After a difficult few weeks that have seen his position as head coach called into question, Howe watched his players deliver a much-needed victory thanks to goals from Will Osula, Dan Burn and Harvey Barnes.
The Magpies boss was also able to listen to choruses of “Eddie Howe’s black-and-white army” ring around St James’ during the second half, and after some difficult post-match experiences in the last couple of months, was able to soak up the acclaim of the fans as he walked around the pitch with his players after the final whistle.
“It is massive,” said Howe. “And I can’t thank those who sang my name enough – and also those who didn’t. I can’t thank them enough because we’ve not done well enough in recent weeks, we’re the first to hold our hands up and say that.
“But for the crowd to still believe in us and stay loyal to us says more about them than anything else, I think.
“I’ve always said that we are trying, we’re committed, there’s no part of us that’s not trying to do everything we can to turn it around. I hope they see that, and I’m just delighted for everybody today.”
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After a miserable run of four successive league defeats that had left Newcastle languishing in 15th place in the table ahead of kick-off, the Magpies desperately needed a success to shift the narrative at the end of a week that had seen a senior delegation from the Saudi Arabian PIF hosting a series of meetings at Matfen Hall.
“From an emotional level, that was a massive win for us,” said Howe. “We knew it, everyone knew it internally. I think we’ve been building towards that for a few weeks. The training has been really strong, very committed, it’s been very competitive.
“I’m a big believer that you always end up getting your rewards if your work continues to be strong. Credit to the players for sticking together, staying united. Behind the scenes they’ve been excellent. We rode a little bit of luck today, but I think we’ve more than deserved that in recent weeks.”