Newcastle captain Michael Owen is refusing to hide as he attempts to drag the club to safety.
The 28-year-old claimed his eighth goal of the season in the Magpies' vital 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers Fulham yesterday, a result which saw them climb to the relative calm of 13th place with a six-point cushion to the drop zone.
Owen had earlier twice been denied by goalkeeper Kasey Keller but having passed up a series of chances to score in the club's last home match against Blackburn, who went on to snatch a last-gasp win, the England striker was not about to draw another blank.
His deft 83rd-minute header from a Geremi free-kick calmed the nerves at St James' Park and gave England coach Fabio Capello, who watched him score at Birmingham last Monday, with another timely reminder that rumours of his demise may be somewhat premature.
Owen said: "You know me. You don't make a living out of scoring goals if you miss a chance and then go hiding.
"I know there were over 50,000 people here - there could be five million here and I wouldn't go hiding if I missed a chance.
"You have always got to be ready for that next one and that came along in the second half and, thankfully, I put it away and it gave us a bit of breathing space.
"We have been one up a few times over the last couple of months and it is always edgy with the situation we are in.
"But we managed to get that cushion, and it was probably the most enjoyable eight minutes after that we have had all season."
Unlike Capello, if the speculation is to be believed, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has few doubts about his £17million striker, who took his tally for the club to 13 in 35 Premier League appearances.
Keegan has been delighted with the leadership shown by the man to whom he handed the captain's armband after he succeeded Sam Allardyce in January.
Few would have predicted at the time they would have had to wait until March 22 to celebrate a first victory for the new regime.
The points, which doubled Keegan's return from the previous eight league matches, could hardly have been banked at a better time.
Although Newcastle know they are not yet safe relief was the overriding emotion on Tyneside - not least for Owen's wife Louise.
The striker said: "I am delighted for everyone. When you are winning games, there is no end to it.
"You go home happy, you can go out for a meal with the wife and you can be happy.
"For the past couple of months, you are just going home and twiddling your thumbs, watching the telly, going to bed and waking up with a sore head.
"It has not been nice but now we can go home, be pleased with the result, pleased for the fans, the manager and the staff.
"Everyone works so hard to get us right on matchday tactically, physically, mentally and everything else - so it is good for everyone."
If Owen provided the coup de grace, it was strike partner Mark Viduka who set the ball rolling with a trademark finish after just six minutes.
However, Keegan's men at times struggled to get to grips with their 4-3-3 formation before the break and looked vulnerable at the back as Jimmy Bullard, who had suffered an horrendous knee injury on his last visit to Tyneside, pulled the strings.
That said, the Magpies appeared the more likely to score and had Keller not pulled off fine saves from Obafemi Martins and then Owen, the game could have been won long before the break.
But having seen Owen miss with a close-range header, the home side gradually wore their opponents down, and it was only a matter of time before the England international atoned for his earlier wastefulness.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson left the north-east knowing his side's hopes of avoiding the drop had been dealt a blow, not only by the defeat but by Sunderland's stunning 1-0 won at Aston Villa.
However, he remains confident of survival, particularly if Bullard can reproduce the kind of display he did in the opening 45 minutes at Newcastle.
Hodgson said: "He is a very ebullient character. He likes to get hold of the ball and the quality of his passing and his inventiveness were very useful to us.
"But we lost that in the second half, for some reason."
