United Manager Chris Hughton said:

"I think it was a massively important point. We showed great spirit and determination in the second half - hence why we got the point. It was a classic case of digging something out. 

"What we have got in this side is great character, that I am aware of. What we are now doing is we are now playing our football in a tougher division, and Wigan have become very much an established Premier League side and they showed very much in patches the quality they have got.

"We knew we were on the back of two home defeats and that's not something we wanted to continue. We know we are in a tougher division, but this is somewhere that became very much a fortress for us last season.

"The only way to get back to anywhere near that, which we know is impossible in this division, is to draw out results in whichever way we have to, and we showed great character and quality towards the end to get back into the game."

On Kevin Nolan:

"He is someone who has been playing with a couple of knocks. It was my decision to rest him and give him that extra time I wanted to give him a complete rest. He rested for two weeks but it depends on what the niggles are. There are different levels. It is my decision. It was a chance to change it.

On Jonas Gutierrez:

“I think his form has got better. Sometimes you also get a reaction. I rested him at Everton and I would say since then he has been very good. One thing with Jonás is that you will always get a committed player, a player who absolutely loves playing. We needed his quality.

On Fabricio Coloccini:

“My impression was he is just ecstatic that we were able to get back into the game. If you look at the emotions of him and Colocinni when we scored that is what it meant to the team. The type of player Jonás is, there will be periods of the game when he is not so involved and periods when he is able to produce.

“The quality of the corner for the goal was excellent and the quality of the cross for the other (first) goal was even better.If you have got strikers getting delivery of that quality they are going to be quite happy. Jonás has certainly showed he is the sort of player who can break down resolute defences.”

Goalscorer Shola Ameobi said:

"Few people would have thought we would get anything out of this game after half-time, but we believe. We are not always going to play well, but you have got to have that belief, and I certainly have that and the team has that.

"Regardless of what is going on and what the scenarios are, you have got to keep on fighting to the end, and sometimes things like that happen."

Pointsaver Fabricio Coloccini added:

"We can't really be losing two points here. We have to win the games at home, and we were playing against a team who may be competing with us at the end of the season. I am happy with the point and my goal - but I would be happier if I had not scored and we had got all three points."

Roberto Martinez commented:

"The game can be very cruel and that was a clear example. I felt we were well in control for the whole game, we scored two very good goals from open play, which is the hardest thing in football, and then we let ourselves down by just not being able to defend a set-play at the end.

"That's a little bit where we are. I feel we are very talented young group of players and we showed that. But then we are lacking that little bit of know-how, that little bit of experience that you need to show at critical moments of the game to see it through."

With a third successive home defeat looming, a 94th minute header from newly-appointed captain Fabricio Coloccini salvaged a point for Newcastle on Saturday. 

The ensuing celebrations on and off the field however couldn't disguise another display that had lacked both discipline and quality in all areas - even with the addition of a second striker to the United starting XI.

That was achieved by handing a first League start of the season to Peter Lovenkrands, who was paired with the returning Andy Carroll at the expense of Shola Ameobi. Dropping out was Kevin Nolan (apparently injured in training), with Coloccini OK to continue after his recent groin problem and taking over the captaincy.

Chris Hughton was also able to call on the services of Danny Guthrie for the first time this season, although he was shunted out to the right wing. And there was a recall to the bench for both Nile Ranger and Tamas Kadar - the latter providing defensive cover due to the unavailability of the injured Sol Campbell.  

Much had been made of a first SJP return for old boy Charles N'Zogbia since his move to the Latics in 2009 - and the French international silenced the boos in spectacular style midway through the first half. That stunned home fans who had only briefly stirred when Jose Enrique sped down the left and crossed for Carroll to narrowly lose out to Wigan 'keeper Ali Al Habsi. 

Aside from that though, most of the crowd reaction had come in the form of Ashley-related abuse, provoked by a hideous new "Sports Direct" logo painted on the top of the Gallowgate End roof and visible to Level 7 occupants. 

United's attempts at reducing the deficit often foundered on the shoulders and head of another ex-Magpie, Steve Caldwell, who was making his 'Latics league debut. However his clumsy foul on Carroll allowed Guthrie to chip the ball into the Wigan area, the United number nine knocking the ball across the six yard box in the direction of Lovenkrands, only for Antolin Alcaraz to hoof clear. 

From Guthrie's resultant corner, Williamson then headed back across goal and saw his effort blocked almost on the line by Emmerson Boyce, Gutierrez swinging a foot at the ball barely three yards out, but not making contact. 

Had N'Zogbia played in Di Santo seconds before the break when the pair were bearing down on goal, then things could have been even bleaker. As it was though, the SJP old boy seemed to hesitate as if looking for the chance to shoot for his hat trick and his belated pass was under-hit.  

United pressed forward after the break but were again seemingly unable to come up with a plan B to break down Wigan - the plan A of Enrique and Gutierrez advancing on the left flank continually stalling when the visitors pulled a third defender across to snuff out the danger.

Guthrie's appearance on the right saw him habitually head infield, meaning that only the occasional overlap provided by James Perch gave United anything down that flank. With Cheick Tiote seemingly intent on registering his first red card in English football and Joey Barton scarcely capable of finding a team mate with a pass, centre midfield was hardly a hotbed of innovation at this point.

The tiring Lovenkrands gave way to Ameobi, before Wayne Routledge returned down the right - but as ever proved irritatingly incapable of providing any worthwhile service. Thankfully though the breakthrough finally came from Gutierrez finding Ameobi - the first goal that Roberto Martinez's side had conceded on their travels this season. That gave both crowd and players renewed hope and United's next attack produced a corner that Carroll reached at the front post, only to head narrowly wide of the goal.

A farcical interlude then saw Williamson stab the ball home from close range and set off celebrating, only for referee Mark Halsey to correctly rule the effort out - and book Carroll for knocking the ball out of Al Habsi's grasp. If Halsey had called that one right though, many of his other decisions were questionable - not least the 85th minute yellow card waved at Figueroa for time wasting. A laudable decision, except for the officials then allowing the offender to steal further ground up the touchline when he eventually took the throw in.

In the final seconds of normal time Barton had clipped an excellent ball through to Carroll, but the big striker made a hash of his volley right in front of goal and it looked like Newcastle's best chance of sneaking a draw had gone.

Home fans had grown increasingly impatient at Wigan's time-wasting antics and the signalling of just four minutes of additional time was badly received - but would prove to be just long enough to bring about (partial) salvation. Colos' third goal in our colours was his first in the Premier League.... and one in the eye for those who chose to vacate their seats before the final whistle.

PS: The preceding piece was the NUFC.com post-match view, which is normally followed within a couple of days by a (slightly) more reflective piece - a state of the Geordie Nation address, if you will. Well, fast forward 48 hours from full time and someone has well and truly inverted the SJP snow shaker..... 

Monday brought:

i) A claim from The Mail newspaper - still banned from SJP and therefore able to write what they like with impunity - that only Coloccini's equaliser kept Chris Hughton in a job. 

ii) Confirmation of Andy Carroll's arrested and detainment on Sunday and a court appearance in which he denied assaulting a teenage lassie. Released on bail, he's been instructed to live with Kevin Nolan - the club captain who may or may not have been injured or dropped on Saturday and consequently relinquished the armband. That court appearance was a week before Carroll's scheduled one for a separate charge of ABH....

iii) The departure of Hughton's assistant Colin Calderwood from SJP in favour of the vacant manager's job at Hibernian in his native Scotland.

It's never dull here - and quite what the ramifications of those three events will be remain to be seen. Will United issue a rebuttal of the press story and reaffirm support for Hughton? Will Hughton be given free rein to appoint the assistant of his own choosing? Sol Campbell would appear to be an early favourite, given that he's not doing much else at present..... 

And as for Carroll, words fail....an odd way to curry favour with the England boss and a strange celebration of a new long-term contract. There's a parallel between his possession of the number nine shirt and the ongoing desecration of SJP by Ashley-related advertising that we're not ready to put into words - just yet. 

Coming after the Ben Arfa blow though, this latest performance, result and the fallout from the following days increases the pressure on Chris Hughton - amid speculation that he lacks wholehearted support from both his players and his superiors. 

Our betting slip with the cryptic message "Joe Kinnear next Newcastle manager" remains stashed away. 

Rule nothing out. This is Newcastle United.

Biffa