Newcastle 1 Wolves 1: While the possibility of achievement remains, the backlash will be as restrained as it can be but Tyneside offered a taster yesterday of what is to come should Newcastle stumble at either Southampton or Liverpool, or both. Understanding it was not.

Two minutes from the end of another bitty performance the Tannoy announced that the public might like to stay behind to show its appreciation for the players. The reaction was instant - loud and abusive - and when the final whistle went 90 per cent turned their backs and headed home.

The players and manager Bobby Robson were then obliged to perform a lap of wincing embarrassment as the strains of Local Hero boomed around the ground. It was accompanied by the 3,500 travelling Wolves fans singing "Bye bye, to the Champions League."

Freddy Shepherd, meanwhile, stared down from the directors' box granite-faced. The chairman has got some thinking to do, and some of it may be about who will be managing the club next season. For the record, Newcastle have not won in the league at Southampton since 1972 while Robson, 54 years in the game, has never been part of a winning side at Liverpool.

Lose both games and Newcastle will not just finish outside the European places in sixth, they may end up seventh, behind Bolton. Whether that scenario would make Robson's position untenable is a question only Shepherd can answer.

"Pure speculation," was how he reacted yesterday to stories about Robson's job security and constant mentions of Birmingham's Steve Bruce as a replacement, bizarre though that prospect is.

Robson was correct to point out that Newcastle created enough openings to win against a team who arrived without an away win all season. Alan Shearer even missed a penalty seven minutes from time, at the same end he missed against Partizan Belgrade in this season's tumultuous qualifier for the Champions League.

Considering what Shearer has given to the club, he can hardly be blamed. Paul Jones also made a great save low to his right to deny Shearer and three minutes earlier had thwarted Lee Bowyer with an equally alert stop.

Newcastle were scrambling and Shearer twice went close with volleys, but Wolves could also claim to have had chances they squandered, particularly Ioan Ganea. Shay Given blocked the Romanian when he was clean through on 76 minutes.

Five minutes earlier Ganea had beaten Given with an accurate shot after a Mark Kennedy effort had ricocheted off Titus Bramble. It was an end-to-end second half after Lee Bowyer had scored his first goal for the club in the first.