Bramble proves to be a thorn in the Magpies side

Former Newcastle defender Titus Bramble returned to haunt the Magpies here on Saturday as his late goal brought 10-man Wigan a 2-2 draw.

Bramble, more renowned for his defensive errors when he was at Newcastle, gave the visitors a deserved draw after they had initially taken a 1-0 lead through Ryan Taylor who had proven Newcastle’s nemesis before in scoring the two previous times that Wigan had beaten their opponents.

However goals from injury-prone England striker Michael Owen and Nigerian Obafemi Martins looked like giving Newcastle the three points until Bramble’s late effort.

Wigan’s point will give more pleasure to their manager Steve Bruce than Newcastle handler Joe Kinnear as the visitors overcame the sending-off of Emmerson Boyce in the second-half.