HE might be the leading scorer in the Championship, with a ratio of a goal-a-game since the start of the season, but Dwight Gayle is simply relieved to have lived up to the heritage of Newcastle United’s fabled ‘number nine’ shirt.

Gayle’s sensational start to his Newcastle career continued on Tuesday night as his two goals against Barnsley lifted the Magpies to the top of the table for the first time this season.

The 26-year-old has scored 11 goals in 11 Championship appearances since completing a £10m move from Crystal Palace this summer, a record that bears scrutiny when ranked alongside the performance of some of his most recent predecessors in the number nine jersey.

Papiss Cisse, who vacated the number nine shirt when he moved to China in the close season, scored 13 goals in his first 12 outings for the Magpies, while Alan Shearer, the most celebrated striker in the club’s recent history, claimed ten goals in his first 13 appearances for his hometown team.

“I obviously know the history the (number nine) shirt holds, and the pressure that’s going to be on the shirt, but I’m enjoying it at the moment and luckily it’s going well right now,” said Gayle, who went more than a month without a goal before claiming seven in his most recent four outings. “Hopefully, it continues too.

“You sort of have some expectations of what it might be like (if things go well), but it’s been brilliant. The fans here are unbelievable – we had 6,000 away from home on a Tuesday night in the Championship, which is unheard of.

“It felt like a home game because they were singing louder than the home fans. If that continues, then confidence will only grow and we’ll just keep getting better.”

While some of Newcastle’s players will have experienced something of a culture shock after dropping into the second tier, life in the Championship is hardly a step into the footballing wilderness for Gayle.

Five years ago, the striker was on loan in National League North with Bishop’s Stortford, and the following season saw him playing in League Two with Dagenham & Redbridge.

He subsequently joined Peterborough in the Championship, with his form at London Road earning him a move to Crystal Palace, and having worked his way through the ranks, he is relishing the opportunity to lead the line in front of 50,000-plus crowds at St James’ Park.

“I’m really enjoying my football at the moment, but the most important thing is to keep working hard because I know how easy it can be to lose it and stop getting the goals and the accomplishments,” said Gayle.

“I want to carry on enjoying my football, so I just need to keep working hard. This is only the beginning.

“Do I feel like Newcastle’s number nine now? I hope so. But we’ve still got a lot to prove this season. We’ve still got to keep digging away, and not get over-confident.”

Gayle has received plenty of plaudits for his goalscoring exploits in the last few games, but the striker has undoubtedly benefited from the efforts of those playing behind him.

Jonjo Shelvey set up both of his goals in last weekend’s win over Brentford, and the midfielder’s pinpoint long balls have been a key feature of Newcastle’s attacking success this term.

Matt Ritchie was the provider-in-chief on Tuesday, delivering the corner that led to Gayle’s opener and springing the Barnsley offside trap with a superb through ball that enabled the striker to double his side’s lead, and Newcastle’s creative strengths are warmly appreciated by the player leading the line.

“It’s fantastic to play in front of some of the quality we’ve got,” said Gayle. “Everybody seems to be chipping in with their little assists at the moment, and hopefully it continues.

“It’s not just Jonjo and Matt - we have 20 or so other players who can play those sort of balls and it’s fantastic to be playing in front of them.

“When I’m making my runs, I just sort of know those balls are going to be coming, and it’s fantastic to be playing up top in front of those.”