'It was the first time I had been captain but I was just gutted dad didn’t see it – that was the only sad thing about it'

The left-back happily walked out onto the Vitality Stadium pitch with his son Teddy but his thoughts were for his late dad.

John Daniels, who passed away recently, played a huge part in his son’s career watching him rise from League One to the Premier League with the Dorset club.

And the former Tottenham and Leyton Orient defender knew his father would have been so proud to see him wearing the captain’s armband against the Magpies.

Daniels said after the 2-2 draw: “It was the first time I had been captain but I was just gutted dad didn’t see it - that was the only sad thing about it.

“Apart from that I walked out with my little boy who was fine, laughing and joking but it was just unfortunate we didn’t win.

“My dad came to most games and he loved going to away games to see different grounds.

“I started in League Two with Gillingham and I came up through all the leagues and he was there with me all the way.

“It would have been nice for him to see me wearing the captain’s armband.”

Asked if he would get to skipper again, Daniels replied: “I don’t know. You will have to ask the gaffer but we’re unbeaten aren’t we? It’s a good start but it could have ended better.”

Newcastle’s heart-wrenching 94th-minute leveller was lashed into the roof of the net by Daniels’s former team-mate Matt Ritchie.

Ritchie didn’t overly celebrate his point-saving strike, which denied Cherries reaching the magical 40-point mark.

Daniels admitted: “It was devastating. You can’t leave Matty Ritchie free in the box but his goal was something you have to appreciate.

“It was a great strike but it was just devastating for us as we had worked so hard to get back into the game.”

Despite Saturday’s late setback, the stand-in skipper believes Cherries are in good shape to secure a Premier League season best points total - with Tottenham the only top six-club left to play in their final seven games.

The defender added: “I don’t think you really feel safe until you reach that magical 40 points as everyone says.

“But we feel with the run of games we’ve got coming we’re confident we’ll reach it (the 46 points in season 2016-17) and surpass it.

“We want to get as many points as we can and we’ve got a fixture list now that it is achievable if we play the way we know we can.

“There’s every chance but everyone else below us is fighting to stay in this division, so there is not going to be an easy game.”