Andy Carroll shrugged off the latest off-field controversy to hit his burgeoning career by firing the Toon five points clear at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship ... and he was BACKED by the Toon fans all the way last night in Doncaster.
The Gateshead-born 21-year-old is at the centre of a training ground incident which left team-mate Steven Taylor nursing a broken jaw, but EVERY club has it's internal incidents, but I'm sure the News Of The World will have an 'exclusive' on Sunday claiming the Toon are in turmoil and are on the rocky road to hell!
Carroll was cheered right from the start - which must have upset the gutter press looking for a story - and he rewarded the travelling fans by shooting home a second-half winner to keep his boyhood team on course for an instant return to the Barclays Premier League.
Newcastle's preparations had been overshadowed by the incident and amid speculation that furious owner Mike Ashley had launched an internal investigation.
But it was business as usual for Carroll, who has scored eight goals in the last eight games.
Taylor has been discharged from Newcastle General Hospital, where he had been admitted on Sunday.