Shearer grateful for Carroll’s small mercy

THE truth is neither hurtful or an exact match to the fairytale but for all the gushing that followed the equaliser for Alan Shearer’s Newcastle against Stoke, it should be remembered that this was still just a draw at the Britannia Stadium — and a fortunate one at that.

It would be unfair to dismiss Shearer’s chances of pulling Newcastle out of trouble but, two matches into his eight-game reign, it would be equally absurd to become carried away by this performance. After all, a draw at Stoke in the FA Cup last season was the result that persuaded the Newcastle hierarchy to ditch Sam Allardyce.

There is so much goodwill towards Shearer that it is easy to cloud the current situation at St James’ Park and the clamour for the former England captain after the game meant that Tony Pulis was largely ignored. However, the Stoke manager was accurate and cutting when he said: “Don’t anyone kid themselves. We were the better team.”