Tyneside will still be hoping Michael Owen does not join the anticipated mass exodus from the North East in the New Year. The England striker still has to put pen to paper on a new contract and manager Joe Kinnear has all-but accepted the inevitable that Newcastle’s main man will be moving elsewhere in the January sales. It will be the latest blow in a tortuous season with the football club still struggling for stability. With no sign of a sale it is uncertainty that remains the prevailing theme. But at least here Owen put himself firmly back in the shop window with a display of the highest quality in the first half when it looked as though his two goals had set his team on the way to a comfortable victory. However all the good work was undone in injury time when they allowed former player Abdoulaye Faye to smash the ball home for an equaliser that for so long had looked very remote. It certainly did not lighten Kinnear’s mood as he was banished from the dugout almost as soon as the board indicating five minutes of added time was raised. No doubt he will face another FA investigation.

About the only stability at St James’ Park these days comes with team selection. It was left to Sebastien Bassong and Fabricio Coloccini to continue their solid partnership at the heart of the defence with the fit-again Steven Taylor restricted to a place on the bench. The only enforced change came with Nicky Butt succumbing to a slight hamstring strain and being replaced by Geremi.

Stoke made five changes from their last-gasp Carling Cup exit to Derby with Danny Pugh given a first league outing. The visitors of course have the worst away record in the Premiership. Only two points and three goals on their travels tells its own story. And for much of this contest, especially in the opening half, there was little hint of this ever improving as they were knocked off their stride almost from the kick-off. In the early stages it was a case of minimum effort for maximum return for Newcastle as they virtually had it all wrapped up within half an hour.

Charles Nzogbia fired one narrowly wide and Jonas Gutierrez teed up Owen to test Thomas Sorensen in the Stoke goal as the early assault took hold.

Surely such sustained pressure would eventually breach the Stoke defence and convert the home team’s superiority into numerical advantage. The first breakthrough was the expected route with Gutierrez sliding a perfect ball through to Owen and he showed quick reaction to plant it firmly in the right-hand corner of the net after only eight minutes.

Then barely quarter of an hour later Obafemi Martins rampaged down the left flank to thunder the ball across the penalty area for Owen to notch his brace and his eighth goal of the season with a simple tap-in.

By the interval only a solitary strike from the edge of the area from Mamadi Sidibe, given far too much time and space, was Stoke’s only threat.

After the turnaround Taylor came on for Danny Guthrie and he made a shuddering impact in his first few seconds.

Somehow a static Newcastle were caught cold and cut wide open as Richard Cresswell looked to have an easy opportunity to get on the scoresheet. Just as he was about to put the ball beyond the virtually unemployed Shay Given, Taylor appeared from nowhere to slide in for easily the best and most decisive tackle of the afternoon. It was a catalyst for the start of Stoke’s resurgence.

Off went the long ball threat of Rory Delap, a weapon that was barely used, and on came Ricardo Fuller early in the second period. He went straight down the right and spiralled the ball across the six-yard area for Sidibe to nip in behind the confused defence and reduce the arrears.

Fuller continued to make a huge contribution and almost every touch seemed to setup some belated and unexpected nerves in the Newcastle back line.

Newcastle responded by bringing on Mark Viduka for Martins. This time there were no tantrums as he left the field to shake the hand of his manager. Last week in exactly the same move Martins made a hurried exit down the tunnel with barely a glance. The amicable mood was reflected on the pitch as the new half quickly faded into the memory with rarely a chance at either end. That was until the final minutes when in the first few seconds of added time Faye secured that vital point.

After the match the Newcastle manager did not appear at the press conference. It was left to his assistant Chris Hughton to say it was an emotional game and there must have been some comments said. “It was very disappointing. We should have gone in with more goals at half-time but we have to learn to defend.”

Stoke manager Tony Pulis said: “I got stuck into my players at half-time and I was delighted with the response. We showed great character and spirit. This was a vital point.”

This was Newcastle’s fourth consecutive draw.

Star man: Michael Owen (Newcastle)

Yellow card: Stoke: Griffin

Referee: M Riley

Attendance:47,422

Newcastle: Given 6, Beye 5, Colocinni 6, Bassong 7, Enrique 5, Gutierrez 6, Guthrie 6 (Taylor h-t, 6), Geremi 5 (Cacapa 82min), N’Zogbia 7, Martins 6 (Viduka 74min), Owen 8

Stoke: Sorensen 6, Higginbotham 6, Abdoulaye Faye 6, Sonko 6, Griffin 6, Pugh 5, Amdy Faye 5 (Tonge 78min), Diao 5 (Whelan 21min, 6), Delap 5 (Fuller 57min, 6), Cresswell 6, Sidibe 7

Old boys hit Toon

Newcastle were on the wrong end of an old boys reunion at St James’ Park yesterday as Stoke manager Tony Pulis again proved himself a motivator of players who have seemingly lost their way. Abdoulaye Faye, who hit Stoke City’s equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time, Andy Griffin, inset, and Amdy Faye all left Newcastle having failed to impress their respective managers. Griffin ended up at Stoke via Portsmouth and Derby after being let go by Bobby Robson. Amdy Faye, sold by Glenn Roeder, made his way to the Britannia stadium after a transfer to Charlton and a loan move to Rangers, while Abdoulaye Faye was sold in the summer by Kevin Keegan