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Newcastle hold on for replay
- Updated: January 7, 2017
Newcastle failed to halt their recent slump as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Birmingham in the FA Cup third round.
It was also Blues’ fifth successive game without a win under Gianfranco Zola but they had every reason to be satisfied with a battling performance.
Newcastle failed to take advantage of Daryl Murphy’s early goal, with Birmingham striker Lukas Jutkiewicz notching his ninth of the season late in the first half.
The Magpies, who made eight changes including leaving their leading marksman, Dwight Gayle, on the bench, produced an average performance and in the end were lucky to earn a second chance.
Ominously there were huge gaps in the ground with the exception of the away section, where up to 4,671 United fans crowded the terraces. They strongly voiced their opinion about Birmingham’s meagre support.
The United fans quickly had something to cheer as Murphy put them ahead after only six minutes when he bustled home a right wing corner from Achraf Lazaar.
But the lead was gained at a heavy price as in the same incident Aleksandar Mitrovic sustained a leg injury and had to be carried off the pitch.
At this stage the Magpies were in complete control as they …
