BOTTOM of the table but on top of the world. Norwich City still prop up the Barclays Premiership, but exhilaration swept round Carrow Road last night after a victory as dramatic as it was important. Nigel Worthington’s team drew 4-4 with Middlesbrough the previous time a team from the North East played in Norfolk, but even their three-goal comeback in the final ten minutes of that game paled by comparison with the astonishing climax to last night’s match.

Pegged back by Patrick Kluivert’s 90th-minute equaliser for Newcastle United, Norwich roused themselves again and Dean Ashton headed home Thomas Helveg’s cross in the fourth and final minute of time added on for stoppages. Successive home triumphs over the Uniteds of Manchester and Newcastle and an away point against Crystal Palace in between have restored belief that Norwich can stay up.

The failure of their three main rivals at the bottom to match their midweek win provided a further boost, as does a glance at a relatively easy four-match run-in. “The job’s nowhere near complete, but we’ll keep scrapping,” Worthington, whose team also went close twice through Damien Francis, said. Poor Newcastle deserved better, but a fourth successive defeat only added to the depression hanging over Tyneside. Two incidents summed up their night. While Alan Shearer, one of England’s greatest forwards, skewed a simple chance wide from five yards, Youssef Safri, the Norwich midfield player, scored his first league goal in three years by swerving a 35-yard shot into the top-right corner of the net with 22 minutes remaining.

It seemed that the Moroccan had supplied the winning goal but that honour fell eventually to Ashton. “Everybody wrote West Bromwich Albion off and they’ve come back and everyone wrote us off and we’ve come back,” the forward said, although he was downhearted when Newcastle equalised. “You’re thinking the worst, especially after Saturday, when we gave a two-goal lead away (in the 3-3 draw with Palace).”

Two cup exits in the previous six days appeared to mean that Newcastle had nothing to play for but their pride, except even that was beyond them. Yet the visiting team created the better openings, dominating the first half as Norwich sat dangerously deep. Nicky Butt, cheered at kick-off by the fans he upset by not acknowledging them after the FA Cup defeat by Manchester United on Sunday, was imperious in midfield while Stephen Carr and James Milner did as they pleased down the right flank. Milner seemed unlucky not to win a penalty after falling under Adam Drury’s challenge in the 34th minute and then he set up Carr to cross for Laurent Robert, whose volley was saved by the legs of Robert Green, the Norwich goalkeeper.

Newcastle have won only two of their past 30 league games away from home. The “Toon Army” might consider that marching the equivalent of halfway round the world (13,500 miles) for two victories is a poor return, but they continue to follow their club regardless.

Kluivert did pounce on a loose ball after Jason Shackell had tackled Shearer, but the fans’ delight was swiftly ended by Ashton. “It’s been a hard week for us,” Graeme Souness, the Newcastle manager, said. “We are feeling sorry for ourselves.” The contrast with the Norwich camp could not be greater.

NORWICH CITY (4-4-2): R Green — T Helveg, C Fleming, J Shackell, A Drury — D Bentley (sub: G Holt, 89min), D Francis, Y Safri, D Huckerby (sub: M Jonson, 46)— L McKenzie (sub: M Svensson, 82), D Ashton. Substitutes not used: D Ward, M Edworthy.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): S Given — S Carr, J-A Boumsong, A O’Brien, R Elliott — J Milner (sub: D Ambrose, 63), N Butt, C N’Zogbia, L Robert — A Shearer, F Ameobi (sub: P Kluivert, 76). Substitutes not used: S Harper, P Ramage.

Referee: A Marriner.