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Ange Postecoglou strode for the tunnel deep in thought, gaze fixed on the ground. Following 7 games as manager with zero wins, his prospects looked as uncertain as a fog on the Tyne.

While the home side were not at their dominant form, second-half strikes from Bruno Guimarães and Nick Woltemade—Woltemade's from the penalty spot—eventually earned them a restorative second top-flight victory of the season.

At kick-off, Postecoglou's padded jacket swaddled him similar to a duvet, but the Australian's restless gestures suggested it provided little comfort.

No jacket could shield him from the anxiety that his victory-less beginning at Forest—having arrived as the only coach in a century without a win in his first half-dozen fixtures—would continue ahead of a possible dismissal during the upcoming pause.

And yet, his team did not do too badly during a tight at the back first half.

While Elliot Anderson at times upstaged even Sandro Tonali in the center, reminding everyone why Eddie Howe was so hesitant to let go of the academy product, Nikola Milenkovic marked Woltemade effectively, and the winger gave the full-back problems down the home left.

In fairness to the forward, who received minimal service in the air or on the ground, his team's creative department lacked fluidity.

Admittedly, it took a fine stop from Matt Sels—a former Magpies goalkeeper—to keep out Joelinton effort, and the player failed to convert a few opportunities, but overall, Forest's defense was much improved.

Given it is only a few weeks since the Australian replaced Nuno Espírito Santo and matches have come thick and fast, with minimal time to put into practice his ideas on the training ground, all the speculation of an looming dismissal seemed somewhat premature.

That was until the midfielder lifted a right-foot shot past Sels and into the top corner from the edge of the box.

That saw Postecoglou shaking his head in clear despair, wearing the anguished look of a man who had misplaced his keys.

His players protested about a perceived infraction on their playmaker by Guimarães in the lead-up, but their appeals fell on deaf ears by the referee.

As Tonali now dominant in midfield, the youngster was not the only visiting player struggling to make an impact.

By now, the coach had removed his anorak and rolled up the arms of his sweater. As his team seldom looking capable of scoring and the hosts looking to shred their earlier improved defensive organisation, he was clearly feeling the heat.

There was a further fine stop from the goalkeeper to keep out Tonali's volleyed attempt, before the following corner prefaced Woltemade's half-volley hitting the underside of the bar.

Sels then made an superb double save from Malick Thiaw and Harvey Barnes before eventually being beaten from the penalty spot by the German.

The penalty was given when the midfielder's poorly timed challenge sent the Brazilian tumbling down.

Stepping up, the German striker to confound the goalie by chipping a rather audacious spot-kick into the top left corner.

It was Woltemade's 4th strike for the club since his seventy-million-pound move from Stuttgart in the summer, making a mockery of comments from senior figures at Bayern Munich that the Magpies were “foolish” to pay so much for the striker.

It wasn't Woltemade's finest performance in Newcastle colors, but his skill to retain possession and use his sticky control to connect attacks is already making him a fan favorite on Tyneside.