Our almost blemish-free Premiership record against this lot continued, and it's now nine wins and three draws in 13 games, with only that Boksic-inspired 1-2 home defeat in March 2001 to raise a smile in that small town in Yorkshire.

We've also never failed to score in the 13 Premiership games played against Boro. 

An inaccurate decision by the referee robbed Shearer of his 100th League goal for the Toon, but Steve Caldwell notched his first Premiership goal for the black and whites on his tenth Premiership appearance and sixth start. 

He also finished on the winning side for the first time after starting a league game and broken his duck at the Leazes end of the ground - his first Toon goal in any competition came at the Gallowgate end in a League Cup tie against Bradford on November 1st 2000.

All in all, a fitting way for the Scottish International to mark his return to the first team after a 20 month absence. Caldwell joins the roll call of other Newcastle defenders who have notched against the Boro in recent seasons: Charvet, Dabizas, Pistone & Goma.

Let's just cut through the clouds of hot air emanating from the Tees area before we proceed further....who scored the most goals? Who had the most efforts on target? Who was the busier keeper? Who hit the woodwork more?

Well, apart from the last one (which was a tie), the answer was Newcastle United.

For all the hot air spouted by press, pundits, deranged phone-in callers and anyone else born within smelling distance of the Transporter Bridge, the score remains 2-0 to the home side, and we've still lost only one of our thirteen Premiership games against this mob. Fact.

Being charitable for a moment, this was the best Boro side seen here for a fair while and they started the game in confident mood, finding space in the centre of the park. 

Certainly there aren't many visiting sides who come to Gallowgate these days and from the off compete to such an extent that we were starved of the ball and unwary TV viewers may have taken the red strips for the home side.

However, their manager was at least wise enough and honest enough to admit that the failure of Boro to press home their advantage cost them dear. When we were on the back foot they crucially failed to open the scoring, and while Maccarone looks like he'll be a good 'un in time to come, those in forward positions around him were slightly less impressive. 

Perhaps the guile of Boksic would have given Boro the lead that did seem inevitable, but he appears to have retired, having neglected to inform his employers of the fact. 

We did say before the game that this wasn't a derby in our eyes, and although the Newcastle manager thought otherwise we still stick with that line. These people mean nothing to us, they have nothing in common with us, they come from far enough away for us not to fret about the damage done to Tyneside if their poisonous stockpiles were ever detonated.  

Derby or not though, the lads overcame what they had to offer and for once didn't even put the home fans though a late grilling before taking the applause. 

Although another slice of good fortune (and a cock-eyed ref) spared Given from facing at least one penalty, TV replays proved that the Shearer goal was wrongly ruled out. 

It's also worth mentioning that we beat them with players missing and grave reservations from our management about certain of their replacements*, and equally grave reservations about others** from waffle writers.

*Steve Caldwell - out of the side for 20 months, on loan to Blackpool and Bradford. Sees his younger brother overtake him into the worst Scotland side in living memory. Watches as O'Brien then Bramble are brought in shore up a "problem defence" without him getting a sniff. Belatedly gets picked when the side are short, just before Marcelino. 

** that's us in the corner, babbling on about Shola. Lucky touch for the goal but a cracking finish, and some good work against quality defenders throughout the night. Overall though, not enough to make us change our mind. Sorry.

Shola has probably done enough now to convince Bobby to keep selecting him until Craig Bellamy is back in harness, while Lomana LuaLua continues to kick his heels. 

Steve meanwhile may have reminded Berti Vogts that he's still in football, and prompted a Football League gaffer or two to pick up the phone and discuss a loan or a cheap move. 

He's out of contract in June and thus able to speak to clubs in nine weeks time before he walks away in the summer. We understand that a contract extension was recently offered to him but then withdrawn by the club before he could sign.

Bobby said nice things about Steve after the match, but I for one don't expect that it meant a great deal to the player, who still faces the prospect of watching younger players come through the ranks while he plies his trade somewhere else. The events of this game won't change that.

What must be said about Caldwell and Ameobi is that they couldn't be faulted for effort and deserved their goals for that reason. 

In many ways that sums up the team at present - not short of gutsy battling qualities and currently getting results, but lacking the top-drawer movement and skill that would mark us out as genuine title prospects. Or anything prospects for that matter.

We continue to win games though, and collect points along the way. A nice habit to be in for sure, but some big, big challenges lie ahead and a good attitude and spirit will only take us so far against the really big lads. We need a fully functioning, eleven player unit out on the park on the big occasions, otherwise we'll suffer when the good fortune runs out.

There's a temptation to think that all is well while the wins keep coming, but there's a wee bit more to it than that. Good teams have that match-winning habit, collecting points and winning cup ties when their performances don't always warrant it. We are doing that at present, but winging it a little bit i.e. not in wholly convincing fashion. 

Going back to this victory, we could mention the intermittent contributions of Robert or the continuing poor form from Solano, but no doubt we'd be getting representatives of Action Directe or Shining Path pushing fireworks through our letterbox, so we'll shut up. For now.

To end on a positive note, it was genuinely heartening to see messrs Viana, Dyer and Jenas on the field together, swapping passes in the closing moments. More please.

A bad night all round then for MI5 blabbermouth and Boro fan David Shayler, who saw his team go down amid vain appeals and now faces a similar fate in the courts....

Biffa