ED’S ROLLER No happy return as Howe is
EDDIE HOWE predicted his first return to his beloved Bournemouth would be an ‘emotional’ roller coaster – and so it proved.
And not just on a personal level, either, for the Newcastle boss as his history-making outfit were stretched to the limit at the Vitality Stadium.
Gary O’Neil’s strugglers are still without a win since he took the job permanently – but this point will feel almost as good.
Although Marcos Senesi’s firsthalf strike failed to produce the victory that would have lifted them out of the drop zone – after Miguel Almiron equalised – to hold top-four contenders Newcastle was impressive.
All of which left Howe, in tears when given a standing ovation at the end, frustrated even if this stalemate made it a record eight away Premier League games unbeaten for the Geordies, who have not lost in 17 top-flight outings.
The same could not be said of the Cherries. The Dorset club, which Howe put on the Premier League map first time round, kicked off in dire straights. No wins in eight in all competitions, including seven defeats, had sent them plunging to second from bottom – and already in serious danger of sinking straight back into Championship.
The pressure on rookie boss O’Neil was growing too. Having backed him with six new signings in the January window, the new American owners can surely stay patient only so long.
With a positive result imperative, Newcastle were the last side O’Neil wanted in town. They had sparked the hosts’ poor sequence by beating them in the Carabao Cup in December.
They may not have been scoring loads of late, but the Magpies are mean in the extreme at the back.
The one blow was an injury to former Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, who missed out with a slight hamstring.
Howe, who discreetly took his place in the away dug out without any ceremony or fuss, said prematch that silencing the home crowd in the opening 15 minutes would be key.
And they would have done that big-time had Fabian Schar not flashed a header wide from Kieran Trippier’s 10th-minute free-kick.
Bournemouth responded in
superb manner with fit-again striker Dominic Solanke, making his first appearance since December 10, forcing Nick Pope to save smartly at his far post.
Schar then fired wide again while Wilson’s replacement, Alexander Isak delayed just too long when bearing down on Neto’s goal.
And he was cursing that wastefulness on 29 minutes when the Cherries grabbed the breakthrough.
An in-swinging corner was flicked on by unmarked Dango Ouattara and there was Argentina defender Senesi to score his first goal since a summer move from Feyenoord.
Soon after the lively, dangerous Ouattara almost created a second but Solanke headed straight at a relieved Pope.
And just when it seemed that was that before the break, Newcastle pounced to level.
Allan Saint-Maximin broke at speed, fed Sean Longstaff, whose blistering effort was parried by Neto and Almiron fired in a beauty.
That was the Paraguay playmaker’s 10th goal this season and ended a nine-game drought. One assumed it would lead to Newcastle – who lost Almiron and Saint-Maximin to injury – going on to take all three points but that never materialised.
The closest they came was in the 70th minute when Neto fumbled and Anthony Gordon, who had replaced crocked Joe Willock, stabbed wide.
Indeed, Solanke went ever nearer in the dying seconds as Trippier cleared his shot off the line.