NELSON'S attempted fight-back in the second half came far too late after they had been given the runaround by high-flying Newcastle.

The visitors took the lead in the first minute of the game when Andy Bourne scored with a simple chance.

As Newcastle pushed forward, Darren Wright and Billy Carrington made good stops to prevent further goals, but Paul Morley gave away a penalty on 33 minutes.

Simon Eldershaw drove in the spot-kick and, on the stroke of half-time, Newcastle added a third when McMahon scored with an angled shot.

The pressure continued after the interval and Alistair Brown knocked in Richard Minor's low cross on 49 minutes to give Town a four-goal lead.

Tactical substitutions by Nick Jackson-Cooney gave Nelson fresh impetus and Martin Payne's throughball gave Alex Mugan the chance to score the best goal of the game on the hour.

But although the Blues bossed the rest of the game, their single goal and their situation at the foot of the table looks even more daunting.