A CONSOLATION prize will always be just that, but if Newcastle United were frustrated by their inability to beat Blackburn Rovers, they can still take comfort from the fact they came home with something to show for their effort.
United could have and probably should have taken all three points on Saturday, yet there was also some satisfaction in knowing they had outplayed a side level on points with them in the Premier League table.
A victory would have given them significant breathing space from the relegation scrap below them, a point means they could still be dragged into trouble should they lose at Birmingham City tomorrow night, but they are on the periphery of things at the moment and are not playing like a side which is going to go down.
There is a tough streak in this Newcastle side that was sadly lacking in the group of pampered egos which crashed out of the top flight two years ago. And, for all of the disappointment that followed this draw, there was also some pride in what had been achieved.
There are good points and bad points in football and while this felt like a bad one in the immediate aftermath of the final whistle given how bad Blackburn were, in reflection it was another solid step towards that all important safety target.
It is funny how things work in football. Having looked capable of scoring with every attack in the second half of that incredible comeback against Arsenal the previous week, Newcastle rarely looked like doing so at all at Ewood Park.
That is perhaps a little unfair. They constantly looked capable of scoring, breaking with speed as they dominated the midfield exchanges, but they were never convincing in the final third and neither Peter Lvenkrands or Leon Best were given the sort of service they needed to put the ball in the back of the net. Others will counter they should have been better at getting on the end of the balls that did come in, but Newcastles composure in and around the area disappeared.
Of course, with the weekend papers carrying pictures of him training at Liverpool, it was inevitable the post-match chat should turn to Andy Carroll.
