HEERENVEEN is the home of Thialf, the fastest speed skating track in Europe, and, last night, second-half goals from Alan Shearer and Lee Bowyer saved Newcastle when it looked like manger Graeme Souness was going to be the one skating on thin ice.

Shearer's blistering second-half strike cancelled out Klaas Jan Huntelaar's equally emphatic opener for the Dutch side, before Bowyer's impudent backheel salvaged a positive result from an opening hour that had proved far too unpalatable for the club's travelling support.

The midfielder's subsequent sending off took some of the sheen off Souness' night, but things had looked like being much worse midway through the second half when the Magpies manager was subjected to his first public barracking from Newcastle's travelling fans.

Laurent Robert's banishment to the bench clearly rankles with a fanbase used to the kind of free-flowing attacking play that earned Heerenveen a deserved first-half lead, and which seems to have been sacrificed by Souness.

The travelling band of 300 fans also turned on the club's board of directors - chants of "Sack the board" rang out moments before Robert's introduction - but the criticism was stopped in its tracks when Shearer and Bowyer earned a win that had looked unlikely for most of the night.

While Newcastle have stuttered on the domestic stage this season, last night's victory extended a proud 100 per cent record on foreign soil.

Wins at Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin, Panionios and Sochaux had eased the Magpies into the UEFA Cup's first knockout stage, and also given Souness the confidence to play three strikers in Heerenveen's newly-extended Abe Lenstra Stadion.

With a point to prove in his homeland, Dutch international Patrick Kluivert made only his second start of 2005 at the base of a three-pronged attack that also included Shearer and Shola Ameobi.

Jermaine Jenas passed a late fitness test to take his place in midfield but, with substitute goalkeeper Steve Harper having been laid low by chicken pox, Newcastle were forced to fly out Tony Caig as a late replacement on the bench.

Jenas scored when Newcastle were last on Dutch soil - a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven in last season's UEFA Cup - and his feat was almost emulated by Bowyer after just four minutes of last night's game.

The United midfielder hurtled into the six-yard box after Stephen Carr had waltzed around Daniel Hestad, but the pace of his run meant he was unable to direct the full-back's cross underneath the crossbar.

Carr's forays down the right wing were something of a rarity in a first half dominated by the home side but, at the other end, Heerenveen winger Ugur Yildirim ensured a steady supply of crosses into the Newcastle box.

Hugging the touchline, Yildirim, who won his first Holland cap in last week's friendly at Villa Park, highlighted exactly what Newcastle were lacking by providing natural width to a Hereenveen side willing to play patient and precise passing moves in the central third.

His eighth-minute cross almost helped to break the deadlock but, after Hestad flicked on at the near post, Mika Vayrynen headed over the top after losing his marker on the edge of the six-yard box.

Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien were both guilty of switching off on that occasion and, 16 minutes later, the former suffered yet another lapse of concentration that proved considerably more costly.

Arnold Bruggink tracked him into the penalty area and, after Bramble dallied in possession, the former PSV Eindhoven striker robbed him before producing a deft pull-back that top scorer Huntelaar rifled home off the underside of the crossbar.

Souness spoke of Bramble as "potential England material" after his side's last European excursion but, if the 23-year-old is unable to cut out the all-too-familiar errors that continue to plague his game, it is difficult to see how he can keep faith in him once Jean-Alain Boumsong returns from injury.

More slack marking followed within 60 seconds of United falling behind, with Huntelaar ghosting in front of both centre-halves to plant a firm header straight at Shay Given following yet another measured centre from the dangerous Yildirim.

Newcastle's first-half opportunities were restricted to the early Bowyer header and a 40th-minute run from Ameobi that ended in a driven cross that Shearer almost turned in at the back post.

With Kluivert utterly ineffective as a link between midfield and attack, United's front two were forced to do most of their own running as both Bowyer and Jenas struggled to add any variety to the visitors' attacks.

Heerenveen, on the other hand, were attacking from all angles and, after Bruggink fired over following a fine one-two between Huntelaar and Hestad, Bowyer produced a magnificent last-ditch block to prevent Tomasz Rzasa's strike finding the target.

But, if there is anyone able to create something from nothing it is Shearer, and the Newcastle skipper saved Souness from further criticism by scoring his sixth European goal of the season in the 69th minute.

The 62nd-minute introduction of Robert helped - although Souness will no doubt be loath to admit as much himself - with the Frenchman feeding Kluivert on the edge of the area and watching as he then passed to Shearer.

The striker muscled his way into a shooting position 14 yards from goal, and duly drove home a stinging drive that flew past Heerenveen goalkeeper Brian Vandenbussche.

Suddenly the game was turned on its head and, with Newcastle sensing a vulnerability in the Heerenveen backline, the visitors snatched an unlikely victory eight minutes from time.

Kluivert again had a hand in it, steering the ball into the path of the marauding Carr, and Bowyer showed commendable composure to backheel his low cross into the net from eight yards.

Sadly he was not as composed four minutes later when, following a first-half booking for a foul, a deliberate handball earned a second yellow card and an early bath.

Newcastle held on without him - Given making a magnificent diving save after Bramble had again been robbed by Vayrynen - but Souness will have noted the displeasure that preceded Robert's introduction and his side's two goals.

Whether he does anything about it when Chelsea visit Tyneside on Sunday though, remains to be seen.

Result: Heerenveen 1 Newcastle United 2.

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