LAST Wednesday, Newcastle United’s attacking skills were to the fore as they claimed a comfortable win against Reading. Three days later, and it was the Magpies’ organisation, commitment and defensive resilience that secured a first away success in eight months at Bristol City.

The latter victory was the less attractive, but in terms of achieving the long-term goal of securing promotion back to the Premier League, it will almost certainly prove to have been the more important. If you want to get out of the Championship, you have to be able to survive afternoons such as this.

Faced with teaming rain and a spirited Bristol City side clearly determined to claim what would have been a notable scalp, and playing in front of the biggest attendance at Ashton Gate in more than 26 years, Newcastle’s players finally proved they have the heart for what lies in store.

Collectively, their work rate and willingness to strain every sinew was magnificent, and as they withstood a second-half bombardment that saw Bristol City’s players throw everything at the Newcastle back four without ever really looking like creating a clear-cut opportunity, it was impossible not to draw comparisons with the last time the Magpies were in the Championship seven seasons ago.

A narrative has emerged suggesting Chris Hughton’s Newcastle side blew their opponents away every weekend, but in fact the reality was somewhat different. Back in the 2009-10 season, three of Newcastle’s first five away victories came courtesy of a 1-0 scoreline.

The wins at Cardiff, Sheffield United and Preston were not particularly pretty, but they set the tone for the rest of the season. The hope, with Newcastle having risen to seventh in the Championship table, is that Saturday’s battling performance will have done the same.

“The most important thing for me is that we showed character, and we showed we can do it in this kind of game,” said Rafael Benitez. “That is a message for the rest of the season now.

“We have to do this every week, and work as hard as this in every game we play. That is the minimum for us now, and after that, maybe we can use our quality to make the difference. But at least we know we can cope with this kind of opponent and this intensity in the game.

“It’s important to have a team that can attack and score goals, but at the same time you have to show you have the organisation and team spirit to be able to work in the way that we have here. It is a good step forward in terms of the confidence of the team, because we have shown we can approach games in different ways.”

Benitez will have been particularly pleased with the performance of his back four, with Jamaal Lascelles returning to produce an accomplished display alongside Chancel Mbemba, and Ciaran Clark shuffling across to left-back to provide some welcome physical heft.

Vurnon Anita was a rather more diminutive presence on the opposite flank, but the Dutchman was solid throughout and with Benitez clearly trusting his abilities, Daryl Janmaat will almost certainly leave before the end of the month, with West Ham and Napoli interested.

Jack Colback helped shore up the defence from the base of midfield – the midfielder’s tackling qualities make him a better bet than Jonjo Shelvey when Newcastle are playing away from Tyneside – and while Bristol City dominated possession for long periods, their only chances came courtesy of shaky goalkeeping from Matz Sels.

The Belgian flapped at a succession of crosses, but Luke Freeman and Jonathan Kodjia were unable to take advantage. As a result, Dwight Gayle’s superb first-half strike proved decisive.

Gayle, who also struck the outside of the post in the second half, latched on to Mo Diame’s floated through ball before drilling home a ferocious left-footed strike. It was his fourth goal in three games, and while Aleksandar Mitrovic is now available again after suspension, the Serbian’s return to the starting line-up is not a foregone conclusion.

“He (Gayle) has good movements, he is a clever lad, and he is also a great finisher,” said Benitez. “We could see everything here – the movement and the finishing. We are very pleased with him because he has already scored four goals, and he will be a crucial player for us.”

Yoan Gouffran could also be a more important presence than anticipated, and while the Frenchman, who has made significant contributions in each of the last two games, remains available in the transfer market, he will not be forced away from Tyneside this month.

“We knew that maybe he could be in the market this year, and we have had one or two offers, but he was not pleased with them,” said Benitez. “It will not be a problem if he stays.

“He is a good professional, and he is happy here. He has been training well and I think he likes the way we work. If he does not get any fantastic offers that he feels he has to take because he is 30 years old, then he is a player who can give us a lot of things.”