Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear is having to think creatively as he tries to put together a patched-up midfield for the tricky trip to Portsmouth.The injury-hit Magpies head for Fratton Park on Sunday on the back of four successive draws, hovering just above the relegation zone.

Just as they had in their previous home match, Kinnear's men allowed two precious points to slip from their grasp at the death on Saturday when a Newcastle old boy - this time, it was Stoke's Abdoulaye Faye following the example of Wigan defender Titus Bramble - snatched a draw for the visitors.

The Magpies had led 2-0 at the break against the Potters, but Danny Guthrie's premature departure through injury contributed to a second-half collapse and added to a growing list of midfield casualties.

Guthrie, who damaged a hip at the weekend, remains a doubt for the Pompey trip - along with hamstring victim Nicky Butt and Damien Duff, who has a groin problem.

With Joey Barton, Alan Smith and Iganacio Gonzalez on the long-term casualty list, the January transfer window cannot come quickly enough for Kinnear.

But the 61-year-old, who ended up with winger Jonas Gutierrez and central defender Claudio Cacapa in the middle of midfield at the end of Saturday's game, is remaining upbeat.

He said: "Things have been going very well, despite the injuries.

"We have had no Nicky Butt and no Danny Guthrie and I have been forced to play people out of position in the middle.

"On Saturday, we ended the game with Cacapa and Jonas in the middle - they were just filling in positions they don't normally play in.

"Guthrie hasn't trained for the last two days, and then you have Nicky Butt and Damien Duff - we will see by Friday if they can play at Pompey. None of them has trained yet this week.

"Throw in the fact that Joey Barton is going to be out for six to eight weeks, and you have almost a first-choice midfield all out.

"We just have to keep our fingers crossed. At the moment, we have been completely rocked as far as midfielders are concerned."

That said, Kinnear will head for the south coast determined to return with some reward.

He said: "Whatever team we take to Pompey, we will be up for the fight.

"That's what we all want, and everybody is pulling in the same direction.

"We are getting harder to beat, and I will demand the very best from everybody who plays once again when we go to Portsmouth."

One solution to Kinnear's midfield conundrum would be to adopt the progressive approach taken by predecessor Kevin Keegan at the end of last season when he fielded a three-pronged strike force in which Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins all scored goals.

But with 33-year-old Viduka himself just back from a troublesome Achilles problem, that could prove just too risky.

The manager said: "We could go more offensive. But even in the striker department, we only have Oba and Michael in attack who are totally fit.

"Mark Viduka has only played two 20-minute shifts and is not yet at his sharpest."

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