Stoke looked to be winning this match comfortably until Guttierrez came on (63 mins)for Guthrie.Until then the Newcastle midfield were good to watch but had no penetration.Once Guttierez started to run the ball at them our excellent defence began to look much more threatened.
We took the lead when captain Abdy Faye (33mins) headed home Liam Lawrence's corner kick,to register again his former club for the second time this season.
For the next half hour or so Stoke bossed the play,culminating in a blitz on the visitors goal in the early minutes of the second half,during which keeper Harper saved from Ricardo Fuller,and both Whelan and Faye had goal bound efforts cleared off the line. Add to that two or three appeals for handball in the area,and you have some idea of how close Newcastle were to total collapse at that point.
Stoke had one other golden opportunity on 69 minutes.A fast Stoke breakout involving Fuller and Lawrence played Etherington free on goal from the left,but with Harper coming out the midfielder's shot passed just wide of the post.
Having survived the onslaught the visitors clawed their way back into the match,earning a point when sub Carroll's looping header from Duff's cross found the Stoke net (81mins).
In the end more than a little dissappointing to get only a point (how things have changed this season !!) especially as all the other results seemed to go in our favour.
Still another point closer to safety.
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