Chris Hughton felt his Newcastle side had done enough to win at Ashton Gate after a storming second-half fightback in the 2-2 draw with Bristol City.
But the manager of the Championship leaders is still taking nothing for granted when it comes to reclaiming Premier League status next season.
Newcastle are now 10 points clear of third place with only nine games to go, but Hughton said: "Games like this teach you to keep feet firmly on the ground. We would have been favourites with most people going into the match, but didn't get the win we wanted."
He added: "I knew it would be tough because City had beaten West Bromwich Albion here and were under a new caretaker manager.
"I thought in the end we had the chances to take all three points, but from 2-0 down at half-time you are always happy with a point. There has never been any question about the spirit in our squad and we had to demonstrate it again."
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