Newcastle muddle on

Newcastle Utd 1 Sunderland 1: A GROUP of Geordie soldiers, on a flying visit from Iraq and still wearing combat gear, were, coincidentally, seated within charging distance of Mike Ashley yesterday.

When Djibril Cisse gave Sunderland the lead it seemed that Newcastle United’s owner might require the British army’s assistance to exit the ground safely but, thanks to Shola Ameobi’s controversial equalising penalty, Ashley was threatened by nothing worse than resounding boos.

His first return to St James’ Park since August and the preamble to Kevin Keegan’s still lamented departure ended with the Toon Army trooping home in a mood of grim resignation rather than outright rebellion. With no realistic prospect of ousting Ashley, averting relegation is the priority and, although Joe Kinnear’s stuttering side have now gone eight games without a win, their second Premier League point since Christmas at least brought a measure of relief.

It also restored a shred of parochial pride as losing to a not-entirely-convincing Sunderland would have been far too ego-denting to contemplate. Typically, Kinnear took credit for a masterstroke in coaxing Ameobi on to the field despite the striker complaining of an ankle injury. “I forced Shola to play,” he said. “He had a fitness test and said he was still feeling the injury so I told him ‘forget it, you’re playing’.”

Kinnear said he cannot wait for the season to end: “I want to get 16, 17 (more) points, forget about this season and start looking for next season with a different attitude and a different team.”

With Shay Given joining Manchester City yesterday – when Charles N’Zogbia edged closer to joining Wigan in part exchange for Ryan Taylor and a fee – Steve Harper re-emerged blinking into the limelight after so many years as Given’s understudy and performed competently.

Kinnear has already spent much of the money he will get for Given on Kevin Nolan who, after an initially quiet spell, improved considerably, in central midfield.

One player Kinnear won’t be signing is Sami Hyypia as Liverpool rebuffed their offer for him.

Sunderland were marginally the better side but lost momentum after Cisse limped off and Kieran Richardson faded during the second period. “It’s a point gained,” said their manager, Ricky Sbragia, who last night completed the signing of Tal Ben Haim from Manchester City. “The penalty was soft, though.”

His sanguine mood was understandable as Phil Bardsley might have been sent off rather than merely booked for a tackle that wiped out Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine generally did well but his compatriot Fabricio Coloccini had another shocker and played Cisse just onside after Dean Whitehead lobbed the ball forward.

With the rest of the Newcastle defence assuming that Cisse was offside, they stopped in their tracks and watched Harper parry the Frenchman’s first shot before being beaten by his follow-up from the rebound.

Newcastle improved greatly in the second half. Their confidence seemed boosted when a surge of righteous indignation finally succeeded in uniting their fans and management. It arrived as Anton Ferdinand felled Damien Duff in the area, but the referee merely booked the winger for diving.

He was probably correct but arguably had the odd inner doubt because, soon afterwards, he awarded Newcastle the luckiest of penalties in the wake of Steed Malbranque’s perceived foul on Steve Taylor. Although contact appeared minimal, the kick was awarded and Ameobi sent Marton Fulop the wrong way from the spot. Sunderland’s Danny Collins later said: “Damien Duff told me Taylor’s dive was better than his.”

Aware that a newly-swaggering Newcastle no longer had Cisse’s pace to be petrified of, Sbragia introduced a more subtle weapon in Andy Reid.

Anxious to demonstrate why he should have been picked in the first place, Reid quickly unleashed a shot that stretched Harper and, then, with virtually the final kick of the game, directed a half volley tantalising, fractionally, wide.

Guardian Service