The Magpies eased themselves into the top six with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over QPR to take their tally for the season to 36 points after 21 games, just 10 fewer than they managed in the whole of the last campaign.

While Pardew insists his sights have always been set higher than mere survival, he admits reaching the accepted safety line so quickly would be a cause for immense satisfaction.

He said: "It's not been a target of ours, if I am honest, but it's a nice target to have under your belt.

"Every Premier League manager probably has a decent glass of wine when they get that, so I shall hopefully look forward to that in the near future."

The latest three points were collected in unspectacular fashion on a day when Mark Hughes' reign as QPR boss began with defeat.

A game of little genuine quality was settled eight minutes before the break as Leon Best proved that Demba Ba is not the only Newcastle frontman who knows how to find the back of the net after a four-month wait for a goal.

He accepted Ryan Taylor's pass before cutting inside full-back Luke Young to side-foot unerringly into the far corner to claim the points.

But the Magpies were far from convincing and had to survive a series of close calls with Shaun Wright-Phillips clipping the top of the crossbar before the break and Jay Bothroyd forcing a good save from keeper Tim Krul after it.

However, they gradually grew into the game and although they were far from at their best after losing key midfielder Yohan Cabaye to an ankle injury courtesy of a robust Shaun Derry tackle just 20 minutes in, they eased their way to the final whistle with few problems.

Hughes was at least able to take some comfort from the manner of his team's performance.

He said: "Overall, I am pleased with the performance, but obviously not the result.

"The lad Best produced a little bit of skill in the box and we paid the price, but overall, I was pleased with what we produced.

"Given that we have had a week in the building, it's been difficult. You can only put so much information into players because some will stick and some won't.

"But overall, I was pleased with what they produced and as the weeks go on, then without a doubt, we will become better."

Hughes will also attempt to strengthen his squad in the coming weeks, although he declined to elaborate on suggestions he is closing in on Brazilian duo Alex and Henrique.

Pardew too has been linked with a series of targets, but he insisted he would not spend for the sake of it.

He said: "There is money available to me, and we will take a player if we think one works for us financially and for the team."