ALAN PARDEW last night admitted it felt like Newcastle United had lost after conceding a late equaliser in the Wear-Tyne derby, but he now wants to make up for it by ensuring Sunderland finish below their old foes come May.

Despite claiming a point at the Stadium of Light yesterday, just under three months since his predecessor Chris Hughton led the Magpies to a 5-1 win at St James’ Park, United remain five points behind Sunderland in the Premier League.

With the sixth-placed Black Cats sitting three places above their Tyneside rivals, Pardew wants to ensure Newcastle have something else to boast about come the end of the season.

For a man brought up in Wimbledon and who spent the majority of his playing career in the South, the 49-year-old had conceded he did not know what to expect from the big North-East occasion. He does now.

“I do understand it a little more,” said Pardew, after a pulsating encounter which was high on desire and determination, if not high quality.

“I enjoyed that atmosphere and I could see the experience we had on the pitch coming through. People like Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith knew what it was all about.

“We have taken four points from the derby this season and we look forward to the next one.

“I’m sure Steve Bruce will say that his team are higher in the league. We still have that to address this season. We have disappointment after conceding late on, but we have a really tough game with Spurs now.

“We have to concentrate on that because you want to aspire to where you can. Sunderland are having a great season and we have to look at where they are.”

Pardew had every right to be frustrated at the final whistle.

After a first half in which there were chances at both ends, Newcastle took control after gaining the advantage seven minutes after half-time through Kevin Nolan, even if Shola Ameobi claims it was his.

Sunderland looked incapable of breaking down a defence well marshalled by Fabricio Coloccini. But then Phil Bardsley’s shot was parried by Steve Harper before bouncing off Asamoah Gyan and over the line in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Pardew said: “We have had a lot of serious injurytime.

The fourth official’s info was good but I felt five minutes was a lot. You don’t see many games like that.

“It was harsh if I’m honest. I thought it was three or four minutes. It boosts the crowd when you get that. The ref said ‘here’s a bit of excitement’, which it proved to be.”

Again Pardew was forced to rubbish suggestions that Andy Carroll could be sold to Tottenham this month, amid claims Spurs are preparing a £30m package for him.

But rather than dwell on another ‘not for sale’ message over his star striker, who remains sidelined through injury, Pardew preferred to reflect on the performances of the men he did have available at Sunderland.

“We were so negative in our approach at Stevenage,”

said the Newcastle boss, eight days after witnessing his players lose at League Two opposition in the FA Cup.

“This time we got a grip of it in the second half. The disappointing thing was that when we broke we had a couple of chances.

“I am frustrated. I thought the players had a good mentality, started fast and on the front foot. We tried to hurt them.

“The first half was like a derby with nothing really happening, but the second half was excellent. We got the goal.

“That period when our fans made lots of noise, I thought we would see it out.

“We perhaps could have got a second. What cost us was a lot of injury-time. It feels like a defeat in the dressing room.

“But my message was, when you lose key players you have to perform. We did.”