Newcastle skipper Shay Given saw a glimpse of the old Newcastle United as his side fought back to snatch Barclays Premiership victory over high-flying Reading.
While that meant watching them throw away a lead with some schoolboy defending before fighting back to win a vital game at the death, the Irishman is hoping a significant corner has been turned.
The three points extended the Magpies unbeaten run to seven games and lifted them out of the relegation zone and up to the dizzy height of 15th place in the Barclays Premiership table, although they still face a fight to cement their recovery.
But as they head for his former club Blackburn at the weekend, Given is looking upwards rather than over his shoulder.
He said: 'Before the game, we knew how important it was to win and we showed a lot of character. We were actually staring down the barrel at half-time when we were 2-1 down, but we came back and got three vital points.
'It was probably a good game for the neutral, but it could have been out of sight from our point of view. At times, it felt like they had an extra man.
'But we rode the storm and the second half was a big improvement. It was much more like the Newcastle of old after going 2-1 down.
'In the end, it was a great victory for us and just what we needed. We are out of the bottom three and we have to show more spirit like that.'
Newcastle's second successive league win - and just their fourth of the season - was a triumph of grit over fatigue and insecurity.
