Newcastle recorded their first home league victory since they beat Wigan on the first day of the season and their first league win since beating West Ham on 17th September, in beating Portsmouth rather easily 1-0.

Portsmouth were very disappointing and they will not retain their high league position with many more performances like this, their fourth away defeat on the trot.

Newcastle won much more comfortably than the score suggests with a 69th minute tap-in from Antione Sibierski, who scored his second goal in four days for the Magpies and is already a firm favorite with the Newcastle fans.

His free transfer from Manchester City in August, while initially greeted with some derision by the Newcastle faithful, is now looking like an inspired acquisition.

After his heroics against Celta Viga on Thursday night he didn’t even start the game but was brought on late in the first half for the injured James Milner. He offers some height and heading ability to the Newcastle attack, which has more than their share of small strikers in Martins, Rossi and Dyer.

Their inability to buy needed players in the summer has caused Newcastle to have too small a squad for the games they have to play through the end of the year.

While they are unbeaten in their last five games (3 wins, 2 draws) they have current injuries to Parker, Duff, N’Zogbia, Milner, Harper, Carr, Moore, Babayaro and Bernard.

It is because of this, that for the second game running Nobby Solano played at right back. He was given the man of the match award over the loud speaker towards the end of the game, to a huge roar from the crowd.

If Nobby is willing to play in this position regularly he will not only play more games but can extend his career in this position by a few years. His undoubted skill and reading of the game make right back look so easy for him.

Of course his attacking prowess will be missed but this seems a viable option for Nobby in a year or so.
However, the real star of the game was Kieron Dyer who looked a cut above everyone else and in the two games he has started this season Newcastle have four points from the fixtures with Arsenal and Portsmouth. Not bad given Newcastler’s woeful record in the league this season.

As a contrast, in eight UEFA cup games this season, Newcastle have won six and drawn two - so this was a very welcome three points and as long as Dyer can stay fit he can be the unlikely saviour of Newcastle this season.

In his seven years at the club Kieron has started only 197 games and only 9 in the last two seasons. The club has been extremely patient with him over the last couple of years, even giving him a new contract last year reported to be worth four million pounds a year. So Kieron owes Newcastle big time and he knows it.

Certainly his recent perfromances have been some of the best ever for the club. His undoubted technical ability coupled with his speed on the ball give Newcastle multiple new options.

The nagging worry with Dyer has always been his ability to stay fit but his dedicated rehabilitation these last six months may have done the job.

If he stays fit this is good news for both Newcastle and England since a fit Kieron Dyer will always make the England squad.

So a very good performance from Newcastle and the three points they deserved are making things look a little better at the club.

They still need as many wins as possible before the end of the year when reinforcements will undoubtedly be signed, and maybe this season will not be a write-off after all.