Allan Saint-Maximin's sure-footed sorcery pivotal to Newcastle survival - if they can cut out the stupid errors

Allan Saint-Maximin identified Newcastle supporters as the key to the club's hopes of Premier League survival as he warned losing the backing of St James' Park could result in relegation.

The inspirational Frenchman will have a major say in whether the planet's most wealthy football club will be residing in the Championship for the third time in a little over a decade next season, but he believes that some significant others will also have a vital part to play in helping the Premier League's only winless side recover from its increasingly perilous position.

Saint-Maximin's sure-footed sorcery and turf-based terrorising of defenders is likely to be more pivotal than most aspects of the survival scrap in helping the division's bottom club bridge the ever-growing gap to safety, but Saint-Maximin believes that, ultimately, salvation sits in the stands.

"The fans are the most important thing for me," the winger said after underlining his cult status with supporters as the somersaulting-scorer was engulfed by a gleeful Gallowgate End when his late equaliser rounded-off a six-goal Keystone Cops caper at St James' Park.

Rather ominously, the 24 year-old added: "If the fans at this moment don't give the support to the team we will go down for sure. Everyone knows we need the fans to give us the power to come back in games and do the best things we can do.

"Their support in every game is vital even when we're in a bad position and we never forget that. On reflection, it's a bad day again. We improved and made a lot of chances but we still conceded too many goals. They had four shots on target and scored three times."

As unstinting and loyal as that backing may be, supporters aren't the ones out on the pitch, they're not the ones forming part of a kittens-inducing defence, or a midfield which was over-run with alarming ease by their energetic Brentford counterparts. They're not Joelinton, scorer of his side's first equaliser, who with the goal at his mercy to win it late on inexplicably fell over.

They're not Karl Darlow, escorting a routine shot from Ivan Toney into the net, an inopportune time for the Newcastle goalkeeper to make such a glaring error with Martin Dubravka recovered from injury and surely in line for a return against Arsenal at the weekend, another fixture Eddie Howe is set to miss as the manager continues to isolate in his hotel suite after testing positive for Covid.

Following some provocative badge-kissing when cancelling out an early Jamaal Lascelles header, former Newcastle forward Toney was in a more conciliatory mood after helping Brentford stem a four-match losing run to maintain a seven-point gap on Howe's side.

Brentford's other goals were provided by Rico Henry with an unopposed header and Lascelles deflecting substitute Frank Onyeka's shot beyond Darlow, which ultimately wasn't sufficient to secure a first victory in the North-East since 1934. Toney, shown the door at St James' Park three years ago, said: "The goal meant a lot, but I didn't feel like I had a point to prove here in particular. There's a point to prove in every game I play.

"Whatever happened in the past has happened. Maybe I wasn't ready, maybe I wasn't good enough, who knows? At the time the club had a decision to make and that was to let me go, but there's no hard feelings. It was nice to come back to where it all started and to see some old faces.

"The club still holds a special place in my heart and it will do forever, because without the stepping-stone of Newcastle I'm sure I wouldn't be where I am today."

Newcastle 3 Brentford 3: match report

By Jason Mellor

Not since the 183 days spent at the Linton Travel Tavern by Alan Partridge can a hotel have played host to such a tortured soul.

Forced to follow proceedings from his suite round the corner from St James' Park after contracting Covid - 'the only positive we've had for years' lamented one supporter - Eddie Howe could be forgiven for having turned swiftly to the mini-bar for solace as the magnitude of the task facing him was laid bare in his first game.

Alan Pardew remains the last Newcastle manager to start with a win 11 years ago, but on the plus side, what the hosts lacked in terms of organisation and, frankly, talent, they made up for in character. Twice they came from behind to earn a draw through a late Allan Saint-Maximin volley, Howe initiating the introduction from the bench of Ryan Fraser who provided the cross for the equaliser.

It denied Brentford a first win here since 1934, but Newcastle remain the only winless side in the division after 12 games and a point wasn't enough to prevent Howe's side from dropping to the bottom of the Premier League, five points adrift of safety after Norwich City won again.

Jason Tindall patrolled the technical area in Howe's absence, and was in constant touch with his exiled boss during the game. The Newcastle assistant manager said: "I was in contact with Eddie before and during the game. At 3-2 down we had a decision to make. We were in dialogue with him, he's the manager and he makes the final call so he takes a lot of credit for that substitution.

"To be honest, it wasn't the result we wanted but there are a lot of positives to take from the game and overall it's a step in the right direction. We played on the front foot and with real intensity and on another day with the chances we created then we go on to win the game.

"At this stage, we can't focus on the league table, we focus on the positives to take out of the game and look ahead to the next one."

All-told there were 33 efforts on goal as the fun started early in front of the watching Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The sides traded goals within 76 seconds as Jamaal Lascelles rose above Vitaly Janelt to head home Matt Ritchie's 10th minute corner. The jubilant mood was swiftly punctured as Karl Darlow inexplicably allowed a far from threatening angled drive from Ivan Toney through him and into the net.

Shown the door at St James' Park in 2018, the Brentford forward's badge-kissing celebrations were pointed, as years of pent-up frustration were released in front of a distinctly unappreciative Gallowgate End.

The 25-year-old might have had a hat-trick before the break, but saw a close range follow-up ruled out for offside before defender Fabian Schar blocked another goal-bound effort on the line.

It was only postponing what increasingly became an inevitable second goal for the visitors. Time and again they exploited Newcastle's defensive failings before taking a 31st minute lead as Rico Henry headed in unmarked at the far post from a curling Sergi Canos cross, the midfielder's second assist of the game. After going more than a year without scoring, Henry has now found the net in consecutive appearances for the first time in his senior career.

A fourth goal of an at times ridiculously open half, surprisingly given that they had looked punch-drunk at the concession of Henry's effort, went to the hosts. It owed much to a heavy first touch from Joelinton, which allowed the ball to evade two would-be blockers as the Brazilian atoned by finding the bottom corner left-footed from 15 yards after Saint-Maximin's shot had been diverted into his path.

A temporary post-half-time lull was brought to an end when Brentford took the lead for a second time shortly after the hour. Jonjo Shelvey allowed Henry to progress towards the Newcastle area, and when the ball found Frank Onyeka, the substitute beat Darlow from 18 yards with the aid of a hefty deflection off Lascelles resulting in the defender appearing on the scoresheet at both ends.

As Howe's mini-bar stocks no doubt diminished, back came his troops to level again with 15 minutes remaining, Brentford unwisely allowing Saint-Maximin a free run at the back post to meet Fraser's cross with an unerring volley four minutes after the substitute's telling introduction.

There was still time for Joelinton to spurn a glorious chance to win it when he slipped at an inopportune moment with the goal at his mercy. "This occasion was lined up to be a massive party for Newcastle today," Brentford head coach Thomas Frank reflected after his side ended a four-game losing streak.

Brentford are four points above the relegation zone, and the Dane added: "The way we came here and played was massive. It's a little bit frustrating to have led twice but not come away with a win. When you score three goals away from home in the Premier League you really expect to come away with a victory."