Newcastle United 0 Bristol City 0: Dean Gerken turned out to be the unlikeliest of heroes as resilient City dug deep to hold the rampaging Geordie hordes at bay inside a seething St James' Park.

Only recently recovered from a debilitating viral infection, the 24-year-old goalkeeper was not considered sufficiently fit for selection and only made the long trek to the North-East at the behest of manager Gary Johnson.

Expecting to be handed a watching brief, the summer signing from Colchester United was taken aback when informed on Friday night he would be required to sit on the bench.

Imagine his shock when, five minutes before kick-off, he was told to don his gloves and go out to face in-form Coca-Cola Championship leaders Newcastle in front of the fanatical Toon Army.

First-choice stopper Adriano Basso pulled a groin muscle during the warm-up and Gerken, completely unfazed by his sudden call to arms, met the demands of the day in magnificent fashion to earn his side a point which keeps them within touching distance of the play-off positions going into the latest break for international matches.

"I had no idea I was going to be on the bench, let alone play the game," admitted a stunned Gerken.

"The gaffer invited me to join the lads on Thursday and I was expecting to fly up north and watch the game from the stands. I thought 'I'm in Bristol with no family and not much to do, so why not?'

"I was really pleased when they told me I would be on the bench, but to actually play in the game was fantastic. I'm over the moon."

He revealed: "I had no idea there was anything wrong with Basso until we were back in the dressing room a few minutes before kick-off. The gaffer came up to me and told me I was playing and I didn't even have time to think about it. Sometimes, that's the best way. It was a shock but I dealt with it OK."

Any nerves would have been understandable as Bristol City's players were greeted by a wall of sound generated by the Gallowgate faithful.

"I've been to a lot of big stadiums to watch games and it takes a lot to impress me," said Gerken. "But St James' Park is absolutely massive and, walking out on to the pitch took my breath away.

"It's the biggest and best stadium I've played in so far and there is definitely a wow factor when you look up and see those incredible stands."

Like his team-mates, Gerken simply refused to be overwhelmed by the occasion and instead produced an adrenalin-charged performance when it was needed most.

Shambolic off the pitch, Newcastle were still reeling from the revelations made public by former manager Kevin Keegan, who won his case for constructive dismissal 24 hours earlier and lifted the lid on dealings inside St James' Park.

But there is little wrong with Newcastle on the pitch and Chris Hughton's side began the day three points clear at the top of the Championship. Unbeaten at home, the Toon launched an initial assault which would have swept lesser opponents away.

City certainly rode their luck when Marlon Harewood, starting his first competitive game since April, ran on to Peter Lovenkrands' through-ball and sent his shot against a post after just nine minutes. Had he scored, it might have been an altogether different story.

But the visitors weathered the early storm and, encouraged by 2,800 travelling fans, gradually imposed their game upon the leaders. They even threatened to take the lead on occasions, notably when Cole Skuse's thunderous volley was deflected over and when top-scorer Nicky Maynard surged into the penalty area and shot narrowly off target.

If City thought the hard work had been done when they reached the sanctuary of the dressing room, they were soon disabused of the idea as Newcastle, hell-bent on opening up a five-point gap on nearest rivals West Brom, laid siege to the visitors' goal in the second half.

Although they demonstrated commendable determination and bravery in covering every blade of grass and tackling everything that moved, City were nevertheless powerless to stem the steady flow of chances which came the home side's way.

That was when Gerken came into his own, flinging himself to his right to pull off startling saves, first to keep out Danny Guthrie's close-range volley and then palming away Kevin Nolan's powerful header.

He continued to take centre stage, gathering shots from the outstanding Alan Smith and Guthrie, but saved his best for last, somehow tipping Steven Taylor's header on to the cross bar when a goal looked a certainty.

That sparked a furious scramble inside the six-yard box, Lovenkrands smashing his shot against the bar and then sending the rebound wide when it seemed easier to score.

"It was unbelievable, absolutely mad," commented Gerken. "When they hit the bar twice and still didn't score, I knew it wasn't going to be their day.

"They threw everything at us in that second half, but we stood strong and refused to give way. You expect that when you come to Newcastle and I think we dealt with it really well."

Yet Bristol City hearts were in mouths when Harewood crumpled under an ungainly challenge from substitute Jamie McCombe and more than 40,000 Geordie voices screamed for a penalty. Fortunately for the visitors, referee Graham Salisbury remained unmoved.

"I was worried at the time, because I wasn't sure what angle the ref had seen it from," said Gerken. "We've all seen those decisions given, especially when the referee is under pressure from the home crowd. But I was only 10 yards away and I could see that Jamie didn't touch him. Thankfully, the ref saw it the same way."