Channel 5 toasts Toon Army

Football star Temur Ketsbaia was the toast of Channel 5 yesterday after his last-gasp winner for Newcastle United gave the new station one of its highest-ever audiences. The see-saw Champions League qualifying match was seen by a peak audience of 3.4 million on Wednesday night - more than four times the number who tune in to the channel's soap, Family Affairs.

According to unofficial figures, Channel 5 grabbed a top audience share of 15 per cent. It also boosted its average for the day to 5.8 per cent. "To use the old footballing cliche we are over the moon. This exceeded what we expected the match to get. It was a high drama game and that is reflected in the figures," said a spokesman.

England's World Cup qualifier against Poland earlier this year was watched by about 5 million people.

Channel 5 has bought the rights to broadcast Chelsea's Cup Winners' Cup matches this season.