THE Geordie striker rose above a crowded defence to send his looping header into the top corner of the net for a priceless equaliser.
Turn the clock back 15 years or so and it could have been Alan Shearer, powerful and bristling with youthful exuberance.
Only this time the local hero was Andy Carroll, a 20-year-old striker, who used to worship the Toon legend from the Gallowgate End.
Shearer himself nodded his approval at the youngster's 82nd- minute goal which earned Newcastle a point they had never looked like gaining.
Stoke took the lead through Abdoulaye Faye in the first half and gave the visitors a right battering.
But from out of nowhere a saviour came from the sub's bench.
And the Geordie faithful travelled home believing their Messiah had performed his first miracle.
It had seemed unlikely for most of the game as Shearer's animated prompting from the sidelines went unanswered.
The new boss may have improved their time-keeping and upped the tempo of training sessions but he will be unable to improve the quality of their performance with the talent at his disposal.
All the years of wasteful spending in the transfer market have been laid at his door and Shearer has been left to work with a squad well below Premier League quality.
But there will be effort and a never-say-die attitude which were always huge features of the former striker's playing days.
They will need every ounce of those qualities if they are to join Stoke in the survival zone.
The home side showed what it takes to scrap and scrape a result and at times threatened to overwhelm Shearer's men.
Only in the final 20 minutes did Newcastle find the right attacking impetus with Carroll spearheading their comeback.
Shearer's depleted ranks forced him to resort to a three- man central defensive line-up of David Edgar, Sebastien Bassong and Habib Beye to combat Stoke's aerial threat.
Sure enough there was danger whenever Stoke delivered the ball into the box - which they did at regular intervals.
Newcastle would have worked all week in dealing with Rory Delap's touchline missiles but the real thing was not as easy.
The throws came at a frightening pace and awkward height and Newcastle were forced deeper and deeper into their six-yard box.
It was not an occasion for the faint-hearted, with the notoriously noisy home crowd offering their frantic and blood-curdling support.
Shearer used to thrive on that kind of animosity in his playing days but the big question was could his team? Certainly for most of the match they could not be faulted in the way they competed.
Stoke's James Beattie ended upt covered in blood after a collision with Bassong.
But it only takes a moment's lapse to allow Stoke a sniff of a chance. Invariably they take full advantage.
Bassong switched off at another Liam Lawrence corner and Abdoulaye Faye was unmarked as he powered his header past Steve Harper. Newcastle were too preoccupied coping with Stoke's bombardment to make too many forward advances.
An early headed attempt by Michael Owen from Ryan Taylor's cross was mistimed and cannoned harmlessly wide off his shoulder.
With precious little in the way of service or support to feed upon, Owen was left to feed on scraps.
He wouldn't have expected a feast of chances but he is in danger of starvation in this Newcastle attack. How he must have wished the man on the sidelines in the dark suit was young enough to play alongside him.
The supply into the box provided by Stoke would have suited Shearer in his heyday. Owen would have thrived on it too.
Ricardo Fuller gave a passable imitation of the former England No 9 when he met Lawrence's corner with a meaty header just before half-time. Harper responded well to push it away and when Fuller's determination won him the follow-up header it seemed to strike Bassong's arm.
Referee Chris Foy ignored the appeals for a penalty and it was a decision which brought great relief for Newcastle.
It had been a harrowing opening 45 minutes and the last thing they wanted was a second goal to take into the interval. But there was little respite for Newcastle on the restart. If anything Stoke were even more relentless.
A rare attacking opportunity came Newcastle's way in the 64th minute when Ameobi climbed highest to reach a Damien Duff cross but his header lacked power and direction.
Shearer was getting more animated on the touchline, as though he could sense there might be a lifeline back into the game. And his team's best attacking spell forced Stoke on to the retreat for the first time.
In their eagerness to find an equaliser the Magpies left their defence unmanned and Etherington almost added a second for Stoke on the breakaway.
But the Geordies kept at it and were rewarded with Carroll's late header from Duff's cross.
Two games in and the Shearer effect might just be working.
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