Magpies forced to share the spoils

Barnsley 2 Newcastle United 2 WITH the chance of extending a winning streak to eight league games and beating Kevin Keegan's entertainers seven-game run, Newcastle managed to fluff their lines. They did extend their lead at the top to eight points with West Brom playing on Monday night, but they ran into a spirited Barnsley side whose manager Mark Robins has transformed their fortunes in just two months. The Tykes were well worthy of their point and were far the better team after the break. Newcastle went into the interval one up thanks to an early goal from Kevin Nolan, back after suspension, who slotted past Luke Steele from the edge of the area for his tenth of the season. The assist was provided by Andy Carroll who returned to the Newcastle United starting line-up on Saturday after missing out on the win at Coventry following his arrest over an alleged assault in the city centre last weekend. Manager Chris Hughton also brought Nolan and Ryan Taylor into his starting XI with strikers Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands and Danny Simpson dropping to the bench. After Nolan grabbed the opener Newcastle didn't really press home their advantage and were guilty of sitting back on their advantage. They paid the price in the 52nd minute when Emil Hallfredsson got on the end of a Anderson De Silva cross and crashed the ball into the roof of Harper's net. Substitute Marlon Harewood restored the Magpies advantage in the 78th minute after another flick on by Carroll but Barnsley wouldn't lie down. They got a deserved equaliser six minutes later when one of the smallest men on the pitch, Bobby Hassell, headed in Adam Hammill's corner Barnsley (4-4-2): Steele; Hassell, Shotton, Moore, Dickinson; De Silva, Colace, Doyle, Hallfredson; Bogdanovic, Gray. Subs: Preece, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Macken, Potter, Hammill, Hume. Newcastle United (4-5-1): Harper; R Taylor, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique; Pancrate, Butt, Smith, Nolan, Gutierrez; Carroll. Subs: Krul; Simpson, Khizanishvili, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Ameobi, Harewood.

Source: Northern_Echo