A STROKE OF LUCK

Burnley’s equaliser certainly had an element of luck to it but it’s not as if the Clarets didn’t deserve that bit of good fortune.

They were denied a clear penalty in the first half and in the same move had a goal disallowed, so when Sam Vokes’ header hit the bar and went in off Karl Darlow it was perhaps a bit of overdue karma.

Burnley’s struggles in front of goal this season have been well documented and with 19 in 24 before Wednesday night they’ll take anything they can get.

Although the pressure was cranked up in the closing stages the visitors hadn’t looked like breaking the Magpies down, bar a couple of Ashley Barnes efforts, until fortune played its part.

PENALTIES

Talking of penalties, what do the Clarets have to do to get one? Before this fixture they, Newcastle and Swansea were all without a spot-kick this season. Now that’s down to just two.

Burnley were denied a stonewall penalty at Huddersfield over Christmas and it was a similar situation at St James’ Park.

Paul Dummett slipped in the area but once he had gone down he clearly moved into Jack Cork’s path and made sure the midfielder couldn’t go past him. It was as obvious as they come.

It’s now 30 Premier League games since Burnley’s last penalty, converted by Sam Vokes in the 3-1 defeat at Everton.

Surely they are due one soon?

WING IMPACT

While Burnley’s attacking threat may have been limited for most of the evening in the north east it certainly improved when first Aaron Lennon and then Georges-Kevin Nkoudou came off the bench.

It was Lennon who came on first for a Clarets debut and he made an impact. He was on the left rather than the right but his pace and direct running posed Newcastle a problem they hadn’t been given all night.

Having gone behind Sean Dyche’s summoned a response and it was in part thanks to their wingers, two January additions who have added some pace and positivity to the side.

SEVENTH HEAVEN

For much of the day and then much of the evening at St James’ Park it was a case of deadline day disappointment for Burnley, with the recriminations already beginning on the ever fraught medium of social media.

In the end that unlikely equaliser put a slightly more positive tint on the day. While a failure to land any more new additions and the loss of Steven Defour were major blows, Burnley ended the day back in seventh place in the Premier League with just 13 games to go.

There’s plenty to be pleased about for Clarets fans this season and a shot at the Europa League next season remains very much in Burnley’s sights. It can’t be that bad can it?

CHANGES AND CHANCES

The injuries to James Tarkowski and Defour handed Premier League chances to two of Burnley’s fringe players, who had mixed nights.

Kevin Long did an awful lot right but he was the man picking up Jamaal Lascelles when the Newcastle skipper stole half a yard on his man to head Kenedy’s corner home. It was a harsh lesson for a player who has come on leaps and bounds in the past year.

It was a tougher experience for Ashley Westwood, in in place of Defour in midfield. Westwood was excellent at Manchester City in the FA Cup early in January but he couldn’t match that display and found the power in Newcastle’s midfield, particularly in the shape of Mohammed Diame, tough to cope with.