Whether you knew about him or not, Cisse announced himself on his debut with a spectacular strike against Aston Villa on 5 February which proved to be the winner.

Here, we’ll look at the player’s career so far:

After playing football in his native Senegal during his teenage years, a 20-year-old Cisse joined FC Metz in Ligue One in the summer of 2005. After spending just one month and making a single appearance for the club, he was sent out on loan to AS Cherbourg who play in the third tier of French football.

His time at the Normandy club was successful and he made 28 league appearances, scoring 11 goals. That season Metz were relegated to Ligue Two and Cisse played a prominent role in the club’s 2006-07 season. He scored 12 goals in 32 appearance as Metz made an instant return to Ligue One.

However, he found life in Ligue One difficult and after nine appearances with no goals, was sent out on loan again. This time it was to Ligue Two outfit LB Chateroux where he scored four goals in 15 appearances.

He returned to Metz for a third time ahead of the 2008-09 season where again the club found themselves in Ligue Two. Again, Cisse was the first-choice to play in the second tier and he scored 15 goals in 37 appearances – his best to date.

During the summer of 2009, Cisse scored one goal and assisted with another during a 2-1 friendly win against Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. Cisse scored eight goals in 16 appearances, again in Ligue Two but joined Freiburg in December 2009 for approximately £1.32 million. He played out the remainder of the 2009-10 season and scored six goals in 16 league appearances.

The 2010-11 season saw his stock rise significantly. Cisse scored 22 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances for a side that ended the season in ninth place and finished second in the top goalscorer charts behind 28-goal Mario Gomez of Bayern Munich.

Cisse’s goalscoring exploits set two new records: the most goals scored in a single season by a Freiburg player and also the most goals scored in the Bundesliga by an African player. The previous record was held for almost 20 years by former Leeds United striker Tony Yeboah, who scored 20 at Eintracht Frankfurt in 1993.

Cisse continued his good form this season, scoring nine goals in 17 Bundesliga matches before joining Newcastle United in January 2012. He was given the hallowed number nine shirt, previously worn by Magpies legends such as Hughie Gallacher, Malcolm McDonald, Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer.

Of course, wearing that shirt brings with it added pressure but you would not have known it when Cisse made his debut against Aston Villa. An early injury to Leon Best saw Cisse come off the bench to team up with Demba Ba. Punters who used a free bets site to get some money down on the “anytime goalscorer” market were cheering when he struck the winning goal after 71 minutes.

Cisse looks a very exciting prospect. He has scored goals in both France and Germany and looks set to do the same in England. He has also been prolific at international level, scoring 10 goals in 17 appearances for Senegal. He knows Ba well from his time playing for his country and they could forge a fearsome strike partnership in the Premier League.

We’ve had better football teams over the years, but there is much to admire about this team. We struggled in the 1st half. Imho, this was once again largely down to our apparent inability to deal with the opposition playing an extra man in midfield.

Perch and Guthrie tended to move towards the same man, and where frequently passed around, leaving large gaps in front of the back four.

I had confidence Alan Pardew would sort this out at Half-Time, and he appeared to do so simply by telling Perch to stop chasing around the pitch and hold his position in front of the back four.

Villa created too many half chances for comfort, and Krul was kept fairly busy, dealing with pretty well everything thrown at him superbly. As usual, Simpson was awful, including on their goal when he did not get tight enough to Insomnia.

Santon was again decent going forward, and rather suspect defensively. He and Jonas are forming a useful partnership, but being right-footed they both slow progress by constantly needing to bring the ball onto the right foot.

Colo was less effective than normal, seemed rather hesitant, and made a number of unusual errors.

We were much brighter in the 2nd half with Obertan occasionally threatening down the right, Jonas working incredibly hard up and down the left, Guthrie working his nuts off in the provider role, and Cisse and Ba’s movement causing Villa problems. What a joy to have two mobile forwards!

After a tough night on Wednesday, we tired towards the end and let them come on to us; however, we saw it out. It would have been criminal if Cisse had been denied the winner after that phenomenal strike and a hugely encouraging debut.

Their goal was the end result of some sloppy defending by Williamson and Colo, but otherwise they offered little in the way of a threat.

We upped our game in the 2nd half, but despite a lot of good possession just couldn’t find the target. A Williamson header hit the angle and went out and, Shola blazed high and wide when wide open on the edge of the PA and with plenty of time.

It was looking as though Blackburn would hold out when HBA took possession around 35yds out. His mazy run and thunderous strike was truly Maradona-esque. Fabulous goal. His overall performance was a bit in and out, and he looked more comfortable after going out wide when Obertan was mercifully taken off. He seemed to benefit from that bit extra time he got in the wide position.

Jonas had a good 2nd half, as his developing partnership with Santon caused Blackburn all kinds of problems, and the winning goal was well created by Shola and beautifully taken by the Spiderman.

Abeid did ok on his debut and certainly didn’t look overawed. He could prove to be another good ‘un.

Without playing well, Shola improved things up front simply by getting in and around the box. Best needs to recognise that he is now expected to be the main man, and he needs to concentrate on getting on the end of things rather than getting involved in the build-up. We dominated posssession yesterday without offering a consistent threat, and this has to be a real concern over the next few weeks.

Not a classic but at least we’re in the hat.

Last year we were beaten heavily with 4 goals, and it looks like the Potters fans are very confidence that the same result will repeated again last night, but they have witnessed the all brand new Newcastle Undefeated Football Club, as the final result was their worst Halloween ever at their own yard.

United visit the Britannia on a quest to conquer the third spot on the Premiership table from Chelsea who got thrashed last Saturday by Arsenal. Frankly I would be happy with a point there, as it will guarantee us the third spot.

United were playing without Tiote who has an injury problem and Pardew give a chance for Guthrie to take his position, and he’s more than adequately to handle his tasks in our central midfield.

Man of the match is (our future #9) Demba Ba who scores a hattrick. With his performance last night, Stoke manager Tony Pulis was wondering why he’s not one of their player in first place.

Ba took United to the lead after just 11 minutes through United’s swift direct attack. Tim Krul send the ball out and being flicked on by Leon Best to the position of Obertan who sprint the ball and leaving Marc Wilson trailing in before clipping a delightful cross to Ba, to score his first goal of the match.

United then soon become under a heavy pressure from the Potters, but we held them firmly with Coloccini and Steven Taylor commanding the area. And as much as they give us the tests, we simply responded once we had the chance to hitting them back on the counter.

Newcastle’s counter attack producing Ba’s second when Coloccini’s angling ball fell into the box for Upson to try to headed it out. The ball was only goes as far as Leon Best who return it low back into the six-yard box where Ba is waiting to finish it with a verocious strike.

The home side could only response with a goal from penalty when Peter ‘always diving in the six-yard box’ Crouch react to Ba’s soft touch. Jonathan Walter gave the Potters a false hope to save their game.

But, soon after Crouch tumbling down heavily like was being hit by a male elephant, United have another reward from the referee and in a similar situation as Huth nudged Best inside the box. Ba made no mistake, as he scores his third.

That’s it, the mission accomplished, third in premiership as the reward of the lads hard work and never-end fighting spirit so far this season. I must say that I have started to believe in Alan Pardew now, as we are walking in his wonderland.

Ba then hit the post when he made a decent chance for himself. He spent all the first half playing up front on his own. I assume Ben Arfa was supposed to be the support player but was never near enough to Ba to take advantage when the big man won the ball. In fact Ben Arfa was woeful tonight so I hope that was a blip.

Davide Santon started at left back and showed a willingness to get forward but something of a relucatance to get back and cover when he’d lost the ball – which he did regularly. He seemed to lack strength and was knocked off the abll far too easily. He moved to right back later on but to be honest, I was far from impressed on this showing.

A word at this stage about the referee. He was shite. For a start, he is very inexperienced at this level. I saw him make a far few cock ups in a League 2 game 10 days ago so I had an idea what to expect.

Blackburn’s second goal was a result of his total incompetence. Ba broke into the box and was hauled over by Samba. Everyone in the ground could see this was a pen – expect the ref who waved play on. Blackburn cleared the ball forward and proceeded to win their own penalty – probably was but that’s not the point.

It should have been 1-1 and instead we found ourselves two down. Ba spent the time during which they were preparing to take the pen remonstrating with the liner and fourth official – in this he was supported by Pardew!

I thought there was a fair chance that Pardew was going to deck one of the officials he was getting so upset at what was going on. In the first half a free kick was given against Colo when the ball was hit against his hand from about a yard. When a Blackburn defender handled in the box when the ball hit his hand from about three yards – no pen. When anothere free kick was given outside the area for a third such offence Pardew nearly blew a gasket.

We were a bit better in the second half without really troubling their keeper too much. We seemed to lack urgency and never got behind them down the flanks until late on. Marveaux didn’t see a lot of the ball in decent positions and Jonas had two men on him every time he was in possession.

Then came added time. We were chucking men forward without getting much joy then Guthrie popped a great shot in from about 30 yards. He’d had a rather mixed night – he lacks real creativity and isn’t as effective defensively as Tiote. Good goal though but. It was only when that goal went in that I realised we were far from the only Newcastle fans in the Jack Walker Stand!

There were still two minutes of the added five (mainly due to their time wasting) but I never expected what happened next! In the fifth minutes of added time we got a free kick about 25 yards out. Mr J said “he’ll have to shoot cos the ref is gonner blow”. So Cabaye shot – and it went in!! Last kick of the 90 apart from the kick off when the ref blew his whistle straight away. Amazing.

So extra time started with us on a high and them looking fed up. We were pressing more but they got a free kick about 25-30 yards out. Morten Gamst Pedersen shot, it took a wicked deflecttion and went in the bottom corner. So we just kept attacking and Lovely pants was pulled over as he was about to shoot. Ref never saw it of course and ended up giving a corner but the liner was signalling for a penalty. Lovely pants put it away with ease.

At this point, the Toon fans in the Jack Walker were on their feet cheering the goal and some sad git behind me went and complained to a steward saying he should throw them out. The steward basically told him to bog off!

Sadly, the heroics at Forest weren’t to be repeated. They got a free kick which Pedersen chipped to the far post when Samba won his header and Givet nodded in. Now I can only think the liner thought Givet had come from behind the ball because if he hadn’t he was well offside there being none of our players withing a country mile of him.

Colo nodded one over the bar in the dying seconds but that was that. Shame really. Man of the Match?? The 5,000 Toon fans who made up half the crowd and sang all night.