IT might have had more false starts than the World Athletics Championships, but Michael Owen's injury comeback is finally up and running after the Newcastle striker appeared in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Scottish Division One side Gretna yesterday.

Owen, who had not kicked a ball in anger since rupturing his knee ligaments in last June's World Cup fixture with Sweden, played for almost 75 minutes amid unprecedented security at the Magpies' Benton training ground.

The England international opened the scoring inside the opening ten minutes of a game that was played over three 30-minute periods, and went on to lay on another goal for fellow long-term absentee Shola Ameobi as Newcastle beat their full-strength Scottish opponents 4-1.

While Owen was understandably rusty after a ten-month lay-off, there appeared to be no long-term effects from the latest in a long line of injury setbacks that have plagued him since he made a £16m move from Real Madrid in August 2005.

Newcastle's medical staff will monitor the striker's recovery closely over the next 48 hours but, provided that everything goes to plan, there is an outside chance that he could be named on the bench when Glenn Roeder's side travel to Portsmouth on Saturday.

A second friendly outing next week - possibly against League Two leaders Hartlepool - seems more likely, as that would pave the way for a possible appearance in the following weekend's home game against Chelsea.

Either way, after weeks of uncertainty, it is now all but certain that Owen will feature for Newcastle's first team in the final month of the season.

Gretna full-back Gavin Skelton was one of the players charged with the task of marking Owen yesterday, and the Carlisle-born defender is adamant that the 27-year-old is capable of making an imminent return.

"If that's what he's like after nine months out of the game, I'd hate to play against a fully-fit Michael Owen," said Skelton, whose Gretna side were chosen as Newcastle's opponents yesterday thanks for former Magpies assistant Mick Wadsworth's role as director of football at Raydale Park.

"The goal was the hallmark of a great striker. It was just a half-chance really from the edge of the box but in a flash he'd buried it in the bottom corner of the net with a right-foot shot. He didn't smash it, it was just very clinical, brilliantly placed.

"He looked very sharp throughout and while I can't recall him having any more chances, his link-up play was excellent.

"And I didn't notice him heavy breathing either. Stamina-wise, you wouldn't have thought this was his comeback game.

"Obviously, he's not going to be match fit but, to me, he looks ready for the Premiership.

"We're not a bad side in our own right, but he's the best we've played against.

"I'm glad I don't come across forwards of his calibre every week."

Owen's imminent return to first-team action will be a major fillip for a Newcastle side that have failed to score in five of their last six Premiership matches.

While the common consensus is that the Magpies have nothing to play for following their UEFA Cup exit to AZ Alkmaar, Monday's goalless draw with Arsenal means they are just five points adrift of the eighth-placed finish that would be good enough to earn an Intertoto Cup spot if Manchester United and Chelsea were to meet in the FA Cup final.

Roeder has been reluctant to place too much stock in the possibility of Owen playing again this season and, as recently as Monday, the Magpies manager was playing down speculation that Newcastle had arranged a friendly fixture to test the striker's fitness.

"Michael is world news, not just British news," he said, in the wake of Monday's draw.

"If I say he's going to play in the middle of next week and he doesn't, hysteria will break out about a setback.

"All I can say is we're getting very, very close but you're going to have to be a bit more patient."

Roeder's desire to deflect talk of Owen's current state of fitness is strange given his willingness to repeatedly bemoan the striker's absence in the second half of the season, but there would be no hiding his delight if he was able to welcome his leading striker back into the fold ahead of the summer break.

The Londoner will not have been the only manager buoyed by yesterday's news, as England boss Steve McClaren is also monitoring the latter stages of Owen's recovery with baited breath.

Provided he can prove his fitness between now and the end of May, England's fourth leading goalscorer of all time will be a certain starter in June's crucial European Championships qualifier in Estonia.

Indeed, with Wayne Rooney suspended for the game in Tallinn, Owen's availability could be crucial to McClaren's chances of retaining his job as England coach.

■ CESC FABREGAS has called on Arsenal to 'do their job' and finish fourth in the Premiership.

Following the Easter programme, the Gunners remain two points ahead of Bolton - who they face at home on Saturday - and with a match in hand on the sides below them.

Arsene Wenger's men have, though, hardly produced inspiring form in recent weeks.

Despite creating a plethora of chances against West Ham at home on Saturday, they lost 1-0 and again drew a blank at Newcastle yesterday, making it just one goal in four games.

We have to beat Bolton because we have to fight for the fourth place and be in Europe next season, then forget about this season,'' Fabregas said.

We cannot fight for anything else, so it is our job to make it.'' The midfielder added: We always try to win. I have never gone into a game without my mentality of trying to win.

We fought really hard against West Ham on Saturday and again at Newcastle, so it has been 180 really hard minutes in less than 48 hours. It was a good challenge for us, it is just that the goals do not come.''