JOB done. It wasn’t pretty for much of the game, and an upset briefly looked to be on the cards when Bromley opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but Newcastle United ultimately secured a comfortable passage into the FA Cup fourth round.

Lewis Miley atoned for his weak tackling in the build-up to Bromley’s opener with an excellent equaliser, but having made nine changes to his starting line-up, Eddie Howe’s concern was evident in the half-time changes that saw Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes leave the bench to rouse the Magpies from their first-half slumbers.

Gordon duly converted a 49th-minute penalty to ease any lingering worries, before Will Osula rifled home his first goal since his summer move from Sheffield United to confirm Newcastle’s victory.

Ultimately, the hosts were able to celebrate a routine success. Given they were playing against mid-table League Two opposition, though, precious few players enhanced their standing.

Any hopes of a simple afternoon disappeared pretty much straight away, with Bromley claiming a shock lead with their first meaningful attack.

Miley hardly covered himself in glory, first losing the ball to Corey Whitely, then failing in a half-hearted attempt to tackle Cameron Congreve. Having shaken off his opponent, Congreve drilled a low 20-yard finish into the bottom corner. Martin Dubravka got a hand to the ball, and should probably have made a better fist of keeping it out.

Bromley were in dreamland, but things almost got even better for the 3,000-travelling support in the upper tier of the Leazes End six minutes later. Lloyd Kelly’s wayward pass out of defence was intercepted, and after charging unchallenged down the right, Danny Imray flashed a low drive just wide of the far post.

Newcastle desperately needed something to get them going, and it arrived when Miley atoned for his earlier errors with a superb 16th-minute equaliser. The Magpies kept the move alive after Osula was unable to round Grant Smith after breaking clear, and from 25 yards out, Miley hammered a brilliant finish into the bottom right-hand corner. Making his first start of the season, the 18-year-old was able to celebrate his first goal since December 2023.

The instant leveller saved Newcastle a considerable amount of embarrassment, but failed to spark the kind of attacking onslaught that might have been expected. With Miguel Almiron, Harvey Barnes and Sean Longstaff all underperforming, the home side struggled to translate their dominance of possession into goalscoring opportunities.

Howe was clearly frustrated with his side’s first-half efforts, hence the introduction of Guimares and Gordon at the interval, and the latter fired Newcastle ahead within four minutes of coming on to the field.

Matt Targett was felled by a clumsy challenge from Ben Thompson as he dribbled across the face of the 18-yard box, and Gordon stepped up to confidently stroke his spot-kick into the left-hand corner.

Both Gordon and Guimaraes helped add some of the urgency that had been lacking in Newcastle’s play before the break, but while the pair deserve credit for displaying the right attitude, their transformative impact hardly spoke well for the efforts of those who had been playing prior to their introduction.

That said, though, Newcastle displayed a collective improvement throughout the second half, with Osula’s first goal in black-and-white extending their lead just after the hour mark.

The 21-year-old had toiled fairly ineffectually up to that point, but he was able to celebrate a moment he will never forget as he galloped into the inside-right channel to receive Guimaraes’ through ball.

Turning inside his opponent, Osula opened up his body before hammering a brilliant left-footed finish into the far corner. Having watched the Dane break his duck, perhaps Howe will feel emboldened to give him more opportunities off the bench in the second half of the season.

The Magpies manager handed a senior debut to Trevan Sanusi, a 17-year-old winger, in the closing stages of yesterday’s game, with final stages being played out to a chorus of “Martin Dubravka, we want you to stay” that emanated from the Gallowgate End. Perhaps the goalkeeper’s emotional goodbyes at the Emirates will prove to have been premature after all.