Just over 10,000 were in attendance at the City Ground following Saturday's disastrous defeat at the hands of Derby County but those who did turn up were treated to a second League Cup thriller of the season after the earlier clash with local rivals Notts County.
And as in that game Forest showed a battling spirit that has been absent from many of their league displays, coming from behind three times to almost take their Premier League opponents to a penalty shoot-out thanks to goals from Findley, Derbyshire and Tudgay.
Coloccini's winner however in the 122nd minute of the game meant that Newcastle go through to the next round and left the Reds looking for a similar performance but different result against Watford this weekend.
Steve McClaren said afterwards: "The key thing tonight was restoring pride in the team. The fans wanted to see that and I think they got it, and they got it in abundance.
"It was a great response to what has been a very difficult few days, but sometimes, adversity like that is the making of a team and you have to go through it."