There is much anecdotal evidence in Tyneside for Sir John Hall's capacity for misunderstanding the finer points of football. Yesterday the former chairman-turned-president of Newcastle United appeared to have provided another example of his misreading of the game when he turned up at 3.45 for a match he presumably thought kicked-off at four o'clock.

It had actually begun one hour earlier, but Hall may have had a point - this was a game that did not really get going until the second half.

When it did, it was reasonably entertaining: two moderately competent and confident sides attacked each other with equal vigour and optimism against defences of equal hesitancy.

Alan Shearer, with his 14th Newcastle goal of the season and his 18th in 21 appearances for club and country since August, and Kevin Campbell, with his seventh for Everton, were the profiteers, though ultimately the two strikes and two teams cancelled each other out.

"I thought we were marvellous in the first half," Bobby Robson said, "and had we got a goal then, we'd have won. Overall we were unlucky, they scored one goal from their one good cross."

That was somewhat harsh on Everton, who could have been ahead after five minutes if Campbell had shown more composure from close range.

Stalemate at the interval was no great surprise therefore, but Sir John will have to have been quick to take his seat on the restart. Only 30 seconds had gone when Duncan Ferguson - lacklustre against his old club and later substituted - flicked on an Alessandro Pistone chip into the path of Gary Speed.

With Paul Gerrard rushing off his line towards his former captain, Speed got a pull on the ball and went to ground after Gerrard's fractionally mis-timed challenge. Shearer stepped up to convert from the spot, his fifth penalty of the season.

Within 10 minutes David Weir had struck the Newcastle woodwork and, six minutes of convincing Everton pressure after that, Campbell produced the equaliser.

It was a goal of attractive simplicity: Nick Barmby's diagonal centre landed between Nikos Dabizas and Pistone and Campbell's header was direct, downward and successful.

Newcastle: Harper, Pistone, Dumas, Dabizas, Domi, Solano, Lee, Speed, Gallacher, Ferguson (Maric 84), Shearer. Subs Not Used: Karelse, Marcelino, Hughes, Glass. Booked: Speed, Dumas. Goals: Shearer 46 pen.

Everton: Gerrard, Weir, Cleland, Unsworth, Ball (Johnson 46), Dunne, Collins, Barmby, Pembridge, Campbell, Hutchison. Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Clarke, Ward, Jevons. Booked: Cleland, Barmby, Dunne, Gerrard, Johnson, Unsworth. Goals: Campbell 62.

Referee: M Reed (Birmingham).