The end of the season cannot come quickly enough for Harry Redknapp.

For if it went on much longer, West Ham would be in serious relegation trouble.

As it is, following this defeat by Newcastle, the Hammers are still not mathematically safe.

Carl Cort's volleyed goal and a Nolberto Solano penalty should have been enough for a comfortable Newcastle win at St James' Park, but there were some late jitters after Frank Lampard pulled one back, also from the spot.

Both Newcastle and West Ham have under-performed this season - both were on 39 points at kick-off - and their managers must already be looking to the next campaign.

Bobby Robson is faced with a leaky defence - Newcastle's last clean sheet was on September 30 - and a goal-shy attack. Redknapp may have the cream of England's youth in his midfield, but he will not have enjoyed his side's flirtation with the relegation zone.

The Hammers badly missed the absent Paolo di Canio, and were also deprived of Frederic Kanoute after little more than 20 minutes due to injury.

Without them, West Ham were toothless, and rarely can a striker have had as poor a game as Kanoute's replacement, the Bulgarian Svetoslav Todorov.

Redknapp will take a little solace from his side's bright opening, when Lampard opened the hostilities with a 25-yard driven shot, but Shay Given had no trouble holding the effort.

After 15 minutes, Joe Cole - playing in 'the hole' behind Kanoute - showed a flash of his ability by spinning away from Christian Bassedas and was only stopped by a crude foul by Gary Speed, who was lucky to escape a booking.

Newcastle had lost Warren Barton to an Achilles injury early on, he was replaced by Steve Caldwell, before Kanoute also left the field.

That gave the Magpies confidence, and Rob Lee's astute cross found Gallacher in the centre of the box but he could not direct his diving header on target.

Kanoute's departure left West Ham looking bereft of ideas in attack, and Newcastle slowly started to turn the screw.

It finally paid dividends after 32 minutes, following a patient build-up involving Rob Lee and Wayne Quinn, whose cross to the far-post eventually reached Solano.

The little Peruvian fired in the perfect cross which cut out Shaka Hislop and Cort volleyed home from close range.

Fired up by the goal, Gallacher attempted an audacious long-range volley which dropped wide.

A break by the Magpies saw Solano so nearly put the home side two up. With the Hammers defence in retreat, Solano chipped a shot which seemed to have cleared Hislop, only for the former Newcastle keeper to stretch out a long arm and tip the ball wide.

Early in the second half, Lampard wasted an excellent opening, created by Cole who had twisted and turned around Quinn before rolling a pass to his unmarked team-mate.

Lampard should have shot immediately but he tried to flick the ball up first and his volley was charged down.

Gallacher nearly got on the end of another piercing Solano cross, before the Peruvian made it 2-0 from the spot 10 minutes into the second half. Nigel Winterburn handled his cross and Solano himself took the penalty, scoring with a cheeky chip as Hislop dived the wrong way.

Suddenly, Newcastle were rampant. Hislop first saved well from Gallacher's volley, then he parried Cort's header and could only watch as Gallacher had a close-range strike that clipped a post.

With Todorov virtually invisible, Cole was West Ham's only outlet and Quinn did well to deflect the midfielder's shot for a corner after another dribble into the box.

Gallacher tried another lob from 20 yards, before, with 10 minutes remaining, West Ham were handed a sudden route back into the game. Andy O'Brien took Rigobert Song's legs away in the box and Lampard blasted the spot-kick straight down the middle.

Six minutes from time, Todorov made his first meaningful contribution by setting up Lampard for a strike, but his 20-yarder was straight at Given.

In the dying seconds, Hislop pulled off a quite incredible save to foil Newcastle substitute Clarence Acuna, but that did not prevent the points going to the Magpies.

Teams:

Newcastle: Given, Barton (Stephen Caldwell 9), O'Brien, Dabizas, Quinn, Solano, Bassedas, Lee (Acuna 77), Speed, Cort, Gallacher (Lua-Lua 89).

Subs not used: Harper, Cordone.

Goals: Cort 32, Solano 56 pen.

West Ham: Hislop, Stimac, Song, Ian Pearce, Schemmel (Dailly 45), Winterburn, Moncur (Diawara 69), Lampard, Carrick, Cole, Kanoute (Todorov 22).

Subs not used: Bywater, Soma.

Booked: Dailly.

Goal: Lampard 80 pen.

Attendance: 51,107

Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).