CHRIS Hughton last night hailed Kevin Nolan’s matchwinning abilities after the Newcastle midfielder scored his ninth goal of the season to secure a 1-0 victory over Preston.

Nolan’s 74th-minute winner took the Magpies back to the top of the Championship table, and settled a tight encounter that had looked like remaining goalless for the majority of the night.

The former Bolton midfielder failed to score a single goal as Newcastle tumbled out of the top-flight last season, but last night’s success was his eighth in the club’s last 14 matches and confirmed his new-found ability in and around the 18-yard box.

“When the game’s as tight as it was, and it was heading for a 0-0, Kevin has a great knack of being in the right place and making the right runs,” said Hughton, who was forced to start last night’s goalscorer in midfield after Ryan Taylor suffered a calf injury in the warm-up.

“Once he gets in those areas, he has a composure in front of goal. He’s scored goals in the past for Bolton, and I’m sure there’s nobody more delighted than him that he’s got a good goalscoring run again.

“When he came to the club, it was on the back of a small ankle operation. We took him three weeks after surgery and he probably never got to the same level of fitness he has displayed this season.

“Now, you’re seeing what Kevin is best at. He’s a very good player and a top professional.

He’s a real football person.”

Nolan dedicated last night’s winner to his best friend Carl, who lost his father a year ago last Wednesday.

“It was a very emotional goal for me,” said the midfielder.

“A lot of the celebration was for a good friend of mine, who’s gone through a tough year.

“It was the anniversary of his father’s death on Wednesday, and I promised I would score for him. I wanted to do that. He’s been my best mate since we were in nappies and it’s been a really tough year for him.”

The victory took Newcastle back to the top of the table after they had briefly been dethroned by West Brom’s 4-1 win over Bristol City.

The Magpies now have back-to-back home games against Swansea and Watford, and Hughton admits there is a psychological boost to being back on top of the pile.

“It’s nice to be back on top,”

said the Newcastle boss, who watched his side keep their ninth clean sheet of the season with a minimum of fuss.

“We had to go two days after the rest, and it was a blow to lose that spot to West Brom.

“We’re well into the season now, and we’ve had some really good examples of what this league is like. That was another one. But there are a group of very good teams below us that only need the slightest of incentives to look to knock you off that top spot.”

Ryan Taylor and Andy Carroll are both injury doubts ahead of Saturday’s game with Swansea, but Shola Ameobi is being lined up for a return in next month’s home game with Watford after returning to training yesterday.