anzhi Makhachkala in the next round. The first leg is on March 7, and is due to be played in Moscow, though this is to be confirmed with Rubin Kazan also through.