Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has stated his faith and belief that if the club were to repeat their performance they presented against Birmingham City late in the game in other matches, they will be able to avoid the drop and stay in the English Premier League for another season. Keegan was heartened by the team’s efforts and was encouraged by their desire to play against the odds and win a share of the spoils. While the draw did not boost their chances of survival by much, with other relegation rivals picking up points on the same weekend, Keegan saw signs of a growing partnership between his midfielders Geremi, Barton and Butt that might prove to be their lifeline in the coming games.

Michael Owen also revived his chances of an England recall to the first team by scoring another goal and he has been Newcastle’s main scorers in recent games, when they have actually managed to put the ball in the net. The team will need its other strikers to get into gear if they are serious about staying in the top flight, else suffer the same fate as Derby County, something which would be an embarrassment with the riches the club enjoys and a large fervant fanbase. Will Newcastle survive relegation? Only time will tell, and that is something that is currently a precious commodity at Tyneside.