The first signs that something was stirring came in the pub pre-game, where home shirts branded "Almiron 24" were evident both with and without the accent over the "o" - whether the club shop had run out of them as they did the letter "e" when Alan Shearer arrived in 1996 isn't known.... 

Our new Paraguayan provided a hint of his talent when introduced from the bench at Wolves and also shown himself able to withstand a potentially lethal tackle - something that he encountered after 20 minutes of his home debut, felled by a tackle from Huddersfield's Tommy Smith that his Anfield namesake would have been proud of.

That rightly resulted in the dismissal of the Terriers captain but while the numerical superiority stacked the odds strongly in our favour, the Spanish-speaking trio of Almiron, Rondon and Perez showed enough to suggest that our defensive austerity can be married to a genuine threat. It probably also justified the decision to indulge in warm weather training, if not the FA Cup exit. 

"Miggy" had the Gallowgate crowd on their feet before the red card incident; Town's early pressure relieved in the 13th minute when a neat move out of defence consisting of seven passes sent the record(ish) signing through on goal. And although his clever chip beat the goalkeeper, it bounced off the post before Rondon smashed the rebound off the same upright at the Gallowgate End.

After a similar break by Almiron was halted soon after, it was a question of how long the visitors would be able to hold out. Jonas Lossl blocked goalbound efforts from each of the front trio; the Paraguayan seeing one saved as he shot rather than feeding the overlapping Matt Ritchie then coming close to sneaking one through the goalkeeper's legs.

But when Sean Longstaff's fine cross from the right was headed wide by Rondon at the end of the first half, an afternoon of frustration threatened. Thankfully any notion that Newcastle would come to rue all of those missed chances was dispelled inside a minute of the second period, the number nine with plenty of time to fire past Lossl, amid general relief.

And with corporate gorgers still returning to their seats, the ball was soon in the back of the Leazes End net again courtesy of Perez, whose finish at the same end against Huddersfield last March made sure of the points that ultimately confirmed our place in the Premier League.

More goals could and should have followed; Perez flicking wide when it looked easier to score and substitute Kenedy smashed a volley off the crossbar. For all the wonderment of Almiron though, it's Sean Longstaff who would really have brought the house down, had his outstanding effort from the edge of the area not pinged off the angle of post and bar with the 'keeper nowhere.

Livewire Almiron's brand of perpetual motion thrilled the crowd in a manner perhaps not seen since Hatem Ben Arfa and the standing ovation he received when brought off was thoroughly deserved. No doubt the name of Tony Green was also mentioned in a city centre watering hole on Saturday night.

Florian Lejeune also warrants a mention for combining his defensive duties with some outstanding long passing, but the side collectively did well on what could have been a difficult day.

Martin Dubravka also received some excellent backing from the Gallowgate End late on as he homed in on the easiest clean sheet he may ever achieve - visibly appreciating that show of support following some unwanted attention following the Wolves and Spurs games.

The win took Rafa's side one place up to sixteenth in the table, four points clear of third-bottom side Southampton and with an identical points tally after the same number of games last season.

More than the race for survival and respectability though, the importance of today's victory was as a reminder that club and fans can aspire to and expect more bang for their buck. Artists and artisans need to be wearing this shirt: providing a semblance of that today was instantly appreciated.     

Solid foundations and "stay in the game" logic are all very worthy, but that tingle of excitement needs to be there, to capture the imagination, make those ridiculous journeys for sadistic TV imposed kickoffs - and sell shirts. The ambition of fans, the players and manager has no limit - stifling growth makes absolutely no sense. 

Why that concept is so difficult for the owner to understand when it comes to investing in the "product" remains the great unanswered question. But while the Almiron boost is the dividend of spending more than the bare minimum for once, Longstaff's emergence destroys the myth that there's no local talent to be found and nurtured. Who knows what an expanded and improved academy could produce?

Niall/Biffa