28 mins: A quite magnificent goal, as Temuri Ketsbaia cleared from defence, Paul Robinson strode forward down the left flank, Solano and Didier Domi exchanged passes and a perfect 1-2 saw the Frenchman claim his first goal in England with a finish low to the 'keeper's right hand post. 2-0.

44 mins: Sloppy play led to a Wimbledon corner which was played in deep Alan Kimble, helped on by Marcus Gayle and ended up at the feet of Michael Hughes, who drove it in without further ado. 2-1.

Half time: Magpies 2 Wombles 1

46 mins: All rosy in the Geordie garden again as an attempted flick by Ketsbaia was rather harshly adjudged as handball on Tore Pedersen within 20 seconds of the restart.

Nolberto Solano converted the resultant penalty that the referees assistant in front of the Milburn Stand had indicated - conceivably been influenced by a few thousand people bellowing "handball" in his lugs....3-1.

68 mins: Defender David Beharall inexplicably waited for a forward ball from Hughes to drop about 10 yards away from goal. Wombles substitute Gareth Ainsworth explicably didn't and netted his first Premier League goal 3-2.

90+1 mins: Grown men shed a tear as Marcelino fails to make a convincing clearance in the first of four added minutes. Ben Thatcher kicks the ball goalward and Ainsworth slots home his second from close range in a virtual replica of Solano's goal at Spurs earlier this month. 3-3.

Full time: Magpies 3 Wombles 3

Ruud Gullit said:
 
"I felt the defence was good until we got the injuries (both home substitutions were enforced).

"I thought we were very unlucky to get injuries in vital places and that cost us the game, nothing else.

"We were solid, (Alain) Goma was excellent, but what can you do? You hope you can deal with these setbacks but we couldn't. It was the difference between a good result and a bad result.

"The crowd here can see what we're trying to do: they see a team trying to play the right way.

"I know we are better, much better than we have shown so far; we just need to prove it."

Egil Olsen - wearing his wellies!:



To follow
 

No matter what is cracking off in the corridors of power at United, even the sternest Ruud Gullit critic must have felt a modicum of sympathy for him after the final whistle today. 

The only manager in the world who could have done something about the singular lapses by the defence that brought goals, plus our ever-increasing injury list, is the bloke with the white beard who picks the Heaven XI. 

No wonder Rudi spends more and more time looking at the skies. If his theories about reincarnation are true, he must have brought untold suffering to millions in a previous life. Whether it was the pre-match beer intake or fine weather I'm unsure, but I spent most of the game sitting in the roofless Leazes with something verging on a sunny disposition. 

There certainly seemed to be an air of "our day has come" until Marcelino apparently suffered a short circuit of the brain just before halftime, and suddenly a comfortable two goal lead was halved. 

However, in contrast to previous games this season, the commencement of the second half didn't bring about any white-flag-waving from the home camp, and fortune smiled on us within seconds courtesy of a generous penalty. 

Surely our grasp on three points looked secure, for the first time since Derby at Easter ? Wrong.

The worrying casualness of Marcelino suddenly became a critical factor when Goma limped off, and a shroud of doubt seemed to blanket the whole team once replacement Beharall started his own personal game of statues in the penalty area, and Wimbledon suddenly had another goal back. 

My own theory is that Gareth Ainsworth had squeaky boots, which caused Beharall to recoil in terror. He looks to be scared of his own shadow, so he's likely to be afeared of mice as well….

With Ferguson up front doing his Gateshead Angel figurehead role and Robinson fading fast, attention switched to the United penalty area, and whether the defence could hold out against a revitalised visiting attack, now featuring the cerebral talents of Carl Leaburn. 

Inevitably they couldn't, despite an all hands to the pump approach that may have showed some team spirit but wouldn't have been out of place in a Laurel and Hardy picture. 

Despite the likes of Ferguson lolloping back to lend his aerial power to good effect, the equaliser followed and ultimately a point was gained rather than two lost, such was the apparent punch-drunk air of a bedraggled United side at the final whistle.

Enter the media, up to their tricks again with a fabricated story of the lads then being booed off. I heard nowt from the Leazes End and have confirmed the same from fellow malconents of my acquaintance in Milburn and Gallowgate stands. 

The loudest sound (apart from Gullit accusing the Sky Sports reporter of "stirring the shit") probably emanated from the Milburn Stand pressbox; as keys were pressed on laptops and stories of a toon victory without Shearer were deleted, to be replaced by new "crisis" headlines. 

We did actually go up two places in the league thanks to our first point, which does rather show up an early season league table for what it is: basically meaningless.

What is true however, is that Rudi got a great welcome before kickoff and also that numerous TV crews received somewhat brusque treatment before and after the game. 

For some unexplained reason, many United fans took great exception to being asked "who leaves - Shearer or Gullit?" by bloodsucking ambulance chasers masquerading as "journalists" on Barrack Road. Can't think why…

Attention now switches to the derby and assuming he can steer us through that, the vagaries of the fixture list and free weekends probably mean the expected reverses at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge won’t be enough to see a Rudi exit.