Fifteen games in then and fifteen points on the board - eleven of them since JFK was installed - and an unbeaten run that now stretches to three games, or no win in four if you look at it the other way.

And although an away success continues to evade us this season, at least it wasn't a case of lost in the mist, as the both sides found themselves fogbound at the Riverside, unable to gain any altitude.

Kinnear chose not to make his thoughts known to the media after his side recorded a third draw in five away games under his guidance, preferring to leave press conference duties to Chris Hughton.

Whether that was a ploy to avoid questions about the reaction of Martins to being substituted in favour of Viduka instead of the anonymous Owen isn't clear, but the air of satisfaction JFK's assistant gave over having taken a point from this fixture hardly gave cause for optimism.

A week after having been undone on their own pitch by Bolton and with memories of defeat by West Brom and a draw with West Ham (not mention a leathering by Chelsea), this was hardly Fortress Boro.

And while last week's Stamford Bridge stalemate was cherished and deservedly celebrated as a job well done, the same plaudits just couldn't be applied here for achieving a similar result.

That may seem slightly unfair, given the fact that another decent defensive job saw Given excused too many heroics in defence of his clean sheet. 

The fact remains though that this draw and last week's combined with the stalemate against Wigan have yielded a total of three points - what we needed to be taking from that SJP Latics encounter.

While in one way it's gratifying that we've dug in away from home to earn the points that eluded us at the mackems and Fulham, failing to pull out any away victories places more pressure on us to do the business at home, week after week.

That task however looks a bigger ask after looking at the fixture list, with the current top four sides all still to visit Tyneside, along with our wearyside and smoggie rivals. Already we've gifted too many points to mediocre sides on our own patch - such as Blackburn, winless in nine since their SJP victory.

Up next at home is Stoke, who were pulled apart here in January, but have added solidity and confidence to their side since their top-flight return; not to mention some set piece danger that will test our new found defensive solidity.

Hopefully our continental back four will be alert to this danger, with the temptation perhaps to bring fit-again Steven Taylor back in alongside Coloccini to shackle the likes of Fuller. 

While JFK took some flak from the travelling fans for removing our sole source of pace from the attack in this game, he does deserve credit for not recalling Taylor to the back four this time round.

The faith shown in Sebastien Bassong was repaid with another steady display from the 22 year-old Frenchman, who looked at home alongside Coloccini & Beye - the less said about Enrique, the better.

As it was, the fourth successive meeting of these two sides to end in a stalemate was never a classic, with and could have gone either way, had either team boasted an in-form striker.

Fully 35 minutes had elapsed before we created a chance, when Danny Guthrie's fell to Obafemi Martins, who turned and smacked his rising shot off the crossbar.

Boro then threatened after the break, with Charles N'Zogbia clearing one corner off the line at his far post station, while Alves blazed over after a good run then got in the way of his colleagues as a dangerous cross from the left caught our defence napping, but thankfully wasn't converted.

Shay Given got down well to save from Justin Hoyte, while the returning Viduka came as close as anyone in the closing stages, but saw his weak effort blocked.

And that really was that, with the small comfort of Bolton's thrashing of the mackems taking us out of the bottom three, on goal difference. Victory against Stoke now really is vital though. That's ahead of our Pompey trek - where we've managed four draws from five Premiership visits. 

Given the position we find ourselves in, a fifth point there would be more than acceptable - but only if we've topped the Potters. Yes, it's better to be unbeaten than beaten, but there's a time when safety-first gives way to fearful - 38 points from 38 games would leave us firmly in the proverbial.   

Biffa