Bolton leave Bobby to draw cold comfort

Newcastle United 0 Bolton Wanderers

In his match-programme notes yesterday, Sir Bobby Robson revealed that he had been persuaded to sing on stage with Sir Norman Wisdom at a recent function in Durham. Given Newcastle United's fortunes of late, it was not such an unlikely partnership. Sir Bobby's side have been stumbling along since the start of the season with all the assurance of Norman Pitkin, Sir Norman's bumbling big-screen persona.

There has been trouble in store since their penalty shoot-out failure against Partizan Belgrade in the Champions' League qualifier and, after their first goalless draw in 78 matches, they are still without a win in the Premiership.

St James' Park was a fortress for Sir Bobby and his boys last season, when they reached the heights of third in the table behind Manchester United and Arsenal, but yesterday they had reason to be happy with their first home point of the new campaign. They did hit the woodwork in either half - courtesy of Gary Speed and Titus Bramble - and they finished very much the stronger in the final quarter. For much of the game, though, they were second best to a Bolton side who beat the drop on the final day of last season - hence the chorus of boos at the end.

"We've had a disappointing result but I can't fault the players for effort," Robson said. "We've dropped two points at home but we'll soldier on. It'll turn. We just need a bit of luck. We didn't look a bad side today. That was the good thing. We didn't look a bottom-of-the-table side."

The reality is that Newcastle are a bottom-three side, and with a visit to Highbury on Friday night, 48 hours after the home leg of their Uefa Cup first-round tie against NAC Breda, Premiership life is unlikely to get any easier for them.

It might have been different yesterday had Speed broken through in the second minute. As it was, the Welsh veteran directed his header on to the crossbar when Laurent Robert clipped a free-kick into the Bolton area from the right.

It was a close call for Bolton, but it was Sam Allardyce's men who proceeded to play the more methodic football, with Kevin Nolan and Jay-Jay Okocha prompting from central midfield and Ivan Campo and Youri Djorkaeff also bringing their class to bear. They peppered the home goal too, Nolan screwing a shot inches wide and Okocha forcing a fine diving save from Shay Given with a wickedly dipping free-kick.

Newcastle enjoyed no such platform. They threatened sporadically from the wings, where Nolberto Solano, selected ahead of Lee Bowyer, and Robert, reprieved after criticising his manager and team-mates in print, both had a point to prove. They also fashioned a chance on the break for Alan Shearer, Bruno N'Gotty executing a superbly timed block as the Newcastle captain despatched his shot.

It was better for Newcastle in the second half, but only just. They squandered a promising opening in the first minute, Robert delivering a ball from deep on the left and Shearer stabbing a shot over the bar. Their general play was still fitful and mired in frustration, though they did build up to a rousing finish after Bramble smacked a header against the crossbar.

Solano sent a long-range drive whizzing fractionally wide of the target and then, with five minutes remaining, Shola Ameobi cut in from the left and angled a ball to the near post towards Kieron Dyer, only for Simon Charlton to intervene.

Bolton have not won on Tyneside since 1959. They deserved their draw yesterday.

Newcastle United 0 Bolton Wanderers 0

Attendance: 52,014