Dabizas earns share of spoils

A pulsating 90 minutes down by the Riverside yesterday that featured four goals, countless chances and two streakers, ended with local pride, prejudice and, most importantly, points shared. All that was lacking in a compelling game, Alan Shearer apart, was a partridge in a pear tree.

This was all that a derby should be - fast and passionate. There were also moments of genuine skill; Duncan Ferguson providing most of them in the Newcastle forward line and Paul Gascoigne playing against his old club for the first time in 10 years, directing Boro's play with intelligence and restraint. The major blemish for Boro for a second Sunday running was the forsaking of two points late on, with Nicos Dabizas's looping 83rd-minute header seeing another two points relinquished.

However, Newcastle did well to come back twice, a measure of blossoming spirit as much as Gullit's tactical nous. Confidence is returning, as witnessed by the reaction to Andy Townsend's 13th-minute opener. Gascoigne exploited slack marking at a corner and found Townsend 16 yards out; receiving at an awkward height, he scooped a forceful volley into the top corner.

In the 38th minute Newcastle struck back after Keith Gillespie found Ferguson's forehead. Dean Gordon cleared, but the ball fell to Charvet who registered his first black-and-white goal with a searing 20-yard volley.

The visitors might have been expected to build on that after half-time, but Gascoigne and Townsend seized the initiative - though Gascoigne refused to seize one of the two buxom streakers.

After he and Hamilton Ricard had worked space for Colin Cooper on the edge of the area, Cooper's shot looked as if it would be blocked by Aaron Hughes. Instead, the ball ballooned off the Irishman and over Steve Harper.

This was especially harsh on Harper, standing in for the injured Shay Given, because he had made important saves from Townsend and Brian Deane before Dabizas equalised, and then from Phil Stamp in the last few seconds.

Dabizas had been on the pitch long enough to touch the ball once before he supplied a strong header to Charvet's deep cross to beat Schwarzer.

Afterwards Ruud Gullit professed to be happy with his side's performance.

"We were away from home and for 60% of the game we were in control," he said. "I was particularly pleased with the effort the team gave me. We fought back all the time and tried to play football and tried to make the right decisions.

"We made a step forward again today. A couple of weeks ago, we would never have equalised.

"We wanted to press them and we didn't want them to play, but we dominated for 60% of the game."