NEWCASTLE played their 100th European game last night and, while a comprehensive win over Greek side Olympiacos ensured they celebrated their centenary in style, thoughts on Tyneside are already turning towards game 105.

After cruising through to the last eight of the UEFA Cup, the Magpies are just five games away from their first European final since the season it all began.

And, after recording an utterly convincing 7-1 aggregate win over a team who started the season in the Champions League, Newcastle are increasingly looking like a side who have both the ability and the acumen to win one of Europe's biggest prizes.

In September 1968, United's first continental clash preceded a campaign that eventually ended with Bob Moncur lifting the Inter-Cities' Fairs Cup.

Some 37 years later, it would be fitting if the club's latest European adventure gave Alan Shearer the chance to end his career by becoming the next skipper to hoist a major trophy above his head.

Shearer has already scored far more European goals than anyone else at the club and last night's brace keeps alive the possibility of him beating Jackie Milburn's all-time record before the season's end.

He now needs just nine more to draw level with Milburn's mark and, if Newcastle can negotiate two more rounds in this competition, few would bet against him making history in more ways than one in Lisbon's Jose Alvalade Stadium in May.

Shearer's first came after the impressive Kieron Dyer opened the scoring, while his second followed a second-half strike from Lee Bowyer, and the double contributed to a thoroughly professional display from the home side.

Andy O'Brien and Aaron Hughes shrugged off the loss of Titus Bramble at the back, while Dyer's dazzling first-half display more than made up for the absence of Patrick Kluivert in attack.

Dyer has been a pivotal figure in Newcastle's recent renaissance, with his erratic early-season form replaced by the kind of busy, bustling displays that were once his trademark.

The only thing letting him down has been his lack of goals and, while Dyer can rightly claim to have been isolated on the right flank in recent weeks, his scoring struggles stretch back far further than that.

The England international might see himself as a striker but a total of 25 goals in his first 201 appearances for the Magpies told a somewhat different story.

That total is now 26 in 202 and, in the first half of last night's game, Dyer gave a tantalising glimpse of what United have been missing in the absence of Craig Bellamy.

Shearer and Kluivert have fared well in recent weeks but neither possesses the kind of pace and penetration that can unlock the most well-drilled of continental defences.

Dyer does and, after running Olympiacos' two centre-halves ragged with his fleetness of foot, the 26-year-old proved he can also boast the kind of composure that has been absent in the past.

His 15th-minute pull back led to Nicky Butt crashing a 20-yard drive against the crossbar but there was better to come three minutes later when he ghosted into the penalty area for a second time.

Laurent Robert's fearsome free-kick was only partially cleared and, after Bowyer headed back into the box, Dyer found himself shielding the ball with his back to goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis.

Other players might have looked for support but, showing a striker's instinct that Shearer would have been proud of, Dyer nonchalantly back-heeled the ball into the net to banish even the remotest chance of a Greek comeback.

A three-goal aggregate lead provided more than enough security and, for the rest of the game, Newcastle barely broke sweat as Olympiacos' resolve rapidly ebbed away. Dyer was unfortunate not to win a penalty after he was bundled over by Georgios Anatolakis and, on the half-hour mark, Shearer uncharacteristically blazed over from ten yards after Jermaine Jenas sent him through on goal.

The Newcastle number nine must have thought it was going to be one of those nights when his diving header drifted narrowly wide of the far post, especially as he had earlier seen his horse, Covent Garden, narrowly fail to claim the Coral Cup at Cheltenham. But, just as the seasoned stayer was doing his best work as the finish line approached, so Shearer maintained his recent goal glut to move even closer to Milburn's all-time record.

Dyer surged past Spiros Vallas to the byline, Shearer steadied himself before steering his partner's pull-back into the far corner.

The second half was equally one-sided, with Newcastle extending their lead even further nine minutes after the re-start.

Bowyer thought he had scored when he met Robert's left-wing cross with a looping header but, while a back-pedalling Nikopolidis somehow clawed the ball away, the Greek goalkeeper was beaten by the midfielder's second attempt after Jenas had shown good awareness to find him from the rebound.

Jenas turned provider again midway through the second half, rolling the ball into Shearer's path before the striker nonchalantly rounded Nikopolidis and rifled into the roof of the net.

Result: Newcastle United 4 Olympiacos 0 (Newcastle win 7 - 1 on aggregate).

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