Newcastle fought back to claim a draw at Brighton in the Premier League as potential new manager Eddie Howe watched on from the stands.
With Howe's appointment expected soon, he sat alongside Magpies part-owner Amanda Staveley and allowed himself a brief flicker of emotion as Isaac Hayden turned in an equaliser from Ciaran Clark's downward header.
However, for much of this contest, Newcastle's display will only have served to warn him of the scale of the challenge at a club that is still yet to win a top-flight game this season.
While the visitors deserve credit for sticking rigidly to their defensive shape, they were disjointed in possession and, bar Hayden's effort, offered little in attack.