Coventry beaten by hot property Dyer

'Sven Goran Eriksson will see Kieron and if he sees how he played in the second half, he'll take note. His best position is as part of a three-man midfield - I wouldn't like to play against him there - but I don't think there's been a better player up front in the last six weeks.

'Look at the goals he scores and the runs he makes. He hangs behind the full back and lays it on for other people, and his form recently has been exceptional.

'I said his finishing was the one thing he needed to improve but he hit it with the outside of his foot for his goal against Coventry. Ronaldo was marvellous up front for me at PSV Eindhoven. He was a striker and Kieron is learning to be a striker. He's an auxiliary striker because of our depleted forces up front but he's got us out of trouble.'

After a quiet first half when Dyer was overshadowed by Ameobi, 19, he returned to his best and capped his display with his sixth goal of the season on 66 minutes.

Newcastle led from the fourth minute, when Gary Speed rose at the near post to head home Nolberto Solano's corner and they doubled their lead, after a slick exchange between the Peruvian and Dyer as Ameobi swept the ball home.

It was a winning debut for Wayne Quinn, the £1.5m-rated defender who is on a month's loan to Newcastle from Sheffield United with a view to a permanent move.

Quinn, frozen out at Bramall Lane, got forward to good effect and made several strong challenges in a composed and confident first appearance for the club.

He said: 'Myself and Neil Warnock got on OK but we had a disagreement. Every manager has to make decisions and I'm not going to rub it in his face and say "I told you soî.

'He had his reasons for keeping me on the bench and I accept them, but when you get the chance to play in the Premiership you take it.

'I've got so much respect for Bobby Robson - what he's done for me and what he's won in football. I was supposed to come here a couple of years ago and when that deal broke down it was the lowest point of my career.'

Coventry created a number of chances but good goalkeeping by Steve Harper and bad finishing by David Thompson and Craig Bellamy contributed to their downfall.

Newcastle failed to keep a clean sheet for the 18th game in a row as Stephen Glass headed Thompson's 78th-minute corner into his own net, but of far more significance to Coventry was their descent into the bottom three.

Manager Gordon Strachan said: 'Chris Kirkland, our goalkeeper, strained his hamstring in the warm- up and Magnus Hedman knew that he was going to play only five minutes before the game. I think that affected us in the first few minutes.

'But I've come here with Manchester United and Leeds and never made as many chances. In fact, we haven't made as many clear-cut chances as that in our last four games here put together.

'The performances of a lot of my players were heartening but it's down to confidence. If Kieron Dyer, who's exceptional, had been on my side we'd have won easily.'