Source: SKY_Sports
Hughton rues dropped points
Chris Hughton felt Newcastle were unfortunate to only emerge with a draw after their trip to Hull City. The Magpies were held 1-1 by their fellow Premier League strugglers at the KC Stadium.The result sees Newcastle climb a place to 16th, but they remain level on points with the two sides directly below them - Portsmouth and Stoke.Every point is a step towards safety at this stage of the season, but Hughton insists the performance of his side on Saturday was deserving of more."We're disappointed we didn't get three," he told Sky Sports."I think having given a poor goal away first half we were delighted to get back on even terms. But we felt the way we conducted ourselves second half was like a team that wanted to go for a win rather than settle for a draw. "I think at that stage Hull had settled for a draw. So, yes, we are disappointed but we didn't show enough quality in the areas that mattered.DifficultHe added: "I'm disappointed that we can't get the points we desperately need to get us away from that group of teams at the bottom of the league. "I think we can take something from the fact that we have come to a very difficult place and got a point, and other results have gone quite well for us, but we are still disappointed."Newcastle now have nine games in which to secure their top flight status, with Hughton aware of the challenges that lie ahead."I don't think it's about pressure, there are now another nine games, but we realise the situation we are in and if we don't get results it is going to be a dogfight through until the end of the season. The quicker we can get those points the better," he said."We know where we are, we have 27 points to fight for and it is going to be equally as tough for all the teams around us."Meanwhile, interim coach Hughton also revealed that Joe Kinnear could return to the St James' Park hot-seat by the middle of April."We're not quite sure, but reports from those in the know suggest somewhere around the Stoke or Spurs game," he said.