LIKE a ghost in the works Kevin Keegan continues to haunt Newcastle United. They still cannot stop throwing away winning leads with the self-destructive aplomb which last season drove their fans to tears and this season, their manager to Miami.

For the second league game since Keegan spirited himself away, United had to absorb the disappointment of a draw, having been 2-0 ahead and well cushioned for victory.

They say that if you chop the head off a chicken, it will keep going as if nothing has happened. Well, cut the head off the Magpies and ditto. Kenny Dalglish may be a genius, but obviously even he needs more than six days to convince this particular turkey that its time is up.

If Newcastle still harbour hopes of winning the title, they should be beating teams like Southampton - though having said that, Manchester United did not, and the last time Newcastle won at the Dell was in 1972.

But, in an effort to improve matters, and secure a first away win since October, Dalglish is ready to dip into the transfer market for the sort of defensive players many felt Keegan should have targeted. Latest reports suggest the Portuguese centre-back Raul and the Blackburn goalkeeper Shay Given are being given the once over.

The goalkeeping problem is a microcosm of Newcastle's woes. On Saturday, Shaka Hislop produced some wonderful saves to keep his side in the game, then a minute from time, committed the error that opened the door for Southampton's comeback. Another storyline from Matthew Le Tissier's Roy of the Rovers annual won Southampton a deserved point in injury time.

This was despite Newcastle's change from cavalier to round head - closing down the opposition, stacking men behind the ball, and being praised by Dalglish afterwards for their "attitude, commitment and desire".

Those Dalglish watchers who forecast a more pragmatic approach, will also have noticed that the new manager's first team at full charge did not contain a single member of the club's three muskateers.

Admittedly, Philippe Albert and Faustino Asprilla were injured. So too, said Dalglish, was David Ginola, though it remained a mystery why, in that case, he was among the substitutes. But here, presumably, was the shape of things to come, with just one winger, Keith Gillespie, and Peter Beardsley, nominally on the left flank, but tucked in to buttress midfield.

It worked well to begin with as Newcastle dominated and went ahead on 13 minutes when a catalogue of defensive errors let in Ferdinand.

But relegation-threatened Southampton came back. Alan Shearer nearly headed into his own goal, Matthew Oakley saw a goalbound shot blocked by Gavin Peacock and Hislop saved brilliantly from Jim Magilton and Neil Maddison. When the keeper then produced a stunning tip-over from Ken Monkou's point-blank header and Le Tissier hit the bar, it looked like one of those days for the Saints.

But Newcastle had not made the best of their chances, Les Ferdinand and Shearer both defying the odds by failing to capitalise on clear runs at goal. And as Southampton piled forward, Newcastle's fragile lead remained under threat.

However, eight minutes from time, another defensive cock-up - the bane of Southampton's season - gifted Lee Clarke his third goal in three games, and the game looked over.

But then came Hislop's error as he dropped Charlton's cross and that just left Le Tissier to do what he does best - save Southampton's skin. As Newcastle cleared their area, Le Tissier saw the ball dropping in front of him 20 yards out. With a premeditated aim of his right foot, he rifled the ball past the helpless Hislop.

"At his best, he's the best there is," said his manager Graeme Souness, denying reports of a rift with the mercurial Matt, while happy to steal a point from his old Liverpool mucker Dalglish to add to the three from Middlesbrough last week.