Newcastle 0, Aston Villa 0

NEWCASTLE United supporters witnessed Michael Owen's latest comeback from injury in a frustrating Premier League contest for the home side against a stifling Aston Villa outfit.

Owen, who has recently recovered from a thigh injury, had to settle for a place on the bench though as manager Sam Allardyce opted to field the same side that won so convincingly at Bolton the week before.

The United striker warmed up for Villa's visit to Tyneside by giving an open and frank interview with one of Newcastle's most popular fanzines, The Mag.

In it, he reassuringly says he has always been committed to the United cause, but made it known that he was never going to be bullied into making a statement off the back of a crass outburst from the club's former chairman Freddy Shepherd.

Owen, of course, rightly refused to be drawn into any childish spat with his former employer but it still left fans, who gave him a warm reception at the weekend, perplexed at his silence.

And because he only made his thoughts known when he reported back for pre-season training they will never know whether his commitment was made because no club approached the Magpies to trigger the 9m escape clause he has in his contract.

The England international made an uneventful 30-minute cameo against Martin O'Neill's side on Saturday, as has his three other games for the club last term. But while it would be premature to suggest the player is in decline at this stage, he has looked like a shadow of his former self in the four outings he has had since returning from his career-threatening knee injury.

The fact he has not played any football for the best part of two years has not helped but it is increasingly unlikely supporters will ever witness the electric form he produced for Liverpool and England during the early stages of his career.

This is simply because injuries have robbed the 27-year-old forward of his most potent weapon - his blistering pace.

Whether, like Alan Shearer before him, he can adapt his game only time will tell, but up to now he has struggled to do so. His manager, on the other hand, has every confidence he will rediscover the form which once made him a world class striker.

"Michael is not really back yet," said Allardyce. "It could be five or six games before you see the sharp end of Michael Owen. If Steve (McClaren) gives him some part of the Germany match this week that will be a great help and obviously we hope there will be no injuries from that."

United's first home game of the new season wasn't much of a spectacle and it stretched the club's barren run without a goal at St James' Park to six months.

The last time Newcastle netted at home came when Nolberto Solano did so from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win against Liverpool in February - 560 minutes or nine hours and 20 minutes ago.

Last season a result and performance of this nature would have brought a mass demonstration demanding blood outside the Milburn Stand.

Although there were few dissenters among the home crowd who booed at the end, the majority overall would have went home reasonably happy - safe in the knowledge that the club is moving forward after a turbulent ten years.

Understandably the Newcastle manager was satisfied with his team's performance. He said: " I think the transition has been superb. Because we didn't get a 1-0 win people might say a further transitional period might be needed. They're right, but we've shown great character.

"What you have to do is make sure you don't lose. That was something Newcastle were guilty of last season more than anyone.

"We're undefeated in two games and we've got our first clean sheet. The quicker we get into double figures in clean sheet terms, the quicker we get into the top half of the table.

"We kept giving ourselves the chance to win the game, right until the very, very end. We were never out of it at any given moment. Even though we weren't playing as well going forward as we might have liked, we were in a position to capitalise on any mistakes, especially with Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins on the pitch.

"Very often a clean sheet is what turns the game in your favour because you've been resilient. With the players we have, rather than them always creating an opportunity, a clean sheet can give you the chance to capitalise on a mistake and win a game. It's about more than creating goals in this division."