"It was not easy. We have won a hard-fought game. The club is a big club fighting for its life and you have seen that.

"Those players don't want to play in the first division next year. They have done very well. But we were just ahead of them and we have won a very important game."

About the winning goal:

"That was one of Alan's best of the season so far.

"There was some wonderful football in the build-up and the finish was simply sizzling. It really was a fantastic strike.

"After that I thought Leeds should have been down to 10 men. Paul Robinson should have been off the pitch after he brought down Kieron Dyer on the edge of the box. He clattered the lad and, in my opinion, he deserved a red card. Kieron was one-on-one with the keeper and everything was in his favour.

"But the linesman wasn't interested and the referee was too far away, so we had to play against 11 men after the break. I wasn't happy but then we could and should have been 3-0 up going into the second half."

"It's true to say we lost a bit of poise.

"Kieron Dyer made some fantastic runs all night but he found out tonight that football is chalk and cheese. I don't know whether we'll get the chalk or the cheese at Old Trafford on Sunday, but at least we know he'll get in where it hurts.

"He'll soon find out that playing as a striker isn't always as easy as it was at Southampton, but what about some of those runs? If he was a horse I'd ride him!"

About Laurent Robert:

"He passed the ball backwards all night so I took him off!

"I've told him in Hebrew, Israeli, Spanish and any other language I can think of that you don't pass the ball backwards if you're a winger.

"People are always on to me about wingers but if they play like that then they have to go off."

"We started the game slowly but their goal gave them a lift. They missed three great chances and we were fortunate not to find ourselves three or four goals down at half time.

"I thought we picked it up after the break, but it could have been finished for us before then. To be fair to Newcastle, they played some great stuff and the two strikers were a real handful.

"Paul Robinson made a couple of great saves, but he could do nothing about their goal. Alan Shearer has a habit of doing that against us." 

On a blustery Tyneside night we ultimately made it two wins and and two clean sheets in 2004, but couldn't quite manage to inflict a Saints-like drubbing on beleaguered Leeds.

And having been without a goal throughout our not-so-festive period, the only natural striker in the home side started writing his own headlines again with a beauty in the opening exchanges.

At that stage we looked like steamrollering through the visitors, having taken up at St.James' in the free-running and confident manner in which we'd ended at St.Mary's on Saturday evening.

Forty five minutes later the annoyingly conspicuous referee Phil Dowd blew for the interval with Leeds grateful to still just be one goal in debit and those toon fans at the Leazes end having seen two gilt-edged chances from Dyer and one from Shearer slipped agonisingly wide of Robinson's post.

However, while the chirping official was busily engaged with meddling in a flowing game by awarding a flurry of free kicks for the most innocuous of tussles, he bottled his one big decision.

A Shearer pass released Dyer in full flight to bear down on goal, with Robinson tearing off his line to challenge him, but taking everything of the man and nothing of the ball.

The makeshift Newcastle striker just managed to tip his shot goalwards before being clobbered, but neither referee nor linesman saw anything untoward and play continued with Shearer and Speed remonstrating with Dowd and Sir Bobby dancing down the touchline to berate the fourth official.

On that occasion no decision was forthcoming, but the indignation displayed by two senior players was in stark contrast to the previous home game, when Blackburn's questionable winner was apparently allowed to stand at least in part because an uncertain referee got nothing in the way of a "howzat" appeal from our browbeaten defenders. Shy bairns etc.

Speaking of the last home game, virtually the only two constants between Newcastle United December 2003 and January 2004 were that most of the players were the same and we had striped shirts on.

In terms of approach, creativity and energy levels we were unrecognisable from the lack-lustre mob who listlessly dragged themselves across the turf and were unable or unwilling to find a gear other than neutral.

Even when moves didn't quite come off and the swirling wind disrupted attempts at accurate passing over distance, we at least were in the mood to try and be creative and entertain those who'd paid to watch.

Did I say two common things between the last pair of home games? Well there were actually three, if one mentions the crowd.

Once again a less-than-packed away section backed their team with vocal support while over 45,000 Tynesiders mostly sat on their hands and mumbled in their pockets.

Yes, the roles were reversed on Saturday with the travelling toon choir making a racket and yes the Leeds fans have nowt else to keep them warm at present other than energetic choruses about former greats and half-forgotten conquests, but bloody hell we were awful and deserving of the scorn that poured down from the North West corner of Level Seven.

And bringing another old chestnut to the fore again in this new year, why do some people bother going at all? We're 1-0 up and into the final ten minutes of an increasingly engrossing contest with the outcome still in question. Shearer and Co. are working their proverbials off......and people get to their feet and shuffle off, seemingly oblivious to the events on the field.

It's hardly surprising though - these are the same people who are incapable of taking their seats before the start of play and incapable of watching a game for 45 minutes.

Out before the first half has ended and last back after it's resumed - what exactly do these folks find to do with all that free time - evening classes?

If a pie, pint and a p*ss are more important than watching what you've paid handsomely for, why not stay at home? The best way of avoiding traffic congestion and ensuring a prime parking space remains leaving your car outside your front door....

One would think that the message would get through when they keep missing goals, but no, until the end of season video flashes text messages across late and early goal footage reading "deserters missed this" in massive letters, the message won't hit home.

And of course these are the same folks who sang along with the ridiculous rendition of Swing Low Sweet Chariot but who wouldn't dream of opening their gobs to support "their" team, unless you call moaning about Solano or shouting Hugo, Hugo support.

Rant over then and back to the action, in which a fair few players involved could be said to have a foot in both camps.

Unfortunately for the in-favour again David Batty, the leg that one of those feet was attached to proved incapable of lasting the pace and he limped from the fray in the first half to sympathetic applause from his former supporters.

Doing rather better were Gary Speed and Jonathan Woodgate, who both had fairly comfortable nights against their ex-employers and in the case of the former was only a goalpost away from doubling our lead with a second half header from a Robert corner.

Pertinent also to mention the appearance of Michael Bridges for the final quarter of the game. And while the ex-mackem and alleged future mag emulated Stephen Carr in finishing on the losing side on Tyneside against the side reputedly keen on signing them, Bridges at least can reflect on a display which enhanced his reputation rather than undermined it.

Certainly the habitually crocked front man seemed intent on proving his worth to one of the United's in action this evening and had it not been for a crucial loss of control in the box could have become the second Jack Hixon protégé to score in the match. It hardly needs stating that he did more in his time on the field than a certain portly illegitimate Antipodean playing up front with him, Viduka playing like a man with his suitcases already packed and waiting in the hall....

Whether Bridges will end up in a Newcastle shirt remains to be seen, but there were times in this game after our initial burst in which we were short of numbers up front, with Robert in a slightly circumspect mood and Dyer dropping deeper into midfield as the visitors came more into it in the final half hour.

But while that second goal wouldn't come and a fitful performance by Jenas saw us fail to dominate the midfield as expected, Shearer played a lone striking role admirably, getting on the end of what were often no more than vague forward punts into the Leeds half and holding the ball until reinforcements arrived or a shove in the back sent him sprawling and Dowd's whistle was once again heard.

In the end, when our energy levels dropped and we played more at the pace of the visitors, it was once again the goalscorer who proved the crucial difference between the two sides. Let's just hope our number nine and the rest of his colleagues have something left in the tank for Sunday - there's certainly a score to be settled at Old Trafford and for once it needs to be in our favour.