Stevenage 3 Newcastle 1:THE Stevenage chairman, Phil Wallace, said he would find the supporter who attacked the defender Scott Laird after the greatest result in the club's history. Laird was knocked to the ground by a punch after the final whistle, as hundreds of fans ran on to the pitch to celebrate. The Football Association and the police are investigating.

“I spent a considerable time viewing the incident from all angles with representatives of the police,” said Wallace. “The assailant can be seen clearly from the moment he enters the pitch. He has approached at least three Stevenage players, seeming to wait for an opportunity, and thrown a punch to the side of the head that was designed to inflict maximum damage. Scotty collapsed unconscious and has no recollection of the incident. This person seemed intent on making a random assault on a Stevenage player after a fantastic victory. This is disgraceful behaviour and we will do everything we can to ensure that the assailant is brought to justice and prosecuted.” said Wallace. Stewards were overwhelmed by the number of people who ran on to the pitch.

The attack on Laird took some of the shine off an outstanding performance and result for Stevenage. Newcastle were outfought and out-thought, outpassed and outclassed, the League Two side suggesting that the English leagues are more even than is commonly admitted. Stevenage’s performance was also a response to a perception that they were being patronised by Newcastle.

“One of the things we read in the week was Alan (Pardew) saying if they could match our application and commitment then their quality would win through,” said the Stevenage manager, Graham Westley. “We intended to show that we had the application and commitment but that we had the quality as well.”

They succeeded. Even when Joey Barton pulled a goal back in stoppage time to hint at a comeback the supposed underdogs did not crumble. Instead they swept down the pitch to make it 3-1 with a goal by Peter Winn. “There are a lot of players in the lower leagues who could definitely play at a higher level,” said Stacy Long, whose 50th-minute shot took a deflection off Mike Williamson for the first goal. “A lot of players in the lower leagues get frustrated and think, ‘Why is he up there and I’m still here?’”

Long is one of several players in the Stevenage squad who have been on the books of a bigger club – Charlton, when they were in the Premier League – but didn’t make a breakthrough. Like many in such a position, the 25-year-old is fuelled by a desire to show that he was written off mistakenly. “My dream is obviously to play at the top level,” he said. “I was never in the first-team squad (at Charlton), never really got a crack. So it’s up to me to work my socks off now and hopefully the chance will come around.”

What is coming around for Newcastle is unclear. Pardew has overseen a couple of wins since taking charge last month but he has yet to win over the faithful since his replacement of Chris Hughton and this defeat will have appalled many. Newcastle seemed lethargic and bereft of ideas, their only plan being to wallop long balls forward.

Pardew said his team were tired by their exertions over the Christmas period and suggested that his forwards could have done better, despite the poor service they received. “We had no Andy Carroll and no Shola Ameobi, our top two strikers, and we didn’t retain the ball at all well up front and that was a problem,” he said. “Fingers crossed at least one of those will be back for next week. Maybe we can add to the squad too. We are working on the idea that we can maybe get two (new players) in.”

The club captain, Kevin Nolan, said the existing players had to use their humiliation to prove they are worthy of their top-flight status. “We have to make sure that come the end of the season Newcastle United are still a Premier League team.”