This is a strange old place to come and find Premier League salvation - everything about it shouts hostility at you - but twice in recent years we've travelled to what has become a far more serene St.Andrews' and done just that.

In March 2008 it was a scruffy Michael Owen strike that secured a vital point as Kevin Keegan's return threatened to go pear-shaped but KK's masterstroke of playing the ex-England man behind Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins paid off and talk of relegation was soon dismissed.

Martins was one of the four Magpie participants that night who featured in tonight's points scramble (along with messrs Harper, Enrique and Barton) but this time he was in the blue shirt of the home side - his third club since leaving United in July 2009.

There had been some disquiet among Newcastle fans that Martins had come back to the Premier League last month on loan, but not ended up at SJP despite making it clear that his return was for family reasons (his kids live in Yorkshire) and his old number nine shirt once again lying unused.

Oba's hefty pay packet may have had much to do with that, but what was his second game for City contained only reminders of the meandering misadventures that many of his 104 games brought, along with 35 goals. Pre-game protestations about his unwilling departure from United and a pledge not to over-celebrate a goal against us were made to look equally hollow - he'd have been better saving his breath for playing and sticking to the script that Damien Duff had acted out at Fulham.

Three years ago it was his burst of pace and shot that had led to Owen poking in the rebound but tonight the Nigerian's burst of pace (and orange boots) only took him into offside positions as his team mates struggled to get on his wavelength

He was substituted after an hour, by which time his side were two behind and the natives were getting restless - despite the newly-acquired Carling Cup Final tickets that resided in many pockets. A Wembley day out versus league trips to Doncaster and Scunthorpe? Hmmm..

Oba had been partnered with beanpole Nikola Zigic but while the big Serb had scored some crucial goals lately, he had a night to forget here. And faring no better were two former colleagues of Martins, with Lee Bowyer scowling from the dugout throughout and "born-again" Stephen Carr left floundering in the St.Andrews' mud in the opening seconds as Jonas Gutierrez set up the opener.

Pre-match talk from Alan Pardew had all been about how hard it would be to break down The Blues' defence but that proved to be as way off the mark as our two less glamorous front men stole the show. Other Premier League big money strikers may be stuttering, but our budget-priced combo of Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best proved to be net-busters (or should that be netto-busters?)

The goal apart, there wasn't much to remember from an ordinary first half where both sides struggled to string any passes together. Kevin Nolan had a half chance that he failed to get on target and there were other unconvincing attempts on goal from Joey Barton and Cheick Tiote.

Zigic and Roger Johnson went closest for the home side but Steve Harper wasn't really tested as the half closed with Craig Gardner firing over from a good position and Toon transfer target Sebastien Larsson virtually anonymous throughout the 45 minutes.

Within minutes of the restart it was effectively game over when a second Jonas assist saw Leon Best claim his fifth United goal and complete a half century of strikes this season in all competitions.

What followed was an encouraging and disciplined performance from the visitors, as City tried in vain to get back into the contest. The home side enjoyed more possession - especially when United dropped back and left substitute Nile Ranger as the lone striker for the last 15 minutes - but never really looked as if they had sussed out a route back into the contest - tired minds and tired legs.

Despite the late arrival of our old nemesis sewpa Kev, City could summon up no more than some misplaced free kicks and overhit passes that resulted in home sections of the ground emptying to an alarming degree by the time Sol Campbell sauntered on for his first outing in two months.

A second successive away clean sheet was duly recorded and the final score stretched our unbeaten run on this ground to seven matches. It's also worth recording that we became the only third side to leave here with all three points this season, something that the likes of Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City were unable to achieve.

The win takes us above Stoke, in behind Bolton and the mackems with a healthy eight points now between us and a relegation spot. And with 35 points now on the board - the magic total that would have kept us up two years ago - retaining top flight status next season seems almost assured.

We're not quite safe yet but even the most pessimistic Toon fans will be sleeping easier now.

This has been a remarkable season and if not quite on a par with the Emirates conquest, this was another eyebrow-raising result. Our team on paper compared to the one that was relegated across the city less than two years ago is incomparable, but thankfully so is their attitude.

Harking back to those pre-match comments from Martins, he even had the nerve to claim that he and our other superstars could do nothing to stop us going down back in 2009 - how dare he? 

Does that then make it our fault, Alan Shearer's fault, or merely a freak of nature? It didn't stop him and others taking their "loyalty" bonuses and rushing for the exits, leaving the rest to pick up the pieces. Presumably he had a similar view after this defeat and won't hold himself accountable if City get dragged into the bottom three. Big Eck might have a few words to say about that.

Having endured the consequences of players failing to do it, we're as well qualified as anyone to say that taking responsibility is worth its weight in gold in this game. And not for the first time this season, it won us three more vital nuggets. Long may it last.

Niall MacKenzie