There have been tears and tantrums at Newcastle United in recent days, but amid the anger there may be a glimmer of redemption. Obafemi Martins last night spoke of his frustration at being substituted by Kevin Keegan away to Birmingham City on Monday night, but the episode appears to have encouraged unity at St James' Park rather than cemented disharmony.

While their 1-1 draw at St Andrew's did little to banish the threat of relegation - Saturday's home match against Fulham remains critical in that regard - Newcastle's recovery from a first-half deficit demonstrated commitment to a difficult cause. In its own way so, too, did the display of disaffection from Martins, with the Nigeria striker illustrating his desire to assist his team-mates.

Martins, 23, shook his head and attempted to wriggle away from Keegan's proffered handshake on being replaced by Charles N'Zogbia in the 80th minute, but an incident that might have embarrassed the club or dented morale was handled with dignity. A famously emotional figure, the manager was not only sympathetic to his forward's dismay, he was also impressed with his passion.

Keegan later explained his decision to Martins, who apologised, and in contrast to Robbie Keane, the Tottenham Hotspur striker who will reportedly be docked two weeks' wages for showing similar petulance against Manchester City last Sunday, no disciplinary measures will be imposed. Such fervour has not always been apparent during Newcastle's run of 13 Barclays Premier League matches without a victory.

“I was upset when I had to come off,” Martins said. “I didn't want to go off, because I wanted to help the team. I felt we were going to get the winner and I was frustrated when I saw that I was going off. There were a few tears because I was frustrated and emotional, nobody likes to be taken off and I'm no different.

“It was a big game for Newcastle and I was desperate to do something on the pitch which might have got us all three points. I didn't understand why I was being taken off so I made my feelings known, but the manager was brilliant. He said he understood how I felt, he didn't get angry at me, he just explained why he had done it.

“He told me to relax because I had played well and that I'd been taken off because it was a tactical decision, not because he thought I wasn't playing well. I like the manager. He knows that I wanted to try to win the game and he is happy with that attitude. We are not angry with each other.”

Safety has still to be secured and there are likely to be further hurdles for Newcastle to scale, but a degree of respite should follow if Fulham are dispatched. The wagons have been circled. “It's been a tough run for all of us,” Chris Mort, the chairman, said. “The players on the pitch are the only guys who can turn it round, but everybody at the club is working as hard as they can to achieve that.”

A relegation battle was not expected when Mike Ashley, the owner, completed his takeover last summer, but Mort reiterated his faith in Keegan. “This certainly isn't what we bought into,” the chairman conceded. “However, this is an incredibly competitive league and we are where we are. The points don't lie and we need to make sure we get points on the board and make sure we secure our Premier League status.

“Myself and Mike are determined to turn this round and we have Kevin in to do that. We appreciated after Christmas that this clearly was going to be a transitional period. The aim was to stay in the Premier League and take it on from there.”