Newcastle United old boy Titus Bramble returned to Tyneside with a vengeance to deny his former club a much-needed victory over 10-man Wigan Athletic.
The defender headed home an 89th-minute equaliser just when it looked as though substitute Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins had snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.
Trailing to Ryan Taylor's third-minute strike despite Emmerson Boyce's 54th-minute dismissal, the Magpies belatedly launched a fightback - which saw the two strikers score inside seven minutes at the end of the match.
But with seconds of normal time remaining, Bramble headed a Daniel de Ridder corner past Damien Duff on the line to snatch a point.
top corner
Having slipped back into the bottom three after last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Fulham, the home side ran out knowing nothing other than a third successive home win would do.
Wigan arrived with both first-choice strikers - Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki - sidelined by hamstring injuries, and with Mario Melchiot having joined them on the casualty list.
But within three minutes of the kick-off, they were in front when Taylor's dipping 22-yard volley sped past an astonished Shay Given into the top corner.
The deserved 2-0 victory over Aston Villa in their last outing at St James' Park was a distant memory, as roughly the same team were out-played and out-muscled in the middle of the pitch - and until the final few minutes of the half, they allowed former Magpie Bramble the most untroubled of returns.
Given had to make regulation, by his standards, saves from Taylor and Wilson Palacios as Nicky Butt, Joey Barton - before he limped off injured - and Danny Guthrie thereafter were given the run-around.
Newcastle should have been back on level terms in first half injury time when - after exchanging passes with strike-partner Shola Ameobi - Enrique surged into the box only to see his shot blocked by goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.
two minutes
Butt, Fabricio Coloccini and Martins failed to hit the target with headers as the home side piled on the pressure - and Jonas was unable to collect Butt's through-ball after running in on goal.
But in the meantime, Antonio Valencia had forced a fine 57th-minute save from Given as Wigan made light of their numerical disadvantage.
Kinnear made his move with 22 minutes remaining when he sent on Owen and Charles N'Zogbia for Jonas and Enrique, and the England striker's big chance arrived within two minutes when Martins skipped around Taylor and squared - only for the £17m man to side-foot wide from six yards.
Owen then saw a header tipped over by Kirkland, although the match would have been over had Henri Camara's 76th-minute shot not come back off the post with Given beaten.
But the former Real Madrid front man made no mistake when, after Kirkland had parried Ameobi's long-range effort, he slid in to convert the rebound.
Martins thought he had won it when he hammered a left-foot shot past Kirkland with three minutes remaining, but Bramble chose the perfect moment to exorcise his Tyneside ghosts at the death.
