Wanderers launched Connor's reign with a hard-earned point as they fought back from 2-0 down on Tyneside to snatch a point. Connor was delighted with the way his players responded to the 5-1 drubbing by derby rivals West Brom which cost Mick McCarthy his job, but was adamant that he always believed they could get themselves out of trouble.
He said: "I was confident before the game. I know what the dressing room is like and I know how they react in adversity when things don't go quite their way."
He added: "Two weeks ago when we played West Brom and lost 5-1, it was very, very hard for them. But I had a feeling they would react in the right manner, a positive manner, and they did that today.
"I know what the lads have been through. After losing 5-1 to West Brom at home, they took their fair share of stick.
"But they have stuck together. They have stuck together in training, they have stuck together all week and they wanted to respond.
"In that dressing room, that's what they are like, and they were magnificent today."
Asked what he had said at half-time, Connor replied: "I didn't really change it around. It was the same team and the same outlook. In the first half, I don't think we played badly, we just conceded two very sloppy goals.
"The message really was to keep on doing what we were doing with a little bit more quality, but don't shoot ourselves in the foot and give a third one away.
"If we got the next goal, we always felt there was a possibility of getting back to 2-2."
Source: PA
Source: PA