Full-time: Newcastle United 2 Hull City 2

LARGE sections of fans demanded Alan Pardew’s sacking at St James’ Park but then Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse gave the under-fire Newcastle United manager a much-needed boost when it mattered most.

With 30,000 Sack Pardew leaflets on Tyneside, the Magpies boss could have done without suffering another defeat against Hull City and that was exactly what looked on the cards.

The Tigers, managed by former Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, claimed a two-goal advantage when Nikica Jelavic (49) and Mohammed Diame (68) scored two stunning goals to increase the pressure on Pardew.

But then Cisse, introduced as a substitute for a first outing this season seconds after Diame’s second, rediscovered his goalscoring touch to pull Newcastle back in to it.

The £9m man, who has been out of action after fracturing his patella, hit his first goal since March in the 73rd minute and then he grabbed an equaliser three minutes from time to clinch a point.

It meant the hostile send-off many expected for Pardew at the final whistle never arrived and instead, after seeing the players battle back with intent, there was warm applause as the players left the pitch despite failing to win for the first time in the Premier League this season.

Pardew, well aware of the planned protests beforehand, opted to take the sting out of the situation by taking position at the top of his technical area from the first whistle, and Newcastle started quite positively.

Remy Cabella, the £7m buy from Montpellier, was lively in a forward role alongside Emmanuel Riviere, but rarely did the black and white shirts get in behind the visitors’ defence.

Riviere headed an early cross from his compatriot wide in the opening exchanges, while Cabella rolled a tame shot in to goalkeeper Allan McGregor after creating space on the edge of the area.

But Newcastle’s bright play could not muster anything of real note and that was always going to be dangerous, which was how it proved. The only other real chance they created before the break was when Jack Colback shot low at the keeper after a decent move.

The pockets of fans holding sackpardew.com banners and chanting for the manager to go was hardly overpowering, but strong enough to get the message heard at that point.

But there was a fear that could grow if Newcastle did not start the second half positively – and within three minutes of the restart Hull had taken the lead.

Ahmed Elmohamady’s burst down the line saw him cross in to the penalty area, where Jelavic worked free of his markers before unleashing a terrific acrobatic volley inside Tim Krul’s bottom left corner.

While Cabella was denied an equaliser a couple of times by McGregor, Hull also had more chances and Stephen Quinn somehow missed the target from close range when a free-kick dropped invitingly for him in the box.

And then the moment Pardew really could have done without arrived. Hull added a second 21 minutes from time, when Diame was allowed to turn and place a left-foot drive in off Krul’s right-hand post.

At that point, with Newcastle fans increasing the pressure on him by calling for a ‘taxi for Pardew’ and getting out the leaflets again, Newcastle did not look like getting back in to it.

But then Cisse, introduced moments after the second for his first appearance of the season, delivered. Cheik Tiote’s inviting pass was brought under control with his first touch and the second was a low drive inside McGregor’s near post.

With three minutes remaining he did it again. This time he arrived in the six-yard box to turn in Yoan Gouffran’s knock down following Moussa Sissoko’s deep cross – and Newcastle pressed in search of the winner, which never arrived.

Without a win from five games at the start of the Premier League season, but Pardew did at least see some fight from his players which had certainly been lacking at Southampton seven days earlier.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1): Krul; Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett; Tiote (Ameobi 85), Colback; Sissoko, Cabella, Gouffran (Perez 90); Riviere (Cisse 69). Subs: Anita, Haidara, Elliot (gk), Taylor.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): McGregor; Elmohamady, Davies, Dawson, Robertson (Rosenior 88); Livermore, Diame, Huddlestone, Quinn; Jelavic (Meyler 81), Hernandez (Aluko 56, 5). Subs: Chester, Brady, Harper (gk), Ramirez.