ISAAC HAYDEN claims it is crucial that Newcastle United hold on to Rafael Benitez and Salomon Rondon if they want to progress next season.

The Magpies edged another point closer to survival as Matt Ritchie’s last-gasp strike secured a dramatic point against his former club, Bournemouth.

Rondon had opened the scoring before Bournemouth struck back with two goals from Josh King, and the West Brom loanee’s future beyond the end of the season remains extremely uncertain, with Mike Ashley notoriously reluctant to offer long-term contracts to players approaching their 30s.

Benitez’s future is equally hard to predict, with the Magpies manager having consistently refused to commit himself to St James’ Park beyond the summer, when his current deal is due to expire.

Hayden is another person with question marks over his future plans, but while the midfielder continues to covet a move away from Tyneside in order to be closer to his partner and young daughter, he feels it is imperative the Newcastle hierarchy do not allow either Benitez or Rondon to leave.

“He (Rondon) is a vitally important player for us, and his goals and assists ratio this season has been crucial,” said Hayden. “I think it is obvious everyone would like to see him at Newcastle next season.

“If you asked every fan, and everyone at the club if they wanted him to stay, it is an obvious ‘Yes.’ But sometimes in football we know it isn’t as simple as that, things are taken out of your control and it isn’t always up to the individual to stay or not. It is up to two clubs to negotiate – but for everyone else, they would love him to stay here.

“There are a few great managers in the Premier League, Rafa Benitez is one of them and everyone wants to keep him and no one wants him to go either.

“The players try and do their job on the pitch, listen to what he has to say and try and learn from him as best they can. It is then up to the club to obviously get this contract done, no player can affect that. But the better we perform and the better the team does, it will help the manager and move us in the right direction.”

Saturday’s result was another step forward, with Benitez’s side ending their recent poor away run to climb to 35 points in their battle against the drop.

Benitez felt his side deserved to win the game, and was quick to pay tribute to Ritchie, whose 94th-minute strike earned a point.

“He’s a player who has the commitment and the work-rate,” said the Newcastle boss. “When he plays in this position (left wing-back) he has the stamina to go up and down all the time.

“He can be both defending and helping the defender. It’s a good position for him now. Obviously, he can play higher and make the difference with his shots and crossing. But in this position he is doing well and is giving us the width we’ve been looking for.

“He feels the game with passion. Everything, training sessions, games, he’s always showing this character, this passion.”

Newcastle started brightly, with Hayden and Ayoze Perez both testing Bournemouth’s Artur Boruc with early shots from distance.

The Cherries’ only chance of the first half fell to Ryan Fraser, who shot against the base of the post after ten minutes.

But the half ended with the Magpies taking a deserved lead with a brilliantly-taken goal from Rondon.

It came about as Miguel Almiron broke at speed and raced towards the penalty area before being cynically tripped by Jordon Ibe 25 yards out.

Rondon stepped up and curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner to score his ninth league goal of the season.

With the Magpies seemingly in full control, the game turned as referee Mike Dean awarded Bournemouth a penalty three minutes into the second half after the recalled Federico Fernandez appeared to wrestle Nathan Ake to the ground from a corner.

It was perhaps harsh, though Fernandez made it easy for Dean to give the decision as he wrapped his arms around Ake’s shoulders.

King stepped up to send Martin Dubravka the wrong way and suddenly Eddie Howe’s team were on the charge.

They almost added a second when Callum Wilson flicked the ball over Dubravka and Paul Dummett reacted quickly to acrobatically clear the ball off the goal-line.

But then nine minutes from time, Bournemouth looked to have won it when substitute Dominic Solanke twisted and turned inside the Newcastle box and picked out King who finished first time into the bottom corner.

Defeat would have been harsh on the Magpies, who had been the better side for long spells in the game.

But Newcastle got the very least they deserved in the most dramatic fashion when DeAndre Yedlin burst down the right and crossed deep to the far post where Ritchie arrived to thump into the top-left corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The fightback was marred slightly by the scenes that followed the equaliser, with a number of Newcastle fans spilling on to the pitch, sparking a flurry of arrests.

Dorset Police issued a statement saying: “Six men and a 14-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of going onto the playing area of a football match from the away supporters’ stand and are assisting officers with their inquiries.

“One female steward sustained an injury to her nose during the incident and investigations are underway to establish whether any assault took place.”