Taylor: 'Fortune Favours The Brave'

By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter

'You make your own luck' is one of the oldest adages in football - but Steven Taylor felt it apt after Newcastle's dramatic draw at Everton.

Deadly Demba Ba's 90th minute goal earned United a point at Goodison Park but only after the Toffees had seen two goals disallowed for offside.

And even more contentiously, Victor Anichebe saw a second half header cross the line but not awarded for David Moyes' side.

Taylor, however, insisted the spirit and determination shown by the Magpies in the second period warranted a little bit of good fortune.

"We've had a look at it and for me it does look like it was past the line so we got lucky," the defender told nufc.co.uk. "But sometimes you need that. For Newcastle United, a few years ago we wouldn't have got that.

"We've got players who work hard day in, day out, players who want to get in the team and put pressure on each other. That's what we need and I think today was just a great example of what a hard team performance is.

"I think we deserved to maybe even win the game - (Hatem) Ben Arfa got a good chance as well - and the lads fully deserved it. We worked so hard.

"The first half performance was poor; we came in and I think we were lucky to be 1-0 down but second half we just got at them and we caused them a lot of problems.

"This is a hard place to come. Every time I've came here it's always been a hard game. I remember a few years ago when we were getting beat 2-0, then me and Damien Duff scored but that's what it's like here - it's so difficult.

"The ground feels dead tight and they've got great supporters here. They're very well organised and they're hard to beat."

During the opening games of the campaign Newcastle have regularly performed better in the second half.

And Taylor admitted: "I don't know why it is but we can't give teams like that a 45 minute head start.

"We did at Chelsea and we were out of the game. Today we got lucky, I think, in the first half - but second half we were fantastic.

"We really got in amongst them and caused them problems. For all the players we've got out injured, the boys who stepped in have done well and we showed our team spirit again."

An example of that positive attitude was provided by Ba, last season's leading scorer, who came from the bench to net twice - including the late leveller.

"It would've been easy for him just to sulk about not starting but he came on and turned the game on its head for us," Taylor said.

"He was fantastic when he came on, caused problems and put himself about. He's a goal machine - even when you play against him in training, he's a strong fella. You give him half a yard and he'll score."

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