Joe Kinnear marked the extension of his contract as interim Newcastle boss with a 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough.
Interim boss secures another valuable away point
Joe Kinnear marked the extension of his contract as interim Newcastle manager with a 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough in the Tees-Tyne derby.
It was announced on Friday that Kinnear, who succeeded Kevin Keegan in September, will remain as temporary Magpies boss until the end of the season following owner Mike Ashley's decision to put attempts to sell the club on hold.
And Kinnear - who guided his side to a stalemate at Chelsea last weekend - saw his men secure another excellent away point in his first game since agreeing a new six-month deal.
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins had the best chance of a feisty first half as the Nigeria international turned inside the 18-yard area to slice a shot against the crossbar with Boro goalkeeper Ross Turnbull beaten.
Boro then enjoyed the better of the second half, with under-fire Brazilian striker Afonso Alves producing an improved performance, but Gareth Southgate's outfit were guilty of wasting a host of chances in front of goal.
Newcastle introduced former Middlesbrough star Mark Viduka for his first taste of action since recovering from injury in place of a disgruntled Martins, but neither team displayed a clinical instinct at The Riverside.
Heroics
As Newcastle ran out on a wintry Teesside afternoon, they knew they needed to head back up the A19 with something to show for their efforts after slipping back into the relegation zone despite their heroics at Stamford Bridge.
In a first half of few clear-cut chances - neither Turnbull nor Shay Given had a single save of any note to make - it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock 10 minutes before the interval.
The industrious Danny Guthrie carved his way into the Boro penalty area and saw his shot blocked by Emanuel Pogatetz.
However, Martins was quickest to react and he span and thumped a left-foot shot against the woodwork.
That was as close as either side came inside the opening 45 minutes and, although Nicky Butt went close with a curling 42nd-minute free-kick, the Teessiders too had their half-chances.
Stewart Downing, playing his 100th game at The Riverside, fired a right-foot shot over from distance with 17 minutes gone and Julio Arca curled another effort too high 14 minutes later.
Didier Digard might have given his side the perfect start to the second half had he connected with an ambitious volley within seconds of the restart, but he completely missed his kick.
However, Guthrie went much closer at the other end two minutes later when, after his side had broken from deep, he drilled a right-foot effort just wide.
Rescue
Pogatetz had to hack away a 52nd-minute Charles N'Zogbia cross inside the six-yard box after the Frenchman had carved his way inside from the left with the game opening up nicely.
Alves saw a 55th-minute shot deflected wide after Digard had done well to find him on the edge of the box, but he was slow to react to Jose Enrique's error three minutes later, and Sebastien Bassong had to come to his rescue with Jeremie Aliadiere looming.
Boro were starting to mount a concerted threat and N'Zogbia had to clear a 61st-minute Aliadiere header off the line from Downing's corner after Habib Beye had blocked another Alves shot.
But there was drama too at the other end and Martins saw a long-range effort clip a defender and drop just wide.
Viduka's arrival as a 65th-minute replacement for the Nigerian did not go down well with the locals.
The Australian almost made an impact within six minutes when he shot for goal from Michael Owen's knock-down, but Pogatetz made a match-saving block to deny his former team-mate.
But Given had to come to the rescue at the other end with 15 minutes to go when he got down smartly at his near post to keep out Justin Hoyte's shot after the full-back had played a neat one-two with Aliadiere.
| Middlesbrough |
Team Statistics |
Newcastle United |
| 0 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 6 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 8 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 7 |
Corners |
2 |
| 8 |
Fouls |
8 |
| 5 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 71.4 |
Passing Success |
75.1 |
| 23 |
Tackles |
19 |
| 73.9 |
Tackles Success |
63.2 |
| 45.8 |
Possession |
54.2 |
| 55.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.9 |
|
