David Harding
TheDevourerNewcastle United steal a draw
February 13th 2010 17:16
The Magpies were still smarting after that 3-nil defeat to Derby midweek that saw their lead on the table vanish. The wealth of possession by the Swans was not rewarded until an exquisite goal by David Cotterill put the Swans in front of Newcastle and that goal looked to have been the winner, but the closing stages of the game the Magpies started to play and then it happened out of nowhere a header by Andy Carroll saved 3 points and gave them a very undeserved point.
At times this game looked like a game of piggy in the middle, the Newcastle defense were unable to keep up and would have to foul to keep themselves in this game to take a breather. Swansea upon winning the freekicks they did would waste their chances, Andrea Orlandi curled a 20-yarder wide of Stephen Harper’s left hand post and then struck another straight at the Newcastle goalkeeper.
Newcastle simply had to deal with the bombardment of the Swansea attack until the half hour mark of the game when Fabricio Coluccini's cross found Kevin Nolan eight yards out but his header was off target and it was yet another wasted chance in this game.
Swansea City walk away with a point though, they snatched a draw from victory, Newcastle who aside from 10 minutes of the game looked anything but the title contenders they are. But a draw will suit the Magpies, it could have easily have been a loss on any other day of the week. The Magpies did look flat, and if they had done this against any of the premier league sides would have been punished.
With this point Newcastle return to the top of the table by that 1 point as West Bromwich Albion were in FA Cup competition. Newcastle's next game is against Coverntry City, and Swansea City will meet relegation plagued Plymouth Argyle. The draw keeps Swansea City in the hunt for a playoff spot, a win could have given themselves a bit of breathing room on the table. The title race is now starting to get very tight, Newcastle and West Bromwich are going to be the clear automatic promotions this season.
How they are going to finish probably won'tbe known until the final day of the season, before the midweek blunder Newcastle looked like they were going to runaway with the Coca Cola Championship Title, but now they are going to have to keep themselves on their toes. Nottingham Forrest who looked to have been the team that was going to rain on West Bromwich's parade have hit the wall and have again dropped a game, this time losing to Doncaster Rovers 1-nil.
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