Alan Shearer's First Win But It Won't Be The Last

After so many false-dawns this season; so many must-win games which have not been won; so many big games in which those in black and white have fallen flat on their faces, Monday night's 3-1 win over Middlesbrough felt like the end of something traumatic and the start of something exciting at last.

Alan Shearer's first win as a manager but surely not the last.

Newcastle vs Middlesbrough - May 11th 2009. It was always going to be one of those 'where were you when moments' and it did not disappoint.

It was like shooting up adrenaline into a main vein, a rush Newcastle United fans had been waiting for since December when Tottenham were dispatched and Mike Ashley decided to get over-excited and predict a European push!

But this is not the time to dwell on the foolish naivety of an owner, this is a time to focus on what this means for a manager and a group of players who have been battered from every side this season.

For the first time in ages, Newcastle did not just try to make something happen without ever really looking capable of doing so, they huffed and they puffed and actually managed to look good doing it.

There were excellent performances all over the pitch from the big name players who have been dining out on reputations for far too long on Tyneside.

Where once there were over-paid, fallen stars, now there were heroes in black and white stripes appearing all over the pitch.

Steve Harper recovered from a shaky start and made some vital saves. Steven Taylor was immense, Sebastien Bassong and Habib Beye as good as ever, Damien Duff brilliant playing out of position at left-back.

In midfield, Kevin Nolan looked half a stone lighter and played like it, Nicky Butt the wise old head alongside him who maintained calm, Jonas Gutierrez remembered how to be positive while Danny Guthrie's performance was a coming of age one.

In attack, Mark Viduka was simply brilliant, a reminder that if the Australian had tried as hard as this throughout his career he would have been up there with the world's best strikers.

As for Michael Owen, it is easy to criticise because it was his replacement who scored the goal which broke Boro's resistance, but he looked sharp and ran and ran for the team he led out on to the pitch.

And what can you say about Obafemi Martins? I have criticised him this season and rightly so. I have not been the only one as the Nigerian simply wasn't doing enough to justify the hero worship that came his way.

He has missed too many chances and gone missing in too many games, but he came off the bench last night to not only go a long way to saving a football club from relegation, but possibly from implosion.

He has etched his name into the history books and, as such, his deeds will ensure he is now immortal on Tyneside, that goal replayed in supporters' heads for decades to come.

As for Peter Lovenkrands. Washed up, unfit and devoid of pace. That was the verdict of many when he signed on a free transfer from Schalke in January - including the club's unpopular former director of football Dennis Wise.

But he has done nothing by try his best for Newcastle - all anyone really asks - and he has had his reward. His goal to kill off the game here was his third since he came to the club, more than Martins, more than Owen and more than Viduka in 2009. That says it all.

Newcastle, it must be stressed, are not safe yet. They need to beat Fulham on Saturday to start celebrating anything, but as the chants of Shearer, Shearer, Shearer reverberated around St James's Park on Monday night it finally feels like the tide has turned in their favour.

A fantastic evening, even if my wife was so excited when I got home that she kept me talking about the game until after 1am.

You have no idea how many times I heard about how she broke her flag celebrating the first goal, or the Smoggies who were singing "your support is s*it" before Martins scored.....