11 mins Jonjo Shelvey's deep cross from the right found Ciaran Clark unmarked and he easily nodded past Daniel Bentley at the Leazes End for his second Magpies goal. 1-0

16 mins Another Shelvey ball from deep wasn't cleared and it fell to Dwight Gayle who had time to take a couple of touches before firing into the corner. 2-0

Half time: Magpies 2 Bees 0

49 mins Ayoze Perez fed Yoan Gouffran down the left and the Frenchman played in Shelvey, whose inch-perfect cross was tapped in by Dwight Gayle for an excellent team goal. 3-0

52 mins The United defence went to sleep for a corner routine as a near post flick-on was bundled in by Scott Hogan at the far post. The Bees striker's last visit to the region came in March 2013, when he debuted for Hyde United in a 0-3 loss over the river Gateshead in front of 371 fans. 3-1

Full time: Magpies 3 Bees 1

Rafa said:

"I'm pleased because after the international break it's not easy.

"We did everything we wanted to do - we controlled the game and had good chances.

"I'm not watching the table because it's too soon. We are just concentrating on our game and then we will see the table but it is too soon.

"My feelings are that we need to keep thinking of one game at a time and after three months maybe we will see where we are. Even after three months if we are close we need to still think about another month. We need to concentrate on the next game and that is it.

"I said that I was convinced we could improve before the international break. There were half of the players away so we couldn’t do too many things just concentrate on two or three details just for this game. As I said before we can still improve.

"We had (Jamaal) Lascelles we had to take him off, because he felt weak but nothing else. Before the game we had (Chancel) Mbemba and (Matt) Ritchie, who had a problem with the virus. 

"Ritchie was pushing me all the time. He wanted to play, but we had a conversation with the doctor, and he said he couldn’t play, but Ritchie was pushing me to play, which is a good sign.”

On Dwight Gayle:

“It is not just because he is scoring goals, he is working hard and was also doing a great job today between the lines and you could see that the wingers and the midfielders are running more along with the defence.

"So the team as a team is doing a lot of things and then you have a striker that is good in front of goal so its much better.”

On Jonjo Shelvey:

"He's doing well; he has confidence, he has the quality. He controlled the game."

They Said

Bees boss Dean Smith (who unlike most of his squad had played here before - in the colours of Leyton Orient for a League Cup tie back in 2000):

"With the quality they have, they don't really need a helping hand, but unfortunately we've given them a very big one one with the two goal lead. A lack of concentration and lack of discipline you could call it I suppose.

"They get a free kick on the edge of the box, we half clear it and four or five of our lads think it has been cleared, which opens up the middle of our goal for a free header. It's disappointing because we're not renowned for that, defensively we're normally very good.

"It was a poor goal, and I thought we had started the game okay. They turned the ball over a couple of times and Lewis (Macleod) has looked to put in Scott (Hogan), then Maxime (Colin) got in and crossed to Scott but his timing on the header was just off, which would have given us a great start.

"Then they put a ball over the top, we have a bit of a mix up and the ball's headed back to Dwight Gayle on the penalty spot, who's made it 2-0, and it's an uphill task from there. It was very uncharacteristic, and that's what was disappointing about it.

"We're not renowned for that - defensively we're normally very good. We came here with a game plan but when you give away goals like that it goes out the window. There were good things as well - we competed well enough."  

A comfortable victory over the Bees at St. James' Park on Saturday afternoon saw Newcastle advance one place into second spot.

Early efforts from Ciaran Clark and Dwight Gayle put United firmly in the driving seat and when Gayle made it 3-0 early in the second half, a third successive victory looked a formality.

Brentford then promptly reduced the arrears to keep Rafa's side on their toes but there were few scares for Karl Darlow and his defence as the win was achieved without further incident.

Rafa shuffled his pack again and produced a winning hand; Ayoze Perez joined Gayle up front with Yoan Gouffran in support while Diame and Mitrovic were benched after their international exertions.

Illness meant Ritchie wasn't in the squad (although he'd also been in action twice for Scotland), while the match winner at Rotherham, Christian Atsu, was given another start after seeing national service in South Africa and Ghana in the previous week.

A rare Brentford visit looked to be the ideal opportunity to make a strong start to the game and grab the lead while the opposition were adjusting to their surroundings, and sure enough the Bees were still admiring the architecture when Daniel Bentley was beaten for a second time in five minutes.

It threatened to become a rout when Perez deflected a Gouffran shot deflected in but was flagged - presumably for handball  - but a third goal wasn't long in coming, Gayle walking the ball in barely five minutes after the restat.

That completed a hat-trick of assists for Shelvey, who dominated midfield and gobbled up the space he was afforded, picking out his colleagues with fine passes of varying range all afternoon.

Had that 3-0 lead been retained then further goals would surely have followed, but our set piece weakness returned and the visitors netted - justifying the large number of "Newcastle win, both teams to score" bets that had been placed.

That saw United reign in their attacking intentions and reshuffle the defence, Jamaal Lascelles leaving the pitch just short of the hour mark due to illness and making way for Grant Hanley - who thankfully refrained from clobbering goalscorer Hogan in the box after he'd outwitted him. 

Perez dragged two late shots wide of the target in added time, but his overall contribution to proceedings wasn't particularly memorable and he can expect to be rotated once again.

Norwich also won 3-1, denying Rafa's side top spot and Huddersfield's defeat by Sheffield Wednesday 24 hours later saw the Magpies stay second, ahead of another busy week that includes a Geordie invasion of South Yorkshire with hundreds more watching the beamback.

That may rightly be seen as a manifestation of the Rafalution, but this remarkable 51,000+ crowd is as big an indication of the pleasure that this season is bringing to supporters now that competence is replacing confusion on Barrack Road.

That a second tier game against an unfashionable London club attracted more fans than the visit of "big boys" Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham here last season is faintly bonkers, but it's never been about the opposition here, it's always about us, and getting it right - whether the players are from Walthamstow or Winlaton, Romford or Rothbury. 

Build it and they will come, someone once said - but we've only come to see Newcastle.

Biffa

This report is dedicated to the memory of Decka Thornton, who died 
last week. Seen here leading the singing in the Gallowgate End during 
the 1980s, Decka's spiritual home was in the old Leazes End. RIP.