Newcastle's hopes of avoiding relegation this season received a body blow at St. James' Park on Saturday afternoon, as fellow strugglers Watford earned a point thanks to an 88th minute equaliser.

And on a day when hopes were high that they would exit the bottom three, Eddie Howe's side instead found themselves overtaken by a victorious Norwich City and kept only off the bottom of the table by an idle Burnley side who now have three games in hand on them. 

Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood both made their Premier League debuts for the club, with Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett returning to the back four and Martin Dubravka keeping his place amid claims of a toe problem. 

Losing the toss and defending the Leazes End against a red-clad Hornets side, the Magpies made a frantic start to the game and came close to a 10th minute opener when Joelinton's shot struck the goal frame after reaching Ryan Fraser's deflected right wing cross.

The Brazilian was guilty of a more glaring miss soon after, shooting wide of the target from another Fraser cross, while new boy Wood was twice unable to keep his headers down. Half time was reached scoreless though with visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster untested on his return to the side.

That changed just four minutes after the restart though, when a typical solo run and shot from Allan Saint-Maximin gave the black and whites a 49th minute lead - taking a forward pass from Shelvey and deceiving Jeremy Ngakia out on the left flank before heading infield and pulling the trigger.

However, United inexplicably failed to build on what was to be their only shot on target; their attempts to stonewall a Hornets side aiming to avoid an eighth successive defeat looked remote well before Joao Pedro's late sickener.

Having survived for 49 minutes thanks to some resolute defending and play-acting, Claudio Ranieri's side inevitably took up the invitation offered to them once United got a goal ahead and declared.

Former Magpie Moussa Sissoko was guilty of an awful miss in the 67th minute, ballooning his shot wildly into the gloating Gallowgate End when well placed to round off a defence-splitting attack.

Just when it seemed that the home side would hang on for a desperately-needed three points, substitute Kiko Femenia evaded Miguel Almiron and Dummett on the Watford right and his deep cross saw Pedro out-jump Lascelles to power a header beyond Dubravka.

The lateness of the leveller brought added drama, but had Watford broken their duck earlier in the game then they would have been favourites to go on and win - it's arguable that this was a point gained rather than two thrown away, such was the alarming extent to which we faded from view as an attacking force.

Wood was acquired at significant expense after third tier Cambridge United exposed our attacking inadequacy in the absence of the crocked Callum Wilson. Sadly though, the Kiwi replicated the games when Wilson provided no genuine goal threat - and he didn't have the alibi of having jetted in from foreign climes or lacking match fitness.

Today was the ninth time that we've failed to win a match after being ahead: a divisional high 23 points dropped from winning positions underlining the fact that we just cannot see games out. That makes our post-goal behaviour here even more inexplicable; a collective abdication of responsibility in the form of backwards and sideways passing ambitions suitably punished - quite what is going on with Joe Willock is unclear, but for him not to be capable of starting in this side or coming on to boost it almost defies belief.

One win in 20 PL games this season leaves us in a perilous position and while efforts to boost the squad during the remainder of the window continue, an inability to recruit a central defender (or two) in time for this game looks like a monumentally expensive failure.

Even before the goal, Lascelles looked like an accident waiting to happen and can count himself fortunate that a series of tugs and shoves weren't punished more severely by referee Paul Tierney.

It's not just recruitment though that is open to question; while the concept of game management remains alien to us, we're doomed to perpetually rake over the ashes of yet another must-win game that didn't produce three points.

The challenge this season was always  to find three teams that can finish below us; sadly this outcome makes that increasingly impossible. For all the bonny flags and fuzzy feelings of unity, the clock is ticking on relentlessly and there's no discernible change to our fortunes.

Biffa