Ameobi Scores for Newcastle against Blackpool.

Shola Ameobi.
Shola Ameobi.

Shola Ameobi shrugged aside injury concerns and scored for Newcastle United in their 1-0 victory over Championship side Blackpool at Bloomsfield road on Sunday.

It was the Zaria-born striker’s third pre-season goal in as many games, helping Newcastle- which has been bereft of frontline options- to a second pre-season victory in four friendlies this summer.

Ameobi’s 5th minute strike made the difference in a well-balanced encounter, firing beyond the unsighted Matt Gilks from six yards from a Mike Williamson’s nod-back.

After walking off the pitch, clutching his right wrist in the second-half of Newcastle’s 1-3 loss to Rio Ave in Portugal last Saturday, the news comes as a welcomed development for coach Stephen Keshi.

The veteran striker was taken to hospital for an X-ray with what looked like a nasty injury and was subsequently identified as an injury doubt for future games by manager Alan Pardew but such fears have now been effectively dispelled.

However, he was replaced at the break as a result of another knock he suffered late in the first-half in Lancashire yesterday (Sunday). The severity of that knock has not yet been clarified.

Super Eagles Coach, Keshi, named the 31-year-old for the friendly match against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge in Durban on August 14. The coach had earlier allayed injury fears on the striker, who has capped once for the national team, saying he is on course to earn his second cap.