Given the life and crimes of Joseph Anthony Barton it was no surprise that the Toon midfielder was able to take a few cat calls and cheap shots that were intermittently spewed out by a handful of Hartlepool fans during his comeback from a foot injury.

In summary Barton's return from injury was one to forget for the ex-Man City man and one that for him was all about fitness with 75 minutes under his belt.

Barton donned the skipper's armband for a young United side that are currently experiencing a bad run of form.

Joey Barton can't do right for doing wrong sometimes but the word on street is that the Scouse midfielder will opt not to talk to the media circus which will descend on Hartlepool when he makes his latest comeback from injury.

Newcastle's season is at a delicate stage and the last thing that anybody needs is something or somebody upsetting the apple cart.

And while the temptation for journalists is to get some good copy from Barton, whether it would do any good as far as NUFC is concerned is a totally different matter.

Like him or hate him, you can't ignore Joey Barton.

Well that's the Tyne-Tees ding dong over for what could be at least another season and Newcastle United were probably much, much happier with the point than Middlesbrough by the end.

At times United were poor at the Riverside but they showed they have the ability to dig in and scrape a result when it matters most and more importanly they didn't cave in.

Even a neutral could have sensed that the game meant much more to Boro and in the end it must have felt like a defeat for Gordon Strachan's side.

NEWCASTLE United held Middlesbrough to a draw at the Riverside in a match which the Teessiders dominated.

Despite opening the scoring with a strike by Peter Lovenkrands, Newcastle had the poorer game.

Barry Robson equalised before the break and after a bright start to the second half Boro seemed set to win after Scott McDonald put them in front.

However, Andy Carroll drew the Toon level with just minutes left in the game to leave Newcastle on course for promotion.

I journeyed across the border to Teesside for the Toon's match against Middlesbrough.

To replay my coverage, just click the link below.

Note:

1. FA rules say I can only talk about the game at certain times.

2. We get thousands of people on here each week, and cannot publish every comment.

3. We can't publish links to illegal streaming sites so don't even ask.

4. Enjoy the game.

When it comes to Newcastle United taking on Middlesbrough then in my opinion this fixture means much more to the Teessiders than it does to most Geordies.

But as far as Newcastle's promotion chances are concerned, victory at the Riverside, against a Boro team who look like they can't wait to get this season just out of the way, and then three more against Scunthorpe United will go a long way to helping the Magpies fly back to the promised land.

The usual "Is it a derby or not" debate has raised its ugly head again this week and rattled a few cages.

When Newcastle United head to the Riverside on Saturday it's safe to say that every Geordie who makes the journey down the A19 will be wishing Gordon Strachan the very worst in the Tees-Tyne tussle (I don't think many of us reckon it's a derby).

But to some of us, it doesn't seem like that long ago, that we were all singing his name in the Bigg Market.

Let me take you back to May 1997...

When Kevin Keegan ranted how he would "love it" if we beat Manchester United to the title, you just got the feeling that Fergie's comments at Old Trafford about teams "trying harder" against his side than against Newcastle had well and truly got under the Messiah's skin.

Now as Newcastle go into their most crucial stretch of matches in the second tier and with West Brom starting to falter it would appear Di Matteo is indeed attempting to give it the Fergie treatment.

Here's is Di Matteo's craic today: "I have been saying for a while now that it is probably going to go down to the last few games."

The last time Newcastle United played in this division Barnsley suffered a hiding on Tyneside and there were plenty of similarities in the 6-1 thumping at St James' Park.

Yes, Barnsley had just 10 men and lost their first choice keeper on a day when they were equal to the Magpies for most of the first half.

But once Newcastle had the bit between their teeth, there was no doubt that this was going to end up being a real, real rout.

For those of us old enough to remember the old Gallowgate scoreboard had a simple message in the 92/93 season when we hammered the Tykes 6-0 and it read back then: Pure Geordie Magic.

THE Toon take on the Tykes this weekend, and I'll be at the game to bring you live coverage from another pivotal moment in United's season.

Barnsley will provide a tough test for the Magpies, especially as they need to pick up more points if they are to have any chance of reaching the play-offs.

But with the black and whites riding high at the top of the Championship, we'll all be hoping we can send them back to South Yorkshire empty-handed.

I'll be at St James' Park to bring you all the colour and action from the game, and I also want you to take part as well.

To get involved, just come back here from 2.45pm or click below to set a reminder.

Note:

1. FA rules say I can only talk about the game at certain times.

2. We get thousands of people on here each week, and cannot publish every comment.

3. We can't publish links to illegal streaming sites so don't even ask.

4. Enjoy the game.

We don't normally make a day of it in these parts but did you know that tomorrow is officially the 17th anniversary of "the one that got away" for Rob Lee against Brentford.

Chewing the fat with Lee this week certainly made a few memories start flooding back to a golden era where Newcastle United seemed capable of taking on the world.

There's enough memories of Lee alone to write a book but interestingly this week while talking to colleagues about some of the great goals bagged by the Londoner that Toon fans seemed to love, there was a recurring theme.

And it wasn't talking about his hat-trick in Antwerp, or his blinder against Nottingham Forest or his header at Wembley against Chelsea - it was indeed that 'goal' against Brentford.