It was one of Pardew's longer-serving players who came to the rescue in his hour of need on Saturday when Papiss Cisse climbed from the bench for the first time since April and dragged the manager back from the point of no return in the eyes of his critics to snatch a 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw with Hull.
On Wednesday night, the 53-year-old and his players will turn their attention to the Capital One Cup and a third round trip to Crystal Palace in a game which will give them some respite from the battle to lift the club from the foot of the league table.
Just what team Pardew selects remains to be seen with the men above him having made it clear that it is the Premier League, and not the domestic cup competitions, which is the priority, but if £7million summer signing Remy Cabella is involved, his manager will hope he builds upon his most encouraging display yet against Hull.
Pardew said: "I was really pleased with Cabella. He's such an important player for us with Siem [de Jong] out, and I don't think up until now he has really produced a performance which warrants his tag, the money we have spent.
"But I really felt he showed the character, he showed the quality that really buoyed me, if I am honest, that has buoyed me a little bit going into the next game."
Former Montpellier midfielder Cabella, 24, was one of nine men to join the Magpies during the close season with Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles immediately being loaned back to Nottingham Forest.
He, like Monaco striker Emmanuel Riviere, has been thrown straight in at the deep end and the pair have found the transition to Premier League challenging to say the least.
Newcastle's lack of senior frontmen has seen Riviere start all six games to date and with little support, he is still awaiting his first competitive goal for the club.
However, Pardew is hopeful that Cisse's return from injury will help to take the weight off the 24-year-old Frenchman.
He said: "I feel some sympathy for Manu because he has had to carry the shirt and he's not ready to carry that shirt yet full-time.
"It's a shirt that is heavy and I think he has seen an example from Papiss to take that chance to make that little movement in the box.
"Manu will learn from that, and it gives me the opportunity with Papiss coming back to fitness to rest Manu and for him to understand what it is to play at a big club like this.
"He's only 24, Riviere, and really and truly, we have had too much responsibility on him."
Pardew has the advantage of his side not playing again in the league until they head for Stoke next Monday evening, although he is likely to make several changes for the game at Selhurst Park and having admitted Cisse should not really have played at the weekend, he has a decision to make over whether or not to use him this time around.
It will be the second time the sides have met already this season with substitute Wilfried Zaha's injury-time strike at St James' Park on August 30 securing a point for Neil Warnock's men from a game in which they had twice led before going 3-2 down with normal time almost up.