LEE Hughes' extra-time winner created the shock of the Carling Cup third round as Albion cut Premiership giants Newcastle down to size in a pulsating St James' Park tie.

Super sub Hughes' fifth goal of the season in the first period of added time fired the Baggies into the fourth round of the competition for the first time in 14 years.

Newcastle dominated normal time but found themselves behind in the 29^th minute when striker Shola Ameobi put through his own net.

Albion man-of-the-match Russell Hoult, who narrowly outshone Thomas Gaardsoe and Andy Johnson, kept Newcastle at bay with a succession of superb saves before Laurent Robert finally clawed the Toon level in the 65^th minute.

But despite rested skipper Alan Shearer's appearance as an extra-time substitute, Hughes nicked it for Albion with a 101^st-minute winner.

Hoult was called into action inside 90 seconds of the start when he did well to palm Robert's ferocious 25-yard drive to safety.

Albion, backed by a vociferous 2,400-strong following, soon fashioned a shooting chance for themselves when former North East native Bernt Haas dispossessed Steven Caldwell inside the Baggies half and charged to the edge of the Newcastle box, only to blaze high over Steve Harper's bar.

Being a former Sunderland player, Haas' finish sparked loud cheers from the home hordes.

Newcastle hit straight back and Hoult showed a safe pair of hands to clutch a near-post drive from former England star Shearer's replacement Lomana LuaLua.

The Congo international was at it again moments later when, after Gaardsoe could only half-clear Robert's cross, he collected the loose ball and curled a terrific right-foot effort just wide of the post from 20 yards.

Although Haas was enjoying some success down the right, the Newcastle pressure continued and Neil Clement was forced into evasive action to deny Ameobi a tap-in from LuaLua's terrific left-wing run and cross.

LuaLua was certainly making the most of his first start of the season and he struck the Albion bar in the 12^th minute with an instinctive, close-range header after Caldwell had powered Robert's corner goalwards.

The Geordie giants really should have broken the deadlock three minutes later when they broke quickly from an Albion corner.

Hugo Viana sent Ameobi scampering away down the right and the England Under-21 international cut inside Phil Gilchrist, only to blaze wastefully wide from ten yards with Hoult beaten.

Albion bravely hung on but Clement almost shot them in the foot in the 21^st minute with a woefully under-hit backpass.

Thankfully, Hoult was alert and rushed out of his area to slide tackle Ameobi in the nick of time before the impressive Johnson cleared the danger.

Albion looked dangerous on the counter-attack and the recalled Scott Dobie was unlucky to lose his footing at the vital moment after jinking past Titus Bramble and Olivier Bernard.

After Jermaine Jenas had had loud penalty appeals turned down for an alleged Johnson trip which appeared to occur just outside the box, the Baggies charged upfield but Artim Sakiri dragged his shot well wide from 20 yards.

Yet the Macedonian corner king made a much more telling contribution in the 29^th minute.

Sakiri's left-wing flag-kick was flicked on by Rob Hulse at the near post and the ball cannoned off the inside of the luckless Ameobi's leg and into the net to give Albion a shock lead.

It is the second time in four days a Baggies opponent has broken the deadlock by putting through his own net following Shaun Barker's error at Rotherham on Saturday.

Stung by conceding a soft opener, the Newcastle again laid siege to the Baggies goal and Hoult had to dive low to his right to brilliantly clutch a long-range Viana grass-cutter.

Ameobi then wasted Newcastle's best chance of the half when, with just the stranded Hoult to beat, he headed LuaLua's pinpoint centre against the outside of the near post from inside the six-yard box.

Another great United opening went begging when Jenas planted a free header from Robert's swirling corner into Hoult's midriff.

The final action of the half saw the Albion shot-stopper comfortably deal with Nolberto Solano's 20-yard exocet.

Sir Bobby Robson made a change at the break, replacing Viana with the rested Gary Speed, and Newcastle were soon back on the attack.

Hoult was relieved to see LuaLua's spectacular scissor kick fly over his bar from Solano's centre and he then beat away Robert's vicious free-kick from all of 40 yards before Gaardsoe cleared.

The Baggies continued to threaten on the break and only a perfectly-timed Caldwell challenge on Dobie prevented the Scottish international stabbing home Haas' low cross.

Megson replaced Sakiri with Ronnie Wallwork in the 59^th minute and the former Manchester United made a vital contribution with his first touch, clearing Robert's curling corner off the line.

Albion were struggling to get out of their half as Newcastle kept them penned in and Hoult was forced into another fine save to keep out Speed's downward header from Robert's corner.

A Newcastle goal had been coming and Hoult could do nothing to prevent Robert's 65^th-minute equaliser.

The French winger scythed the Baggies defence open by exchanging a clever one-two with Ameobi and silenced the Toon Army's cries for Shearer to be introduced by beating Hoult from 12 yards.

Robson's men were battering the Albion box with a procession of crosses and corners and the off-balance Speed wasn't far wide with an acrobatic header from another terrific Robert flag-kick.

After James O'Connor had gifted United possession, Hoult's reflexes again saved Albion as he denied LuaLua in a one-on-one after the livewire striker had been released by Robert.

Over-worked Albion didn't record their first shot of the half until 12 minutes from time when Wallwork shot tamely at Harper from 30 yards.

But the Baggies pushed the tiring hosts on to the back foot during the closing stages and had penalty appeals of their own waved away when Hulse and Caldwell clashed in the box.

And workaholic Welsh star Johnson brought normal time to an end by shooting weakly at Harper from the edge of the box.

Albion kicked off a strength-sapping extra 30 minutes but it was Hoult who was called into action first as he spared Phil Gilchrist's blushes by somehow keeping out his team-mate's sliced clearance from Ameobi's centre.

After O'Connor had dispossessed the marauding Robert inside the Albion half, the visitors carved out a great chance from a flowing move.

Haas found O'Connor who slipped in substitute Hughes, an 84th-minute replacement for Hulse, but the club record signing could only fire straight at Harper's legs from 15 yards with a first-time effort.

Robson finally answered the Toon Army's calls in the 99^th minute by bringing on Magpies legend Shearer for Robert.

But it was a Black Country hero who soon etched his name on the scoresheet as Hughes fired Albion into a 101^st-minute lead.

In arguably Albion's best move of the season, Gaardsoe calmly carried the ball into the United half and fed Clement who charged at the heart of the Newcastle defence before slipping in Hughes.

The £2.5 million striker timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap and swept the ball into the far corner of Harper's net for his first goal since August Bank Holiday Monday.

It was one-way Newcastle traffic throughout the second period of extra-time but Albion held on to claim a famous victory.

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Harper; Griffin, Caldwell, Bramble, Bernard; Solano (Ambrose 84), Jenas, Viana (Speed HT), Robert (Shearer 99); Ameobi, LuaLua. Subs not used: Given (gk), A Hughes.

ALBION (3-5-2): Hoult; Gregan, Gaardsoe, Gilchrist (Volmer 97); Haas, O'Connor, Johnson, Sakiri (Wallwork 59), Clement; Dobie, Hulse (L Hughes 84). Subs not used: Murphy (gk), N'Dour.

GOALS: NEWCASTLE - Robert (65). ALBION - Ameobi (own goal, 29), Hughes (101)

BOOKINGS: UNITED - LuaLua (foul, 84), Bramble (103). ALBION - Volmer (foul, 100), Hoult (time-wasting, 113)

REFEREE: N Barry (Scunthorpe)

ATENDANCE: 46,932
ALBION STARMAN: Russell Hoult

(Pics by Laurie Rampling)