Newcastle United drew 0-0 with Oxford United on Saturday.
Newcastle United face another FA Cup replay after being held to a 0-0 draw by League One side Oxford United on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies overcame Rochdale in the last round with the aid of a replay, and were hoping to get past Oxford at the first time of asking at St James’ Park.
Steve Bruce named a strong lineup against Karl Robinson’s men, and saw his side dominate possession whilst attempting 15 shots – but none of them went in.
Newcastle couldn’t break down Oxford, and must now do it all again at the Kassam Stadium for a place in the fifth round after a frustrating afternoon.
Newcastle’s injury woes have been exacerbated by these additional games, so adding one more into the mix will have been the last thing Bruce wanted.
He did though manage to give Nabil Bentaleb a debut, just days after the Algerian midfielder arrived on loan from Schalke until the end of the season.
Bentaleb managed 80 minutes after spending much of the season in the wilderness at Schalke, and fans had a mixed view on how he performed on debut.
Some felt that Bentaleb ‘looked classy’ and was the one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing game, believing that he will be very valuable one he’s up to speed.
Others thought he was quiet, even branding him ‘appalling’ and ‘James Perch reborn’, with some yet to be convinced by Bruce’s first January addition – but it will take him some time to really get going having barely played for Schalke of late.
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