Newcastle Town 1 St Helens Town 0

TWO incidents in the closing five minutes of this rather sterile affair sealed Town's fate and condemned them to their first away league defeat of the season.

The game was heading for a goalless draw when St Helens almost stole the points but with the keeper beaten, Mark Ashton's header bounced against the crossbar. Three minutes from time a Newcastle corner on the right ended up in the net with Town claiming strongly that keeper Phil Wood had been impeded. But after deliberation with his linesman, the referee awarded a goal and Town's proud record on opponents' soil was over.

To be fair, Newcastle's victory was merited and avenged their defeat at Knowsley Road ten days earlier. And although Town's defeat -- only their third of the season -- is no great disaster they must pick up their form and potency again starting with Ramsbottom United's visit to Knowsley Road on Saturday.

On a bright but cold day in the Potteries, Town had the better of a negative first half in which neither keeper had a serious save to make due to some cultured defending with both sides operating the sweeper system in which Phoenix for St Helens and Stokes for Newcastle.

Town went closest to scoring on 26 minutes when home keeper Mullock fumbled Dooner's free kick but with Fearns about to pounce, Walker desperately hacked the ball to safety. Two minutes later Newcastle went very close but Dooner made an excellent clearance to deny Morton. Then as the half drew to a close Town almost took an interval lead but Pestridge got in a vital block on Fearns' six-yard volley.

The second half was only a minute old when Newcastle's newly-introduced sub Paul Jones brought a good save from Wood as he tipped an 18-yarder over the bar. Town simply couldn't get going after the break and things got worse when Hennigan limped out of the game on 51 minutes to be replaced by Doolan.

On the hour Newcastle's Banks volleyed narrowly wide following a corner before Wood made a vital block at Morton's feet with the striker hastily stabbing the rebound wide of the exposed net.

At this point Town simply couldn't get hold of the ball and were clearly lacking the absent Quirk and departed Hennigan in midfield, And although defending soundly with Phoenix reading the game well, they had two more scares when Paul Jones was only inches off connecting with Wilson-Cunningham's driven cross, then a Banks 20-yarder just cleared the ball.

By now Town had replaced isolated front men Fearns and Cooper with Laird and Heys and with five minutes left the former fired in a great right wing cross which found the unmarked Ashton at the far post only for his powerful downward header to take a mighty bounce and climb against the crossbar. Then came the controversial winner at the other end when Beasley drove over a chest-high corner from the right and among a cluster of barging bodies, Wood palmed the ball into his own net.

Following Ramsbottom's visit to Knowsley Road on Saturday (3pm) Mossley come to St Helens next Wednesday, March 14, kick-off 7.45pm.