Steven Taylor and Danny Guthrie struck inside the first eight minutes to end a 276-minute pre-season goal drought.

But Reimond Manco pulled one back on the half-hour mark, and Reimond Amrabat earned the Dutch Eredivisie champions a draw with a goal 20 minutes from time.

The main talking points, however, were off the pitch, with former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon - linked on Sunday to a prospective bid for Newcastle - in the directors' box to see their penultimate warm-up game.

Keegan also fuelled speculation linking striker Alan Smith with a switch to Everton - possibly hastened by Andy Johnson's move from Goodison Park to Fulham - by leaving the 27-year-old out completely.

And on a murky Tyneside night - in stark contrast to the heat of the club's Mallorca Summer Cup fixtures - the teams ran out to theme from Local Hero, which had been ditched last season.

Without a fit or available striker to his name, Keegan sent out an unusual attack consisting of wingers James Milner and Damien Duff.

But it wasn't Duff or Milner who opened the scoring, but defender Taylor, who rose in the third to meet a Geremi corner and head unmarked past Andreas Isaksson in the visiting goal.

The early breakthrough got fans stood in the corner between the East Stand and Gallowgate End singing.

And it was 2-0 in the eighth minute, when Guthrie doubled Newcastle's advantage.

The close season signing from Liverpool - who scored on his debut at Hartlepool United - calmly finished after Milner cut the ball across the box.

Newcastle - who had struggled to carve out clear opportunities in their previous three friendlies, all 1-0 defeats - continued to look lively, with debutant Jonas Gutierrez a busy figure on the left flank.

However, PSV - who last visited St James's Park two years ago, when they ran out 3-2 winners - pulled one back in the 32nd minute through Reimond Manco, who redirected a shot from Ibrahim Afellay past fit-again Shay Given.

Duff had a chance to restore United's two-goal lead four minutes before the break, but his effort - taken with his less-favoured right foot - flew narrowly over the bar.

Before the half was out, Gutierrez shot just wide with his right foot.

PSV coach Huub Stevens made one change for the second half, replacing goalscorer Manco with Ghana international Eric Addo, while Keegan sent out an unchanged side.

Just over 10 minutes into the new half Geremi tested Isaksson after Milner rolled the ball across the face of goal.

Keegan then sent David Edgar and Ryan Donaldson on for Habib Beye and Geremi, and Stevens quickly made a double change of his own.

PSC were back on level terms in the 70th minute thanks to Nordin Amrabat, who took advantage after Newcastle failed to clear a high ball into the box.

And substitute Tommie van der Leegte had a shot turned wide by Given a few minutes later.

Neither team could fashion a winner in the last 20 minutes, with Frank Wiafe Danquah making the briefest of debuts in the 90th minute.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Given; Beye (Edgar, 58), Taylor, Cacapa, Enrique; Geremi (Donaldson, 59), Butt (Bassong, 76), Guthrie, Gutierrez; Milner (Danquah, 90), Duff. Subs not used: Krul, Tozer.

Attendance: 13,477.