Newcastle 1-1 West Brom
by Roger Domeneghetti
at St James’ Park

A FIRST-HALF equaliser from Ayoze Perez put an end to Newcastle’s woeful losing streak on Saturday, but they finished the day deeper in the mire, now just a place and two points off the drop zone.

Only Burnley’s unexpected win at Hull kept the Magpies out of the bottom three, and it’s that result more than Newcastle’s own that could save them come the end of the season.

It also relieved some of the pressure on Magpies boss John Carver at the end of a week he said had been “probably the toughest of my life.”

“It was a huge point,” he said. “It was important to stop the slide, stop the run of defeats. The way we did it was pleasing.

“A lot was said, and rightly said, after Leicester and there was a response both from players and fans. It was like being back in a proper football stadium where all that mattered was football. The fans stayed with us and were patient.”

Carver had kept his comments to a minimum, his programme notes replaced by a 34-word call to arms for the fans and they responded with vocal support for the team and a temporary suspension of their anti-Mike Ashley protests.

Whether it was this support or the stark possibility of relegation, the Newcastle team put in a performance that was much improved than over previous weeks.

Their frailty at set pieces cost them when Victor Anichebe headed home Craig Gardener’s free-kick after 31 minutes but they were level just nine minutes later when Perez fired home through a field of bodies from the edge of the area.

“The point might be huge for us but the performance is more important to me. It showed that people cared,” said Carver.

Probably no-one cares more than Carver and he knows his team is not safe yet.

“There’s work still to be done, but it’s in our hands,” and with that he was gone.