Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren has played down an incident involving his players and the fans at the end of the 1-0 defeat against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday.

Defender Daryl Janmaat had to apologise to some of the fans after they vented their anger at the players following the final whistle but McClaren moved quickly to play down the altercation.

In the wake of Xherdan Shaqiri's stunning 25-yard winner, McClaren said: "I don't know what happened.

"It was unfortunate, I was walking over and they were being very appreciative as always. They were supportive of the team.

"I don't know what happened. Players are emotional and fans are emotional. But nobody deserved that at the end.

"We need 52,000 right behind us (for Saturday's home clash with Bournemouth)."