Miles Starforth's match analysis: Newcastle United 2 West Ham United 1

But have Newcastle United finally found a replacement for Yohan Cabaye?

For 45 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Ham United, Jonjo Shelvey was everywhere.

And Shelvey, a player blessed with ability and aggression, got a hold of the midfield – and he didn’t let it go.

More importantly, he looked to pass the ball forward at every opportunity. He was positive and purposeful in possession.

Shelvey played with an intelligence and intensity that the team has been lacking all too often this season.

And his team-mates – and St James’s Park – responded.

Shelvey, fielded as one of two holding midfielders, dovetailed well into Steve McClaren’s 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Jack Colback, who had his best game of the season.

The England international started the game in front of the back four.

But he didn’t stay there for long, though he also showed he could reach the forward players from deep positions.

After the game, head coach Steve McClaren labelled him a “quarter-back”.

It’s not a term used often in English football, but it was apt.

McClaren said: “He was like an old-fashioned quarterback at times, wasn’t he?

“He can do that in terms of dictating play. He can pick it up from the back, or he can get forward. He’s a good all-round player.

“He can tackle, he can head, and he’s a big asset for us.”

Shelvey created Newcastle’s sixth-minute opening goal.

The 23-year-old threaded a ball through to Georginio Wijnaldum, who laid it off to Ayoze Perez.

Perez squeezed the ball between Adrian and the right-hand post with a first-time shot.

Newcastle kept their lead thanks to a well-timed interception from Fabricio Coloccini, who is looking more like the imperious defender that once seemed to stroll through games.

And then they extended it thanks to another superb pass from Shelvey, who found Daryl Janmaat with an exquisite cross-field ball in the 15th minute.

Janmaat reached the byline and crossed for Wijnaldum, who beat Adrian to score his ninth goal of the season.

Newcastle created chance after chance, but they couldn’t net a third goal.

They were also fortunate that referee Neil Swarbrick seemingly missed an off-the-ball challenge from Shelvey on Enner Valencia that left the West Ham player in a heap.

Valencia picked himself up, and so did West Ham after the break, with substitute Nikica Jelavic seizing on a stray backpass from Chancel Mbemba to halve the deficit.

Newcastle – who lost defender Paul Dummett to a hamstring injury – never quite regained their first-half momentum.

There were chances for both teams, and goalkeeper Rob Elliot did well to deny Cheikhou Kouyate with his leg.

At the other end of the pitch, striker Aleksandar Mitrovic – who had played superbly with his back to goal – couldn’t take the opportunities that came his way, though there wasn’t much wrong with one shot that Adrian somehow helped over the bar.

Newcastle did what they had to do to take all three points, and that’s something they’ve just not been able to do nearly enough this season.

It was a game that they simply had to win.

The result lifted the club out of the bottom three, but the respite could be brief.

If Swansea City beat Watford at the Liberty Stadium tonight, the club will drop back into the relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s game against Watford at Vicarage Road.

But Newcastle seemed to gain more than three points against West Ham.

More importantly, they gained belief and confidence.

And the club’s fans left St James’s Park with a renewed belief that their team can stay up.

Newcastle are still to sign a striker, but much like three years ago when the arrivals of Moussa Sissoko, Mathieu Debuchy and Yoan Gouffran among others rejuventated then-manager Alan Pardew’s relegation-threatened team, Shelvey could reinvigorate McClaren’s side.

Shelvey will have benefitted from the 90 minutes he got against West Ham, having been on the fringes at Swansea for the past few months.

Speaking last week, Shelvey said his departure would be Swansea’s “loss”.

Newcastle, certainly, have already gained from his arrival.