Half time: Newcastle 0 Portsmouth 0

69 mins Peter Ramage, Obafemi Martins and Charles N'Zogbia all combined down the left and when Charlie crossed, Antoine Sibierski was there to poke the ball into the Gallowgate net. The goal was greeted by a mass of twirling scarves, which had been handed out before kick-off. 1-0

Full time: Newcastle 1 Portsmouth 0

Glenn Roeder commented:

"I’m delighted – I got the right performance and the right result. 

"We haven’t been comfortable in the league, but my players have shown great mental strength. 

"Portsmouth have had a terrific start to the season, but we kicked them out of the way today. 

"The score-line doesn’t tell the true story because we could have scored more goals while Shay Given had a very quiet afternoon in our goal.

"There are not many players who you can compare with Kieron (Dyer). He has his own style and showed today that he is very important to this side.  

"He’s exceptionally tired after this game, but he has no problem with the hamstring that has kept him out in the past. He deserves to stay injury-free now. 

"Obafemi worked very hard and it’s just a shame he’s so quick that the referee’s assistant wasn’t able to recognise that he was onside. We would have had a few more goals if it wasn’t for David James.

"Over the years, all the good adjectives to describe our crowd have been used. They’ve stayed with us.”

Speaking about the goalscorer:

"I just hope his critics are big enough to recognise what a good signing he has been. Football is about opinions and that’s the beauty of the game. 

"He’s proved to be a shrewd piece of business. David Moyes at Everton is a good manager and he was really upset that Antoine signed for us instead of them. 

Un'appy 'arry said:

"I’ve no complaints. We didn’t play very well and didn’t create anything, but it looked like being a 0-0 scoreline until they got the goal.  

"(David James) has been fantastic for us this season. There is not a better goalkeeper anywhere as far as I’m concerned. He’s top class. 

"You wonder how Newcastle are struggling with the players they’ve got - if anyone had said at the start of the season that we’d be fourth and they’d be where they are, I’d have told them they were off their heads.

"We had a few players missing, but we didn't play like we can.

"We didn't get hold of the ball in midfield. We didn't get hold of it anywhere. We didn't create anything worth talking about.

"I was disappointed with the way we played. We tried to get at Newcastle but we didn't get the ball. 'We gave the ball away and never got control of the game. We turned the ball over far too easily and didn't pass it like we can.

"Then we lost the ball and got hit on the break for their winner. We didn't play football.

"'We're not kidding ourselves on who we are and what we are. We're fourth in the league, which is incredible, really. I think we've over-achieved a bit.

"We're fourth. We've got 23 points, which is a fantastic start. Despite that performance at Newcastle, the lads have been brilliant."

It's a shade over six months since SJP was last bedecked in monochrome to this extent. 

But with due deference to wee Gordon's Bhoys and our former number nine, this was a rather more meaningful occasion than the Shearer Testimonial.

Cup form is one thing, but the real deal remains the league - and providing satisfaction for the 45,000 or so who forked out for this last May, but had seen precious little payback since.

Capturing and preserving that Geordie feel-good factor is what continuing employment here ultimately depends on - be it in the dressing room or boardroom. 

And today everyone was happy - be they buyers or sellers. 

No nasty chants directed at the director's box, at least one £10m striker looking as if he gave a toss and some great feel-good photo opportunities of people waving their buckshee black and white favours. All win-win for those with their eyes on the plc prize.

Oh aye and three points, accompanied by a performance that got its deserved reward.    

Of course it all comes at a price, with half of our midfield having limped off before the end of the first half.

Roeder's remodelled side served up a display that only dodgy officiating and the brilliantine -barneted James stopped from resulting in a resounding success, but his initial selection was dictated by availability and required further adjustment as injuries continued to blight us.

And when the second half saw Dyer and N'Zogbia also in the wars, one wondered whether splints and bandages might not have been a more appropriate handout than scarves.

But the momentum (in Dyer's case perpetual motion) that we built up ultimately saw us score the vital goal and even before that point, look as if we were in the mood.

Martins undoubtedly benefited from having Dyer in the vicinity and from at last receiving some passes along the ground as we played towards his alleged strengths.

Elsewhere, a left winger with a turn of pace will doubtless embarrass Solano, but for a second time in four days he controlled our defence and influenced our attack from the right back position, reminding people of his proven international pedigree.

And alongside him Bramble had one of his "on" days, with a couple of blockbuster tackles that delighted the natives and his usual miskick rick coming in the first half but falling neatly for Given.

And in the middle of the park, Butt slotted in neatly when required and worked tirelessly to prevent Pompey linking up and driving forward to pressurise us. Warm applause for him again also, as finally the Cardiff misadventure seems to be forgiven.

Across the park there were good shifts being put in, with a special mention for Charlie Zog, who belatedly rediscovered the form that seemed to have deserted him this season and was still involved enough in the final moments of the second half to be stopped in his tracks on the edge of the opposition box.  

All of this cheered up the crowd no end, who even ended up doing a bit of that old "twelfth man" routine - some contrast from the previous league game, when bellyaching and catcalls culminated in a display of discontent outside the main entrance. Today though was pure relief and enjoyment.

And while it's as well to point out that Portsmouth were shabby in the extreme, our performance today was light years ahead of the inept and gutless embarrassment of the Charlton and Sheffield United games, when we looked on the verge of imploding.    

So a welcome outbreak of positivity on and off the field, fed by deeds not words for a change. 

However let's only allow ourselves the bare minimum of self-congratulation, as the Premiership continues in our absence and the pressure down at the bottom remains unrelenting.

Losing today would have seen clear daylight between ourselves and the sides above us - and once that gap becomes unbridgeable by one victory then the jitters often start to set it.

By the time we face Reading here though on Wednesday week we could be right back in the proverbial, with the cold comfort of a game in hand at Stamford Bridge. 

Cue that adage about marathons and sprints - but in Martins and Dyer especially we have two players adept at the latter that can crucially unsettle sides, not to mention our unexpected plan B (baldy).   

Biffa