THE ‘Dreamboat’ had run aground, Cheick had been bounced into the stands by a knee injury. Leon was rendered past his Best by a toe problem, while Sylvain Marveaux’s sparkle was dulled by groin trouble.

Yet stubborn old Newcastle United refused to fold, found reserves of resolve and licked the Toffees to equal their best start to a Premier League season.

On Andre Marriner’s final whistle, Alan Pardew clenched his fist, punched the air and soaked in the acclaim of a rapturous St James’ Park, clearly sensing the significance of notching an 11th straight game without defeat.

As well he might, for Pardew is standing on the shoulders of giants now.

Kevin Keegan transformed a club – some would argue a city – with his Entertainers of 1994/5 while the legends of 1951 – the last team to better this top-flight start – are immortalised in plaques inside St James’ Park.

That they did it with a midfield consisting of two players yet to make a Premier League start in black and white simply emphasised the strongest strand of this team’s DNA – its spirit.

The Class of 2011 can do entertainment, but these are less innocent times at English football’s top table.

If you can’t tough it out from time to time, you don’t get to November in third place and Pardew’s United aren’t afraid to shelve the swagger, roll up their sleeves and dig in when the occasion demands it.

After the free-wheeling half hour that preceded Ryan Taylor’s stunning 25-yard drive, that was what Newcastle were forced to do against an Everton side that bossed possession for large swathes of the second half.

They were pretty good, the Merseysiders, and to the naysayers who will feather their nest by pointing out that United once again beat one of the sides bumping about in the bottom half of the Premier League, the simple riposte is that if Everton are the 16th best team in the Premier League, then I’m a Dutchman.

Hopefully not the one who put through his own goal in farcical circumstances to hand Newcastle the initiative after 12 minutes though.

Johnny Heitinga presumably has his qualities to convince a judge as stern as David Moyes but his was a truly woeful error as he diverted a cross from the impressive Danny Simpson past Tim Howard.