AS chants of 'there's only one Bobby Robson' reverberated around St. James' Park, there was a sense Newcastle United were finally going to lift the doom and gloom surrounding the club.

And with one typical predatory strike from goal-machine Alan Shearer, Newcastle finally secured their first Premiership win of the season - at the seventh time of asking.

It was just last Tuesday that rumours were rife of manager Sir Bobby Robson quitting from his post on Tyneside, after a depressing League start which had stemmed largely from the failure of clinching a Champions League place.

But, after declaring he was prepared for the battle ahead, Robson called on all his 53 years in the game to help rally his players for a 'match of their lives' against Southampton. And experienced midfielder Gary Speed revealed after Newcastle's narrow 1-0 victory, the squad's faith in the under-pressure 70-year-old has never wavered.

"Part of winning was about the manager, of course," said Speed. "It works both ways. We're a team and that means the players, the staff and the manager. We're all aiming for the same thing.

"We've been working hard on the training pitch and so has he. It all goes together and it's nice that some of that hard work pays off. He's delighted we've got three points.

"He's probably had better weeks in his life. But the gaffer's record speaks for itself. He doesn't need me to harp on about how good he is, but we've all got tremendous respect for him and the response from the crowd was fantastic.

"They're always good; you can understand their impatience sometimes, that they want us to do well. The players took that on and gave a good performance."

The result may not have seemed all that convincing, but the one goal separating the two sides could easily have been more. Signs of a Newcastle victory in the League were certainly beginning to show; as the 5-0 hammering of NAC Breda in the UEFA Cup was followed by an encouraging display, albeit in vain, at Arsenal.

But, despite a more positive performance in front of the fanatical home support, Newcastle still had to rely on the goalscoring prowess of Shearer to clinch that elusive first victory. The skipper pounced a minute before half-time with an outstretched right boot to convert an incisive through ball by Jermaine Jenas.

It was Shearer's 250th League career goal and his seventh of the season and only Frenchmen Laurent Robert and Olivier Bernard have found the net in the top-flight for Robson's men. And Speed concedes that Newcastle must not become too reliant on the club captain in front of goal - although the Welshman insists there is plenty more goals in Shearer yet.

"Alan is phenomenal, you know," said the 33-year-old. "He just keeps scoring goals. He's been knocked down so many times over his career - people saying that he's finished or whatever - but once again he's come up trumps for us. It was a fantastic goal.

"His appetite for the game and to get in front of goal is amazing, but I think he needs us to give him a hand now.

"It's only Laurent and Ollie that has scored in the league apart from Alan, we need to chip in as well, because we can't expect him to do it all the time, even if he'd very much like to.

"If we're just going to rely on Alan scoring goals, we're not going to achieve anything. It's all of us, myself, we've all got to do better in that department and we'll be working hard to do that."

Newcastle started with their intent quite clear - determined to prove the doubters wrong.

However, despite plenty of neat passing play, the hosts were restricted to long-range shots - courtesy of Kieron Dyer - for the majority of the opening half.

Before Shearer gave Newcastle the lead, the former England man went close to opening the scoring sooner.

Craig Bellamy muscled Claus Lundekvam off the ball before playing the ball square to Shearer, whose shot was superbly saved by recalled Antti Niemi.

But Niemi, back in the side for the first time since the FA Cup final, could do nothing about Shearer's strike just before half-time as Newcastle scored their first home League goal in four hours and 48 minutes.

Lee Bowyer, filling the left midfield role vacated by the suspended Robert, enjoyed his best display for the club since joining in the summer. The former Leeds man was full of running and combined on a couple of occasions with Bellamy, who was denied a goal by Niemi and some last ditch defending.

Southampton could have equalised, but Shay Given proved his worth again with a breath-taking one-handed save to deny a long-range Paul Telfer drive.

But taking anything less than three points would have been harsh on Newcastle, who nullified the threat of James Beattie and ex-Sunderland man Kevin Phillips on the whole.

Despite the win Newcastle remain in the relegation zone and, with a two-week break from Premiership duties, Robson will be desperate for the Tees-Tyne derby to come around quickly.