Owen's return fails to secure much-needed victory (From The Northern Echo)

Owen's return fails to secure much-needed victory

4:57pm Saturday 14th March 2009 in

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Hull City 1 Newcastle United 1 NEWCASTLE UNITED fans can relax, Michael Owen is back to help boost the nail-biting relegation run in. On second thoughts, maybe not.

Tonight, after a failure to win at Hull ahead of two difficult home games with Arsenal and Chelsea, Owen and the rest of the Newcastle dressing room have Everton and Middlesbrough to thank.

Had Everton not defeated Stoke City at Goodison Park yesterday and Boro not clinched a late draw with Portsmouth, Newcastle would have been in the relegation zone this weekend.

But that should be little consolation to a Newcastle squad that is looking incapable of firing themselves to safety.

They may have avoided defeat on Owen’s first match after a six-week injury lay-off, but the crucial victory the Magpies supporters craved never looked like coming.

It could have been worse, given how Brazilian midfielder Geovanni had put Hull in front inside nine minutes had brought a worried look to club owner Mike Ashley in the stands.

But one thing clear is that Steven Taylor’s equaliser seven minutes before half-time has done little to boost Newcastle’s survival chances.

With a midfield looking as pedestrian as it did at the KC Stadium, with little service for Owen or Obafemi Martins, it is difficult to imagine anything other than defeat arriving against Arsenal and Chelsea.

And if that is the scenario, Joe Kinnear is more than likely going to return to work at Stoke in charge of a team sitting exactly where it was when he first took over in September – occupying a relegation place.