West Bromwich Albion 1 Newcastle United 1

ON Saturday tea-time, millions of viewers tuned into their television sets expecting to see a group of people embarrassing themselves as a result of their collective ineptitude.

They weren’t disappointed – provided they switched to ITV and watched “You’ve Been Framed”. Over on the BBC, however, the opening terrestrial offering of the Championship season failed to provide the kind of comedic mishaps that might have been predicted.

Cast in their now traditional role of fall guys, Newcastle United for once failed to live down to their reputation.

Trailing to Shelton Martis’ first-half opener, and reeling from yet another off-field incident involving the recalcitrant Joey Barton, it would have been easy for the Magpies to have reverted to type.

Yet instead of collapsing into chaos, Newcastle’s players instead displayed reserves of resolve and resilience that many feared they no longer possessed.

It is far too early to talk of corners of being turned, and what happens off the field in the next couple of weeks will continue to be important to what occurs on it.

But after months of crisis and calamity, this at least felt like confirmation that all is not lost.

“All eyes were on us, not just in Newcastle but across the country, hoping for another slip up,” said midfielder Kevin Nolan, whose precise square ball set up Damien Duff’s 55thminute equaliser.

“But I thought the lads handled that really well.

“Ever since I’ve come to this club, I’ve realised that a lot of people are out to get us.

“If there is anything strange or bad that happens at this club, it seems to go everywhere.

“That doesn’t happen at other clubs, but it certainly happens here. It’s been tough, some of the things said and written have been hard to take. You read things about the lads that you know aren’t true, but we have stuck together and tried to focus on what we can do on the pitch.

“We’ve shown with this display that we have a real togetherness and a respect for Chris (Hughton) and Colin (Calderwood).”

That togetherness was tested on Friday when Barton clashed with Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Gutierrez on the training ground, and the controversial midfielder’s appearance as a second-half substitute left a bitter taste in the mouth during a day on which both sets of fans paid tribute to Sir Bobby Robson.

But it would be a shame if Newcastle’s opening game of their most difficult season for more than a decade was completely overshadowed by the antics of a serial offender.

Much better, surely, to focus on the goalkeeping heroics of Tim Krul, the steely central midfield performance of a surprisingly impressive Alan Smith, or the dangerous wing play produced by both Duff and Jonas Gutierrez.

Not to mention a commendable refusal to accept the inevitability of defeat.

Krul started the game on the bench, but was called into duty at the interval after Steve Harper was injured attempting to prevent West Brom’s opener.

Harper’s weak punch from Jonathan Greening’s corner fell at the feet of Luke Moore and, while the striker’s shot was blocked by his own defender, Jonas Olsson, Martis was on hand to tap home the loose ball.

Harper, meanwhile, was kicked in the face by Shola Ameobi as he attempted to retrieve the situation.

That led to Krul’s introduction, and the 21-yearold Dutchman, who was making his first league appearance for the Magpies, produced four excellent second-half saves to thwart the Baggies.

The pick were a fantastic reflex stop from Robert Koren and an equally eye-catching effort that diverted substitute Graham Dorrans’ drive over the crossbar.

Harper was given the allclear on Saturday evening after a brief check-up in hospital, but Hughton will have a decision to make if, as expected, he is still in charge for Saturday’s home game with Reading.

“Tim was excellent,” said Hughton. “Two of the saves he made were absolutely topclass.

Sometimes, a young kid coming in like that can inspire those around him.

“When you see a young player given an opportunity like that, it’s testament to some of the work that has gone into the young lad.”

Krul’s flurry of second-half activity suggests Newcastle were under the cosh for long periods, but in fact the visitors gave as good as they got throughout an entertaining encounter.

Duff’s driven second-half finish was no more than they deserved, and they might even have claimed a notable victory had Nolan not headed wide from eight yards after eluding his marker to meet Barton’s late free-kick.

Most importantly of all, Newcastle’s players confirmed they are up for the challenge of an ultra-competitive league that will offer no hiding place.

“You’ve got to stay strong through adversity,” said Nolan. “Other people might have crumbled or tried to hide, but we haven’t done that.

We’ve been stronger than that.

“It was important to start well, and this was always going to be a tough place to come. I don’t think many teams will come here and get a result.”

That is true, although the positives to emerge from Saturday’s display were counter-balanced by a number of negatives.

Newcastle’s age-old weakness from set-pieces reappeared on a number of occasions - not least West Brom’s goal - and the visitors would have left the Hawthorns pointless had Olsson’s stoppage-time header not been rightly disallowed for offside.

The Magpies looked largely toothless in attack, with Andy Carroll’s honest industry failing to unsettle a welldrilled Baggies backline and Shola Ameobi posing only a minimal threat.

The depth of Newcastle’s squad is also clearly a cause for concern, with the late appearance of Nile Ranger confirming the lack of experienced options on the substitutes’ bench.

Nevertheless, as starting points go, this wasn’t exactly a bad one. After a summer of constant speculation and upheaval, Newcastle’s players returned to the football pitch and, in front of a crammed away end, began the process of retrieving at least a semblance of pride. Now, it is up to the people running the club to do likewise.

Match facts

Goals: 1-0: Martis (39mins, stabbed home from close range after Moore’s shot was blocked by Olsson) 1-1: Duff (55mins, drilled first-time finish into bottom left-hand corner after pass from Nolan)
Bookings: Coloccini (45mins, foul), Nolan (85, foul)
Referee: Mike Dean (The Wirral) - Surprisingly lenient early on, and his decision-making became increasingly erratic 4
Attendance: 23,502
Entertainment: ✰✰✰✰

WEST BROM (4-4-2): Carson 6, Zuiverloon 5, Olsson 6, MARTIS 7, Cech 5, Brunt 7, Mulumbu 6, Greening 6, Koren 6 (Dorrans 73mins), Moore 5, Wood 6 (Cox 81mins). Subs (not used): Kiely, Barnett, Reid, Teixeira, Beattie.

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2):

5 Harper: His weak punch contributed to West Brom’s opener, and he injured himself trying to atone

5 Taylor: A willing enough worker, but caught out of position on occasions

6 S Taylor: Threw himself around selflessly and will relish the Championship’s physical challenge

6 Coloccini: A surprisingly committed display from a player whose future remains in doubt

7 Enrique: Tackled ferociously and never stopped running – could be a really useful player at this level

6 Duff: Took his goal superbly, but might have got into the game more had he started on the left

7 Smith: Produced a series of whole-hearted tackles in arguably his most impressive display for Newcastle

5 Nolan: Set up Duff’s goal with a deft pass, but wasted a glorious opportunity for a winner 6Gutierrez: Looked dangerous whenever he ran at the full-back, but his delivery could still be improved

5 Ameobi: His commitment couldn’t be faulted, but he rarely looked like troubling the goalkeeper

6 Carroll: Gave as good as he got physically, but failed to hit the target when a chance finally came his way

Subs: KRUL (for Harper, 46mins): Produced four superb second-half saves to earn Newcastle a point 8 Barton (for Carroll, 75mins) Ranger (for Ameobi, 90mins) (not used): Kadar, Geremi, Lua Lua, Xisco.

MAN OF THE MATCH
 TIM KRUL – The youngster reprised his dazzling debut in Palermo after replacing Steve Harper at the break.