Toon continue Foxes freefall

F l o w e r s s a i d : 'People can' t complain about our spirit. There have been things written which have hurt the gaffer and hurt the players.

'But we have shown - with a shadow squad if you like - that we can fight manfully for 90 minutes at a massive club like Newcastle. The real backbone of our team - Elliott, Taggart, Sinclair, Izzet and Savage - was absent today. I'm sure the manager will make additions to his squad in the summer. We have money to spend, so our fans shouldn't get too downhearted.'

Leicester were overwhelmed for virtually the whole game - a corner count of Newcastle 14, Leicester 0 tells the story - but Flowers' own performance was magnificent.

The 34-year-old was so impressive in the first half that Newcastle fans applauded him as he took the field after the interval.

After one diving save that denied Nikos Dabizas, Flowers, smiling, mouthed the words 'dodgy keeper!' to fans behind the goal, a reminder of the way they had once chided him.

Flowers rated that save his best of the match, but equally good was his effort in the first half when he twisted and scrambled Kevin Gallacher's chip off the line.

Thousands of Newcastle fans had left the ground when the roar from within told them they had finally scored. Taylor was right to suggest that Flowers would have saved Cort's shot had he not been left helpless by Gary Rowett's deflection.

Many Newcastle supporters are threatening not to renew season tickets. It was the first clean sheet they had achieved in 30 games, something which delighted goalkeeper Shay Given, Flowers' old Blackburn clubmate.

But Tyneside will hope that the 'club business' which led to manager Bobby Robson's absence on Saturday - believed to be a trip to Holland to complete the £6m signing of Vitesse Arnhem's 23-year-old striker Victor Sikora - will bring greater quality than the fans have seen for most of the season.

Indeed, Newcastle are also lining up an ambitious move for Deportivo La Coruna's Brazilian midfielder Djalminha.

Robson has been alerted to Djalminha's availability following a disagreement between the 30-year-old and his coach Javier Ireruta.

Djalminha, who has been sent off six times in his four years in Spain, has a contract that runs until 2005 but Ireruta has decided to sell him after repeated clashes.

Although Djalminha is currently classed as a non-EU player, he has made himself more attractive to Newcastle by applying for a Spanish passport. He was sent off in the UEFA Cup at Arsenal last season after clashing with Gilles Grimandi, but the other side of his character was in evidence as he masterminded Deportivo's 2-0 second leg win over Leeds in the Champions League quarter-final this month.

Although Newcastle would probably have to increase their initial £10million offer, Ireruta's determination to offload him should mean the price will be within reach.