English FA Premiership/ Newcastle Utd 1 Portsmouth 0: A first Premiership win in 10 games stretching back to mid-September, a first home win in the league since the season's opening day, a first league goal at St James' Park for over a month, plus another 90 minutes from Kieron Dyer: Newcastle United's Premiership season finally felt as if it started yesterday.

But for David James this would have been a rout: Portsmouth arrived in fourth place but, in this insipid form, Harry Redknapp's team will not stay there long. Due to play Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday, Pompey have decided to stick in the north, but there needs to be a significant improvement if anything is to be gained on Merseyside.

After the game Redknapp did not give the impression that would be the case. Dejan Sefanovic hurt a knee so badly he is to have an operation this morning, Matthew Taylor trapped a nerve in his lower back and none of those already injured seems likely to be returning quickly.

Redknapp, superficially, then had kind words for Newcastle - "You wonder how they're struggling with the players they've got, lots of pace" - but given his little dig at Glenn Roeder in the build-up, that may not have been a compliment. Roeder succeeded him at West Ham and Redknapp said: "He said a few things after I left and he's been known to do that, hasn't he?"

As he walked away yesterday, Redknapp left another jibe in the air: "Look at the two squads - if you'd said at the start of the season that we'd be fourth-top and Newcastle fourth-bottom, people would have said you're off your head."

Newcastle remain 17th, three points above relegation, but with Reading, Watford and Tottenham the next visitors a pathway to mid-table can be seen.

James had a quiet first half, the bar blocking a Stefanovic deflection, yet it would have been different had Obafemi Martins' legitimate, 17th-minute strike not been overruled. James then denied Sibierski on the hour, and once the goal went in there were saves from Emre, Martins and Dyer.

"One-nil doesn't tell the story," Roeder said, "we have kicked them out of the way today. We have not been in a comfortable position for the last few weeks but we have shown amazing mental strength. We all knew that we had to start winning."

Dyer was productive throughout and showed a physical resilience not always visible in playing on with bruises and "a laceration down his thigh", as Roeder said. If he can maintain a level of fitness, Dyer will make a difference, but Newcastle's fans know not to get too reliant on that.

Dyer has played the last two league games and it may be no coincidence that those have been Martins' best matches. Back from a hamstring strain, the Nigerian is becoming assimilated and, as Roeder said, "is working much harder".

But Roeder had most praise for Sibierski. The 32-year-old former Manchester City player was an underwhelming deadline-day signing, but he now has four goals in his last eight appearances. Again he was a substitute, and when Portsmouth's defence hesitated as Martins and Charles N'Zogbia broke away in the 69th minute, Sibierski kept going and got his reward, touching in N'Zogbia's low cross.

That sparked a scarf-twirling celebration, a scene Newcastle have been keen to recreate since a free black-and-white scarf was handed out at Alan Shearer's testimonial in May.

• Guardian Service