Newcastle are not pinching themselves anymore. It’s April and they’re in the hunt

April; a gloomy month of perpetual winter, of apathy or loathing. For too many years, this was how it felt to be a supporter of Newcastle United and only now are they blinking in the brightness after a long hibernation. Here they are leap-frogging into spring, neither fearful of relegation nor wading through the wilderness, but pushing upwards with it all to play for. Here they are, doing the Macarena in the pissing rain.

Newcastle have 53 points, a total they beat just once in the Premier League during the Mike Ashley era, when they finished fifth in 2011-12 with 65. Before then, it was 2005-06 and a haul of 58 points, which was good enough for seventh, an indication of just how mediocre things have been and just how much this team is surging. Who knew that optimism could stretch from August to now? Who knew that a season actually lasted so long?

That high water mark under Ashley was a brief, beguiling exception and it was followed by Newcastle making a single senior signing in Vurnon Anita, leaving themselves undercooked for the demands of a gruelling European campaign. This time, it becomes the rule, theoretically, and by intent, certainly. They will invest again and become stronger again, a giddy prospect at a club renowned for self-harm, but also doused in the realism which Eddie Howe demands.

There can be no avoiding it any more. Europe, the top four, the Champions League are no longer pinch-yourself giggles, nice thoughts while they lasted. Newcastle are third on merit and having hacked through a challenging February, they have won four matches in succession. With 10 left, it is in their hands and there is no suggestion they will fumble it. One of this season’s theme tunes was bastardised: “Tell me ma, me ma, we won’t be home for tea, we’re going to Italy …”

Can Howe do any wrong? Against Manchester United last weekend, the manager kept faith with the same team that played Nottingham Forest and was rewarded with a 2-0 victory and a performance of substance and quality. Against West Ham United, he made two changes, bringing in Callum Wilson and Joelinton for Alexander Isak and Joe Willock, two standout operators from three days earlier, and both replacements glittered in the glut of goals.

As with many Newcastle matches this season, it began with a spot of peril, one which made the old defence mechanism kick in — that this time, finally, all will come undone. Jarrod Bowen picked up possession on the right, way down the pitch, began running and did not stop. Dan Burn kept up with him but could not risk a tackle, the cross came over, Bruno Guimaraes thrust out a leg and the ball hit the post.

Guimaraes is so clever it may have been deliberate, but in any case, the moment passed. Newcastle were not without fault at the London Stadium — there was a moment in the first half when Nick Pope was down receiving treatment and Howe raged at his players on the touchline — but by the time the scoreline ticked over to 3-1, they had converted all three of their shots on target. When it mattered, they made it count.

Howe was asked about his spasm of fury, which came when his side were 2-0 up. “We were agitated with the level of performance,” he said. “We looked fatigued. I don’t think we were great in elements of our game, but mentally we got through it. We’ve set such high standards for ourselves we didn’t want to let it get away from us. Never to the point of losing control, but anger is an important emotion to have as a manager.”

Against better opposition, the sloppiness he railed against might have resulted in worse punishment than Kurt Zouma’s header, which made it 2-1, but West Ham were bereft of structure or competence in defence. Goals three and four for Newcastle dripped with bleak comedy, Jacob Murphy first making a fool of Nayef Aguerd and Isak doing the same to Lukasz Fabianski, the forward standing with hands on his hips as the ball bounced towards its target.

By the end, the notion of Newcastle anger felt extraordinary. They had equalled their biggest win of the season, equalled their biggest ever away win in the Premier League, scoring five for the first time since Coventry City in September 1998 and blitzed past their goal tally for last season. Fans were chanting their oles and singing “Geordie boys taking the piss”, and “You’re getting sacked in the morning”, at David Moyes, with the meagre remnants of the home crowd joining in.

There was bliss and gristle, effort and freedom. There was Wilson busting out his moves after scoring with an unmarked header, capitalising on another assist from Allan Saint-Maximin. “I love scoring at that place and I’ve promised to do the Macarena,” the striker had said on the BBC podcast he records with West Ham’s Michail Antonio. “I want all the bubbles blowing on me while I’m doing it.” Wilson was as good and as bubble-bursting as his word.

There was Murphy making a nuisance of himself in the 46th minute, pressing Aguerd much in the same way as Isak had pressed Manchester United’s Raphael Varane on Sunday and then squaring for Wilson, who has now scored an astonishing 12 Premier League goals against West Ham. “It’s tradition now,” the England forward said, and some traditions are worth keeping.

There was Isak, Willock and Anthony Gordon coming on in a triple substitution and Newcastle suddenly having depth and competition, with everybody lifting and pushing each other. “Playing from the beginning, I had to make a statement and show everyone I’m still here,” Wilson, whose form and fitness dipped after the World Cup, said. “The international break was perfect, a chance to recharge and reset. I feel like I’m energised again and back in the mood for scoring.”

There was Isak making a statement of his own, chasing a long ball, forcing Fabianski to hurry his clearance, then nudging it down with his chest, finishing with a side-volley and then admiring his own audacity. There was the feeling that Howe’s team are actually much better than this, much better than five at West Ham. In the away end, there was a lot of laughter and a splodge of disbelief. Spring is here and Newcastle are hunting again, still in the game.

(Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)