Stirring comeback sees Albion grab point at Newcastle

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Albion come from two goals down to draw 2-2 in north east.

2026-02-27T20:56+00:00

Joe Belmont made it 2-2 on the night. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

Our men's under-21s came from two goals and a man down to take a superb point in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Friday night.

A red card for Charlie Penman and a brace for Sean Neave just before the break made any hope of a positive result seem faint for Albion.

But Shannon Ruth's team had the perfect response as Miah Oriola halved the deficit two minutes after the restart, before Joe Belmont nodded in an equaliser midway through the second half.

Miah Oriola pulled one back for Albion early in the second half. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

Half a dozen cards were dished out in the first 42 minutes, but it was the sixth that would really throw the cat amongst the pigeons. Referee Aaron Jackson adjudged Penman to have pulled back Neave as the ball dropped for the forward in the area, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The Newcastle number nine got up to take the resulting spot-kick, firing straight down the middle with Albion keeper Steven Hall diving down to his right.

Damage limitation before the break didn’t go to plan either as Fitzgerald found Neave a couple of yards out to scramble home his second of the night in the second minute of stoppage time.

Albion had shown their mettle when a man down in their recent defeat to Liverpool and responded with a terrific goal in the 47th minute. Hall played a stunning pass down the left flank for Sean Keogh who cut it onto his right, whipped an in-swinging cross towards the back post and Oriola latched onto it to rifle in.

Steven Hall got the pre-assist for Albion's first goal of the night. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

Neave’s swivel and shot from ten yards was blocked before Albion stunned the hosts with an equaliser. Charlie Tasker’s cross was headed back across goal by Shane Nti, with Belmont perfectly placed to nod home.

Josh Robertson’s rasper flew a matter of millimetres wide of the corner with 20 to go before Munder’s shot from the left of the box was tipped away by Hall at the other end.

Neave snatched at a chance from eight yards, blazing over the top for what would have been his hat-trick goal as the Magpies seemed to be building up a head of steam. But Albion would weather six minutes of injury time to claim what at one stage seemed the most unlikely of points.

The Albion team: Hall, Tasker (C), Barclay, Penman, Mills (Robertson 61), Oriola, Mackley (Silsby 86), Nti, Keogh, Belmont (Brett 61), West (Middleton 43).