While Allardyce was all smiles . . . Charles N'Zogbia was also on target . . . his former assistant Sammy Lee has much work to do. The new Bolton boss has promised to play a more expansive game than his predecessor but they only started performing in the second half.

By then they were 3-0 down after looking nervous from the off. Newcastle took the lead in the 11th minute with a goal out of nothing.

N'Zogbia drove in a free-kick from the right which eluded the Bolton defence and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Lee looked on a disbelief as the ball nestled in the back of the net after his players had switched off.

Bolton looked rattled but Nicolas Anelka found space in the 17th minute, only to send a weak header into Stephen Harper's arms. Newcastle extended their lead in the 21st minute and again Bolton's defending was poor. James Milner was able to weigh up his cross and found Martins at the back post. He beat Jaaskelainen with a superb overhead kick.

Bolton almost pulled a goal back three minutes later but Steven Taylor cleared Gary Speed's effort off the line. The agony continued for Bolton in the 27th minute when Martins made it 3-0 with his second goal of the game. He had a bit of luck, however, his shot from 20 yards taking a deflection off defender Abdoulaye Faye to leave Jaaskelainen stranded.

Bolton were struggling to find their rhythm while Martins and his Newcastle teammates were growing in confidence. The Nigerian rattled in a shot from an acute angle after 35 minutes that went narrowly wide of the far post. Bolton boss Lee made a change at half-time, bringing on El-Hadji Diouf for Ricardo Vaz Te, who had been ineffective. They immediately looked more of a threat and Newcastle goalkeeper Stephen Harper was tested for the first time in the 47th minute. He did well to beat away a shot by Gary Speed from the edge of the area after Anelka had laid the ball into his path.

Bolton pulled a goal back in the 50th minute through Anelka after a superb reverse pass from Nolan. There was still work for the Frenchman to do but he gave Harper no chance and found the corner with his effort. That gave Bolton a fighting chance but they never really troubled Newcastle after that.

Davies then came off in the 59th minute and was replaced by former Fulham striker Heidar Helguson.

Newcastle were finding it hard to raise the tempo, although Geremi went close with a free kick from distance in the 61st minute.

Helguson was then given a yellow card by referee Chris Foy six minutes later for leaving Rozehnal on the floor.

Allardyce made a tactical change in the 69th minute, bringing on Nolberto Solano for Martins, and the visitors saw out the match with a degree of comfort.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Blackburn overcame the loss of star striker Benni McCarthy to come from behind and beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside.

A curling Stewart Downing free-kick gave Boro the lead at the interval and there was a massive blow for Rovers when McCarthy had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a head injury early in the second half. However, his replacement Roque Santa Cruz, newly signed from Bayern Munich, quickly scored the equaliser when he headed in David Bentley's cross from the right (63).

The winner came from England Under-21 striker Matt Derbyshire after curled in a shot from the edge of the box in the 79th minute.

Everton claimed an opening-day 2-1 win over Wigan at Goodison Park thanks to a 26th-minute header by Leon Osman and a 75th-minute goal by Victor Anichebe.

Antoine Sibierski pulled one