The Magpies headed for Coca-Cola Championship Stoke on Sunday with many believing the stage was set for a giant-killing act as manager Sam Allardyce faced another huge 90 minutes in his St James' Park reign.

They returned to the north-east with their names in the hat for the fourth round draw - where they will face Arsenal if they beat the Potters.

That will not be easy to achieve and at times they came mighty close to falling behind at the Britannia Stadium with Taylor, central defensive partner Abdoulaye Faye and goalkeeper Shay Given under intense pressure as the Potters launched a muscular second-half assault.

But a side which has too often seen its soft underbelly fatally exposed held firm, if only just, to fight another day.

Taylor said: "I haven't had much of a career yet, but that second half was probably the hardest game I have ever had from a physical point of view.

"We knew Stoke City were the underdogs and it was only natural that most people watching up and down the country on the television would want us to be beaten.

"We also knew Stoke had gone about 10 games unbeaten and that they would make it extremely hard for us - and they did.

"But we all stood together - and I don't just mean the lads at the back and Shay, but everyone in the team."

However, had it not been for Taylor's goal-line clearance from substitute Jon Parkin, Stoke might have snatched victory and piled further pressure on Allardyce and his players.

The 21-year-old, who also saw a Ricardo Fuller shot clip his hand and slide just past the post, said: "The ball hit my hand and not the other way round.

"In any case, Steve Bennett is a good referee and if he had thought it was a penalty, he would have given it.

"As far as that save is concerned, that's what I am there for - and if I hadn't got it off the line, Abdoulaye Faye would have.

"In the end, we got our reward with a draw, and it was fantastic to keep a clean sheet in what were difficult circumstances."

The shut-out was just Newcastle's fifth of the season and only the second since September 1, and it helped to end a run of three successive defeats.

However, the Magpies have now scored only once in their last four games, and Allardyce knows they need to be more ruthless after passing up a series of promising openings despite having England striker Michael Owen back in the starting line-up.

He said: "We get the cutting edge by keeping Michael Owen fit and getting Mark Viduka playing every week, because they are goalscorers.

"Damien Duff is getting fitter - he will get a few and provide better crosses. Charles N'Zogbia is the same and James Milner.

"The service has to get better. Cutting-edge balls have to get better in terms of the possession we had and the amount of opportunities we had.

"We need to find more cutting edge in every department, but especially in the final third.

"We created good chances. I don't quite know how we didn't score just after half-time when the ball went flashing across the goal a couple of times."