FOR two excruciating minutes, there was a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Newcastle United had beaten Barnsley 3-0, and Aston Villa had claimed an 89th-minute equaliser against Brighton. The Championship title had never been closer.

Newcastle’s players huddled together close to the dug-outs, desperate for news of the final whistle from Villa Park. Rafael Benitez stood next to the rest of his backroom staff, eager for an opportunity to celebrate only the third league title of his career. And almost 50,000 supporters shuffled nervously in their seats, aware that everything was going to plan, but conscious that there was still time for this most remarkable of seasons to take a final dramatic turn.

Then, euphoria. A moment of unbridled elation that made all the misery of last season’s relegation, not to mention the unrelenting slog of the last nine months, worthwhile. Aleksandar Mitrovic punched the air wildly, Jack Colback jumped around with a beaming grin on his face, and the atmosphere inside St James’ Park crackled with a sense of pride, satisfaction and relief.

Some will say this is merely Newcastle United living up to their billing. The club kicked off the Championship campaign as favourites to claim the title, and end it having reclaimed their place in the top flight with a trophy to their name. In some ways, it is simply job done.

But that is to downplay the efforts that have enabled the Magpies to claim another Championship title to go alongside the ones claimed under Kevin Keegan in 1992 and Chris Hughton in 2010. In the seven years since Hughton’s side triumphed in the second tier, only Burnley have claimed the title in the season following their relegation from the top-flight. This has been a herculean effort from Rafael Benitez and his players.

Benitez has been at the heart of it, and it was only fitting that Newcastle’s hugely-popular manager was first out of the tunnel as the entire squad filed onto the presentation podium ten minutes or so after the outcome of the title race was confirmed.

The Spaniard could have walked away when he was unable to keep the Magpies in the top-flight last May, but having been won over by the rapturous reception he was afforded during the final game of last season, he opted to remain on Tyneside in order to repair the damage that was inflicted prior to his arrival. He achieved legendary status when he agreed to stay; he is even more of a black-and-white hero now.

Retaining him for the start of the new Premier League season has to be the overriding priority this summer, and to that end, Mike Ashley’s presence at St James’ Park for the first time this season has to be regarded as a positive sign.

The pair will meet later this week to discuss their plans for the next few months, and Benitez freely admits he has to be persuaded that the ambitions of the Newcastle owner match his own. Nothing can be regarded as a given with Ashley, but surely even he can see that this season’s rebuilding job would not have been achievable without Benitez’s presence at the helm. Take him away, and the task of stabilising in the Premier League becomes infinitely more difficult.

Benitez was serenaded from all four corners of the ground as he hoisted the Championship trophy above his head, but this has not been an individual effort and there was plenty of praise for the players who have restored Newcastle to the top-flight.

There was a raucous cheer for Mitrovic, who remains a fans’ favourite despite a patchy campaign, and a huge roar of apprecation for Matt Ritchie, who cheerily donned his ‘Magic Hat’ as part of the celebrations in recognition of a supporters’ chant that has gained momentum as the season has gone on.

Jonjo Shelvey got special recognition for a consistently-excellent campaign, and the celebrations peaked as skipper Jamaal Lascelles raised the trophy from its plinth. Bob Moncur, captain of the Fairs Cup winning-team from 1969, had brought the trophy onto the pitch, and he, more than anyone, knows how rare these moments are. In an area like the North-East, deprived of top-level footballing success for so long, any triumph has to be cherished.

Yesterday’s needed Newcastle to better Brighton’s result in their final game of the season, and for a large chunk of the afternoon, that looked unlikely.

Newcastle’s victory was never in doubt from the moment Ayoze Perez broke the deadlock midway through the first half, but Brighton spent most of the second half in the box seat thanks to Glenn Murray’s penalty at Villa Park.

With one minute to go in both games, Brighton were set to be champions, but Jack Grealish’s 89th-minute equaliser changed things, depriving Hughton of a second Championship title and sending the crown to Tyneside.

Newcastle’s 29th and final victory of the campaign was decisive, and owed much to sparkling attacking displays from both Perez and Christian Atsu.

Atsu remains keen to join Newcastle on a permanent basis this summer, with the Magpies having first refusal on a proposed £6m deal, and while he has been in and out of the team for much of the season, his recent performances have been increasingly impressive.

He tormented Barnsley full-back Callum Elder repeatedly yesterday, and after whistling an 11th-minute shot narrowly past the post, was involved in the build-up to Newcastle’s opener midway through the first half.

His neat back-heel sent DeAndre Yedlin galloping away on the overlap, and after the full-back squared a low ball across the area, Perez converted with a deft back-heel of his own as he stole ahead of his marker.

The goal bore strong similarities to Perez’s effort at West Brom last season, and took the Spaniard’s tally for the campaign to 12 in all competitions. Not a sensational effort, but a solid enough return from a player who gradually came to terms with life in the second tier.

Atsu came close on two further occasions before the interval – first with a fierce drive that was tipped over by Adam Davies, and then with a low strike that the goalkeeper turned around the post – and while Newcastle were forced into an early defensive reshuffle when Isaac Hayden, who was deputising for the injured Lascelles and Ciaran Clark, sustained a head injury, the hosts were never seriously tested.

They claimed a second goal shortly before the hour mark, with Chancel Mbemba slamming home the rebound after Davies produced an excellent point-blank save to deny Perez.

Shelvey almost signed off his own campaign in style when he clipped the outside of the post with a low strike, and Newcastle added a third goal with one minute left courtesy of substitute Dwight Gayle.

Gayle’s goals have played an integral part in the Magpies’ success, and he claimed his 23rd of the season as he raced on to Mitrovic’s flick on in order to prod past an onrushing Davies.

When the ball hit the back of the net, Newcastle were still in second position. By the time Gayle had got back to the centre-circle, however, Aston Villa had scored. A season that began with fear and uncertainty was ending in the most joyously dramatic of fashions. Newcastle are back in the big time – and will return with a title to their name.