Steve Bruce hasn’t got a lot right in recent weeks – but he certainly did against Southampton.
With Newcastle down to 10 men and clinging on, Bruce went into ultra defensive mode.
In the 67th minute, creative spark Allan Saint-Maximin was replaced by no nonsense defender Paul Dummett.
But 10 minutes later, that decision looked like it was going to backfire.
Fabian Schar was stretchered off, meaning Newcastle were down to nine.
Bruce had made all of his substitutions, although only one of them was tactical. And in turn, that decision forced Newcastle to lose another man.
Dummett steadied the ship
Had Newcastle gone on to lose, Bruce would have been criticised for jumping the gun with his third and final substitution.
But the change was necessary.
Jeff Hendrick had left us in the lurch with his stupid red card, meaning Southampton were in the ascendency.
Meanwhile, Saint-Maximin was starting his first game since November.
He played brilliantly, but fitness was always going to be an issue.
With the way the game was going, Bruce needed an extra body at the back – a role perfectly suited to Dummett.
We couldn’t afford to carry anyone, which might have happened if Saint-Maximin had remained on the pitch.
Schar’s injury certainly made things even more difficult, but Bruce did the right thing making his substitution early.
Dummett was a rock at the back which is exactly what Newcastle needed.
There have been calls for Bruce to be more attacking, but on Saturday he was perfectly justified in going into survival mode and clinging on to what we had.
While some cynics might want to praise Graeme Jones instead, Bruce deserves some plaudits for make a game-winning change.
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