After the spite of last weekend, some welcome respite for Newcastle United. While the margins were narrow and the celebrations muted — unlike at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, there was no pitch invasion — a first victory in the Barclays Premier League since August and only the second of the season hoisted Joe Kinnear’s team out of the relegation zone. So began the arduous process of restoring equanimity after their vitriolic defeat by Sunderland.

Uncertainty still surrounds the club, with a reluctant owner, an interim manager and a frail squad, but their status appears less fragile. Their performance against West Bromwich Albion, who have lost three matches in succession, conceding nine goals, was deeply unconvincing, but such niceties are at present irrelevant at St James’ Park.

At one point Kinnear fell on his backside in the dugout, but losing his footing was a far superior sensation to losing face. His first win, at the fourth attempt, was a sweet moment, but no one had more to celebrate than Joey Barton. In scoring his first goal on Tyneside in his first start since leaving prison, it was tempting to suggest that he got Newcastle out of jail.

A goal from Obafemi Martins, on his 24th birthday, put Newcastle 2-0 up, but thereafter they allowed their momentum to slip and West Brom were presented with an unlikely route back into the contest. Ultimately, their pursuit was as futile as their defending was negligent — “woeful”, Tony Mowbray, the manager, conceded.

While Barton remains a divisive figure, his scriptwriter is seldom short of work. Back behind bars on Tyneside — on this occasion, nothing more limiting than black-and-white stripes — the England midfield player began where he left off against Sunderland. After the bottles and coins, the only things raining down on him on this occasion were plaudits.

Within ten minutes, Barton was luxuriating in rare affection. Grasping the initiative in a manner he usually reserves for damaging headlines, the 26-year-old sent Scott Carson the wrong way with the penalty that his fine pass to Shola Ameobi had helped to win. Ryan Donk’s scything challenge on Ameobi was late and witless, but Newcastle were in no position to reject such generosity.

The goal brought release. In Barton’s case, it entailed running towards the crowd, repeatedly thumping the badge on his shirt — an echo of the gesture that earned him opprobrium on Saturday. “He would have been in serious trouble if he hadn’t scored,” Kinnear joked. “Oba [Martins] was supposed to be the penalty-taker, but Joey grabbed it.

“I think he wanted to prove a point. He’s got a lot of bottle. It won’t make him any better in some people’s eyes, but in football terms it will do him the power of good. It’s about rebuilding a relationship with the fans. He’s on fire in the dressing-room.”

Aside from that and a long-range shot that fizzed narrowly wide, Barton contributed little, but mayhem was kept to a minimum, too. Nerves were soothed further in the 42nd minute. Habib Beye, the full back, writhed his way to the byline on the right and wrapped his foot around the ball; the header from Martins, seven yards out, took a slight deflection off Gianni Zuiverloon.

Yet, whether through fatigue or a lack of familiarity with holding a lead, Newcastle’s impetus dipped. West Brom had some sprightly moments. Their passing was intuitive and pleasing and in the 65th minute Fabricio Coloccini failed to cut out a threaded pass from Robert Koren and Ishmael Miller, a substitute, rounded Shay Given to score from a tight angle.

The whiff of desperation clings to Newcastle, although Michael Owen’s return for Aston Villa’s visit on Monday is another positive development. Perhaps they have bottomed out.

“This gives everybody a big lift, none more so than myself,” Kinnear said. “It’s my first victory at a fantastic club. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but at least I can say I’ve won a game. Hopefully, there’ll be a few more.”