Such is the ferocity of the competition in the lower reaches of the Barclays Premier League that Newcastle United leapt from the bottom of the table to fourteenth place by virtue of last night’s victory over Aston Villa. But that simple statistic does not begin to encompass the sensation of relief and the wave of noise that swept across St James’ Park at the final whistle.

This remains an uncomfortable period for those of a black-and-white persuasion — and crucial with it, bearing in mind the club’s lack of a committed owner and permanent manager — but Newcastle supporters can breathe a little easier this morning, even if Joey Barton may be wincing. While this result was emblematic of a capricious season, the prospect of relegation feels more distant.

By virtue of two second-half goals from Obafemi Martins, Newcastle even climbed above Sunderland, their conquerors in last month’s Tyne-Wear derby (how quickly the mood of cities can change). This was their first clean sheet since August 23, when Bolton Wanderers were beaten 1-0, Kevin Keegan was in situ and James Milner was still a Newcastle player.

Constants have been Shay Given, who, on his 450th appearance for the club, made a superb save from Ashley Young, the backing of their supporters — although this was the lowest league attendance since the ground was redeveloped — and the nuisance who goes by the name of Barton. Where the midfield player is concerned, things had, for a matter of hours, been suspiciously quiet.

There were two flashpoints involving Barton, a running skirmish with Gabriel Agbonlahor that led to Barton pressing his fingers into the Villa striker’s face — an incident apparently missed by the referee — and a 53rd-minute caution for launching himself at the ball with his studs showing. Barton was vehement in his protestations of innocence; plus ça change.

For obvious reasons, Barton’s every movement attracts attention. “Any incident involving Joey will be blown up twice as big as for any other player,” Chris Hughton, the Newcastle assistant manager, said. But, given that he has a suspended six-game ban hanging over him after his training-ground assault on Ousmane Dabo, his former Manchester City team-mate, raising his hand against Agbonlahor was dangerous.

Graham Poll, the former international referee, was adamant that Barton was fortunate to escape dismissal and the FA may review the video evidence. “He has tried to knock his lip,” Poll said. “He actually does strike the opponent. He tries to do him. That is a red card and if Steve Bennett had seen it, he would have sent him off without a doubt.”

“Joey knows he has to be twice as careful as anyone else and all we can ask of him is to keep putting in the performances he’s doing,” Hughton said. “He’s a very short way into his comeback for us, but he’s aware of those things.” Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, did not witness the incident. “Gabby said something happened, but it’s up to the referee to make these decisions,” O’Neill said.

In one respect, Barton’s intervention may have served a purpose. Two minutes later, in a fine, quicksilver move, Agbonlahor fed Milner on the right and surged into the penalty area to await the return ball. His positioning was exemplary and Milner’s cross was ideal, but the striker connected with fresh air. Martin Laursen had earlier struck a post with a header.

Villa’s hopes of clambering into the top four were undermined by their finishing, their performance dipping as the match went on. “We are trying to mix it with the big teams and trying to get closer to them and tonight we had a chance to close the gap and more,” O’Neill said. “If we’re thinking about joining that elite group, we’ve got a lot of things to consider. This is a major setback.”

Newcastle profited and, having struggled to match their opponents in an enterprising opening period, seized the initiative with 30 minutes to play. The through-ball was Barton’s and it was intelligent, but the glory belonged to Martins, who shot from 20 yards with his left foot. The Nigeria striker’s celebratory somersault was flawed, Martins ending his gymnastics display on his backside.

Newcastle were lifted, however, with Nicky Butt hitting the woodwork with a free kick before Martins added a second in the 83rd minute, when he shot from close range after Jonás Gutiérrez drove to the left byline and squared the ball.

By then, Joe Kinnear had lost his voice, preventing him from appearing at the post-match press conference, but the Newcastle crowd had found theirs. “Climbing away from the bottom end of the table is massive,” Hughton said.

Newcastle United (4-4-2): S Given — H Beye, S Taylor, F Coloccini, J Enrique — J Gutiérrez, J Barton, N Butt, D Duff — F Ameobi (sub: M Owen, 90min), O Martins (sub: C Caçapa, 88). Substitutes not used: D Guthrie, S Bassong, S Harper, C N’Zogbia, Gérémi. Booked: Beye, Barton, Martins, Ameobi.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): B Friedel — L Young, M Laursen, C Cuéllar, N Shorey (sub: S Sidwell, 72) — J Milner, N Reo-Coker (sub: M Harewood, 85), G Barry, A Young — J Carew, G Agbonlahor. Substitutes not used: C Davies, Z Knight, M Salifou, B Guzan, C Gardner. Booked: Barry, L Young.

Referee: S Bennett.