Robson content as Magpies earn draw
The 71-year-old headed for the dressing room at half-time with a smile on his face after seeing Craig Bellamy fire the Magpies in front at the Ulleval Stadium six minutes before the break to cap a solid first-half display.
However, Kjetil Rekdal's men prompted by the player-coach himself, fought back after the break and equalised through former Coventry midfielder Runar Normann.
"I feel, because of their better, inspired second-half performance, that they deserved to get something out of the game," Robson said.
"We were the better side in the first- half, but one or two of our players thought the game was over at half-time and it wasn't obviously.
"They came out full of spirit, changed their game a little bit, hit longer passes, put the ball in behind our defenders, made us turn and made it uncomfortable for us.
"They came into the game and our two wide players were pushed back, so we didn't get anything down the flanks, and because of that, our forward play disappeared as well, so in the second-half, they were more or less in control of the game.
"The goal gave them a lift, a big inspiration, did a lot for them, so from looking comfortable at half-time, we found ourselves under siege a little.
"I didn't think we looked as though we would concede a lot of goals, but they were very much in the game and Shay Given did make a very good save late in the second half.
"That's what he's there for, but they played decent football.
"We've got an away goal I suppose that's quite important but I have to say I'm going back home disappointed.
"I felt we could come here and win we're in good form and a difficult team to beat. We haven't lost today, but we didn't play well enough, I have to admit, over 90 minutes to win this match and their second-half performance deservedly gives them a bit of a chance at Newcastle."
Robson sprang a surprise by naming skipper Alan Shearer and midfielders Kieron Dyer and Laurent Robert on the bench, but stood by his decision, taken with Sunday's Premiership trip to Portsmouth in mind.
"It was never in my mind to play Shearer here. We have a tough match at Portsmouth on Sunday and with the squad we have, we felt we could do well in this match without them."
Rekdal was delighted with his side's second-half showing, but insisted that the advantage lay with Newcastle.
"The tie is still open, but Newcastle, of course, are favourites," he said.
"We have a hard test next week if we have a hope to get to the next round, but the hope is still there.
"It's exciting for us at this time of year to play an historic game in the third round of the UEFA Cup not many Norwegian teams have done it.
"It's our fifth draw in five games we're the draw specialists of the UEFA Cup."
: Bolthof, Brocken, Hagen, Dos Santos, Kjetil Rekdal, Berre, Hovi (Edvardsen 24), Gashi, Hanssen, Normann (Ovrebo 82), Daniel Fredheim Holm, Edvardsen (Krogstad 88).
: Given, O'Brien, Jenas, Bellamy, Speed, Ambrose (Dyer 51), Hughes, Bramble, Ameobi (Bridges 73), Bernard, Viana (Robert 74).
: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland).
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