Eddie Howe delighted with what 'inspirational' Newcastle United star did at St James' Park

Matt Ritchie was Newcastle United's unlikely hero to rescue a point against AFC Bournemouth at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.

Newcastle trailed 2-1 heading into stoppage time as goals from Dominic Solanke and Antonie Semenyo either side of Anthony Gordon's penalty had The Cherries on course for their first Premier League win of 2024. But former Bournemouth man Matt Ritchie had other ideas as he came on the bench and scrambled in an equaliser with his first touches of the ball.

It was the 34-year-old's first goal for the club since 2020 and first in front of a crowd at St James' Park since the match-winning penalty against Manchester City over five years ago. And Howe, who worked with Ritchie previously at Bournemouth, was delighted to see the experienced star make a difference on the pitch.

"He's an inspirational character behind the scenes," Howe said. "He's someone who in training every day he drives standards.

"He's very vocal, very enthusiastic, even in the changing room before the game he's the one driving the group. And that's someone who hasn't played as much as he'd like but he's put the team ahead of his own needs.

"When you see someone like that you just hope they will get their reward."

Ritchie is out of contract at the end of the season for Newcastle and hasn't started a Premier League match for the club since December 2021. But he was handed a new one-year deal at the end of the 2022-23 season with Howe keen to keep him around at St James' Park.

"I've tried to reward him with my value being as high as it could be and desperately wanting to keep him here last year because of those standards he drives and because he's a role model," added the Newcastle boss.

"He gives his experience to players in ways that even I don't know. For him to get that moment and score that goal, it's huge for us and I'm delighted for him."

The draw extends Newcastle's unbeaten run in the Premier League to four matches but they are still searching for their first home win of 2024 following a run of two draws and two defeats since the 3-0 win over Fulham in December.