Newcastle United moved out of the English Premier League's bottom three on Tuesday with an edgy 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion at St James' Park.
Midfielder Joey Barton, starting his first match since serving a jail sentence for attacking a teenager, tucked away a penalty to give Newcastle an early lead and Obafemi Martins headed a second goal before halftime.
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West Brom came to life after the break and for long periods dominated possession. They were rewarded midway through the second half when Ishmael Miller rounded keeper Shay Given to shoot into an empty net.
Newcastle survived some anxious moments late on but held out for only their second league win of the season and their first in the four matches since Joe Kinnear became interim manager in the wake of Kevin Keegan's resignation.
Victory lifts Newcastle to 15th place with nine points while West Brom are just one point better off after losing their last three matches.
On Wednesday, leaders Liverpool are at home to Portsmouth, who on Tuesday named former Arsenal defender Tony Adams as manager following Harry Redknapp's move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Redknapp's bottom-of-the-table Spurs visit north London rivals Arsenal while an intriguing fixture in Humberside has second-placed Chelsea against third-placed Hull City.
Manchester United are at home to West Ham United.
