Magpies denied by Potters comeback

The central defender fired home from close range to snatch a point after Mamady Sidibe had dragged the visitors back into the game on the hour.

Michael Owen had given the Magpies the perfect start with a double inside the opening 24 minutes, but a poor second-half display left them having to make do with a third successive draw.

It had all looked so different when, with nine minutes gone, Jonas Gutierrez cut inside from the right to roll the ball into Owen's path and the striker slid it past Thomas Sorensen and inches inside the post.

There was less finesse about Owen's second, lunging in at the far post intent simply on making contact with Martins' driven cross, but the outcome was the same.

The Potters threatened only fleetingly, with some of the sting taken out of Rory Delap's long throw by the close proximity of the advertising hoardings to the playing surface.

However, they might have got themselves back into the game six minutes before half-time had former Newcastle defender Faye managed to direct a free header at goal from substitute Glenn Whelan's free-kick.

In an intensely uncomfortable second half for the home side, Ibrahima Sonko headed a 47th-minute Whelan free-kick across goal, and they were opened up for the first time five minutes later.

Sidibe found acres of space down the right and had time to pick out Richard Cresswell in the middle, but substitute Steven Taylor arrived from nowhere to make a superb block.

Ricardo Fuller replaced Delap after 57 minutes and just three minutes later worked his way into the box from the right and crossed for Sidibe to score from close range. Faye then snatched a point in injury time when he stabbed home from Whelan's free-kick.