Newcastle United do not lift trophies, they win hearts. At a club who have failed to claim domestic silverware for 53 years, achievement must be measured by different means, and garlands are strewn at St James’ Park whenever the attendance is announced.

XXL support for size-zero rewards has been the norm on Tyneside, but these are abnormal times. There were no protests outside the stadium last night — and not a single member of the hierarchy to aim them at — and no banners were hoisted in the Leazes End. And yet a statement, of sorts, was made. Whether the cause was borne of financial hardship, the presence of the live television cameras or the slow torture of underachievement and betrayal, a message was delivered to Mike Ashley, the owner.

For many clubs, an attendance of 20,577 for a Carling Cup third-round tie would be the cause of celebration rather than navel-gazing, but Newcastle are judged by higher standards.

Loyalty is less a badge of honour than a curse, but since the departure of Kevin Keegan as manager, loyalty is not a simple concept. For a significant number of supporters, loyalty now means constructive rebellion.

The newly established Newcastle United Supporters Club (NUSC) does not advocate a boycott of matches but channelling an altered reality into something positive will be its challenge.

“NUSC believes that an organised supporters group is long overdue at Newcastle United,” it said in a statement yesterday. “It has the most passionate and loyal supporters in the country, but they are without an organised voice. We have been taken for granted too long and things must now change.” Until Ashley leaves, fans are being urged not to spend their money on official club products.

Newcastle are a club with no manager, an absentee owner and a directors’ box that, shamefully, stands empty. They are defined by their supporters, whose loyalty is no longer one-way or open-ended.