A post-match conversation that (probably) never happened: 

JFK: "Which one of you is Rob Styles?" 
RS:  "I am"
JFK: "You're a ****"

Whether Newcastle's interim boss turned the air blue isn't known, but 44,000 black and whites made their feelings known after another officiating blunder looked to have ended any hopes that the team could build on their morale-boosting draw last time out.  

Two corners, a cross and a free kick from Geremi signified that United had spent some time in the opposition half, but by the time the first crucial event of the evening arrived on 12 minutes, neither goalkeeper had been called into serious action.

At that point, United's world seemed to have collapsed yet again, as Robinho lay on the floor feigning injury and Rob Styles brandished a red card in the direction of Beye, who looked at first sight to have timed his intervention as last man to perfection as he whipped the ball away. 

Unsuprisingly, the decision inflamed the home crowd and infuriated the players - Given visibly apoplectic and others not far behind; the 'keeper perhaps lucky not to be booked as he vented his firustrations by attempting to launch the match ball into outer space. 

And within seconds, people's pockets were buzzing, as texts and messages from those watching on TV arrived to confirm the Newcastle player had got the ball (with some claims also that what contact there was between the players began on the other side of the area).

(The red card was ultimately withdrawn four days later by the FA upon appeal, after widespread TV coverage of the incident from various different angles was aired. We think the last time JFK was involved in something with as many replays was in Deeley Plaza, Dallas....)

To a chorus of boos, Robinho duly netted via a dubious run-up and mugged for the cameras, adding further insult to injury and leaving Newcastle a man short and with it all to do. 

Two weeks-worth of post-Goodison rah-rah stuff from the local press had given way to the cold reality of being a goal and a man short within 12 minutes - the amount of time Kinnear had the luxury of fielding an orthodox defensive lineup, after Beye's return from injury.

Surely any chance of marking the 12th anniversary of the "Howay 5-0" beating of the other Manchester side here with a victory had gone - and with it the Kinnear revival after just one game. Did the F in JFK stand for fated? 

Regroup they did though and proceeded to contain City, despite being exposed in midfield on several occasions as the visitors moved the ball at speed. Collocini was back on form and his interventions gave some much-needed stability, with Bassong alongside him getting to grips at left back. 

It had initially been thought that Ameobi would give way to Cacapa, but the threatened substitution never happened, with Martins dropping back into midfield, Geremi reverting to right back and Shola playing as a lone striker, not with wonderful skill but undoubted effort. Two words -nuisance value.

And while there was a positive response on the field, that was echoed in a redoubling of efforts from the stands, as the fans played their part and crucially stayed with the team - not the given that it always should be, in these fractured times.

For a while things looked rocky, with City close to a second on a couple of occasions -  before Ameobi played in Duff ten minutes from the break, only for the midfielder to direct his shot at an eminently saveable height and velocity.

Notions of headlines such as "Blue Toon", "Story of the Blues" and variations on a "Rob-bed" theme however were blown away just before the interval however, when Duff inadvertantly began the move that ended with Ameobi's equaliser for the sort of farcicial goal we concede but seldom score.

And if that was verging on the miraculous, then the passage of play that saw United go ahead after the break had elements of witchcraft attached to it, Dunne seemingly guided by a higher power to blast the ball past his own 'keeper.

If the goal was fortunate again though, it reflected the balance of play at that point, with City seeming to run out of ideas and unable to grasp the initiative back - or find an alternative to the sort of loose aerial punts and weak crosses that SJP regulars have become only too familiar with.

Martins was to last just over an hour, leaving to warm applause after making it known to the bench for some time that he'd done enough with his "dodgy" knee. And Ameobi was then replaced to a standing ovation, having run himself to a standstill in much the same way he had against Bolton here in January, in Kevin Keegan's first game.

While both substitutions looked necessary though, their replacements ultimately weakened the side and gave the visitors enough room to salvage a point that wasn't a million miles away from becoming three in four minutes of added time (caused in part by Ameobi's elongated amble off the field).

N'Zogbia initially tried to push forward with the ball and alleviate pressure on his defence, but when the time came to try and solidify the United left, he was found wanting and City exploited the gaps.

And the introduction of Carroll as the lone striker spoke volumes about Kinnear's lack of confidence in Xisco. The Spanish U21 forward had warmed up for much of the second half - much as he had at Goodison - but was again overlooked when the time to make a change came.

Ameobi had played the closing stages of the draw against Everton, but tonight Andy Carroll emerged for his first appearance of the campaign, having missed the whole of pre-season with a foot injury picked up on holiday.

The young striker's lack of fitness was painfully apparent - with his comeback game for the reserves coming 24 hours later - and he struggled to hold the ball up or release it when demanded, giving City opportunities to advance with the ball.

Just when it seemed that the storm had been weathered and the most unlikely of victories recorded, City snatched a point with a goal that in truth had been coming for a while - one super stop from Given preventing Ireland netting with an earlier effort.

But there was none of the booing or premature departures that have come to routinely characterize the conceding of a late goal here, and what was the most enjoyable game of season (Old Trafford included) ended with the Newcastle side acknowledging some thoroughly-merited applause.

Like a Bond villain, City's dreams of world domination remain unfulfilled, while Kinnear may not have had three points in the top flight to raise a glass to this century - but can say with confidence that his side are (almost) upwardly mobile.

Before this game, he was eulogised by the local papers, presumably for publicly siding with them against the nationals in his first infamous press conference. 

Getting them onside may have been the most astute thing he's done since he came to SJP, but there are overtones here of the backing of Roeder through caretaker stewardship into a permanent post - not necessarily the right man to manage, but a convenient figure to have on tap for stories.

That's not an implied criticism of Kinnear, but rather an attempt at providing some balance in the face of what have been some ridiculously optimistic stories; admittedly a nice change from the wholesale rubbishing of the club, but no more accurate or helpful.      

The interim boss has yet to record a victory but with two draws has restored some pride to the club - and whatever is being paid for working here though, he's surely recouped that money already in turning Damien Duff from a liability to an asset. 

Fitness is a massive part of the story, but there's also evidence of interest and commitment in the last two games that have been absent before from the Irishman. As a measure of that, the confusion of our second goal and initial doubts over the scorer saw some in the ground momentarily believe Duff had scored, given his celebration and raised fists salutes to the fans in the benches.

Time will tell whether the upsurge is down to Kinnear's powers of motivation and organisation, or more mundanely the return of Guthrie to the midfield for the last two games. Certainly looking across at the the technical area to see Chris Hughton constantly on his feet begged the question of just what the players were doing only a few weeks ago - sulking?

Are the positives we're starting to see down to Kinnear as a person, a shortening of the injury list, or merely the fact someone different took over the job (the new boss syndrome)? The time for such philosophical debating is when points aren't at stake and games aren't there to be won, ie not now.

Our record this season to date is our second-worst in sixteen Premier League campaigns and there's no time to waste as we enter a hectic time with more winnable games lining up - and chances for points that we've already spurned so far this season against average opponents.

Whether this result and performance boosted the value of the club is frankly of little interest to us; we may have clawed back some of the millions wiped off after the Hull and Blackburn horror shows and tonight we proved we are well worth investing in.

Never mind the bidders or the price though, we prefer to hold the view that this was a small piece of payback for the fans who turned up from near and far, supported their side and were rewarded with some effort on the field. 

Although followers of this club are routinely derided for being over-expectant, that's actually all they really want to see - at least in the short-term. That and not losing this Saturday, of course.

Biffa