Summary: Billy Jones denied Newcastle a morale boosting victory with a second half equaliser to earn West Brom a point at the Hawthorns.
The Magpies came into the game licking some deep wounds after their Tyne-Wear derby humiliation at the hands of arch rivals Sunderland last week and started well in the Midlands.
With making amends high on the agenda for Alan Pardew’s side attacked with intent and Yoan Gouffran nudged them into the lead in the eighth minute when he headed in a cross from Papiss Cisse.
Albion had no answer to their opponents and Cisse should have made it 2-0 after he raced onto a poor pass by Jonas Olsson but sent the ball way over Ben Foster and the bar.
Steve Clarke’s men finally came to life and could have had a penalty on the stroke of half time when James Perch brought Jones down on the edge of the penalty area with referee Mike Jones consulting his assistant to correctly determine if the contact took place in or out of the box.
They carried that late pressure over into the second period and sent numerous warning shots across the Newcastle bow prior to Jones’s leveller in the 64th minute. Good work from James Morrison and Romelu Lukaku created the opportunity for the full back to slide the ball first-time beyond Rob Elliot.
Steve Clarke post match…”On another day they could have got the second goal, which would have made it much more difficult for us. But they didn’t and that gave us the avenue back into the game, which we grabbed with both hands, because in the second half we were much, much better.”
Alan Pardew post match…”I don’t think so (in terms of us being safe) because we have to keep working. Hopefully, we can get a couple more wins which will be the ideal thing.”
Good day for…Yoan Gouffran: This was more like it from the French attacker as he buzzed around the Baggies back four and was a constant irritant. Not to mention his header, that gave Newcastle the lead, was sublime.
Bad day for…Goran Popov: A weak link all afternoon at the back for West Brom. In fact Steve Clarke must question himself after deciding to reintroduce Popov to the starting XI. Hopeless in possession and was even worse without it.
