With Ashley and executive director (football) Dennis Wise nowhere to be seen, it was left to managing director Derek Llambias, the man with whom Kevin Keegan held heated discussions before his resignation, to bear the brunt of a concerted backlash.

Events off the pitch were not helped by events on it for the home side as a promising start was ripped apart by Marlon King's 34th-minute penalty, and by the time King doubled his tally nine minutes after the break, they were in meltdown.

Debutant Xisco pulled a goal back nine minutes from time, but there was to be no salvation on a day when emotions ran high on Tyneside.

The resumption of talks between Ashley and Keegan overnight had given fresh, if unlikely, cause for optimism, but it is hard to see why the 57-year-old would want to wade back into the mess which has engulfed the club he loves in recent weeks.

The Geordie faithful arrived at St James' Park in numbers long before kick-off as planned protests against Ashley and Wise provided the back-drop to the game.

Thousands of fans turned up to voice their support for Keegan carrying banners which left observers in little doubt as to where their loyalties lay, among them "Wise up, drink up, sell up", "Ashley and the Wise guy out" and "I'm only here to support my team".

Once inside the stadium, it was the latter sentiment which came to the fore as the supporters got behind the patched-up side caretaker boss Chris Hughton was able to send out.

Hughton named Spanish striker Xisco in the starting line-up, and he might have made a name for himself with his career on Tyneside just minutes old.

However, the Spaniard, one of only two deadline day arrivals as Keegan finally lost patience with the club's recruitment policy, could not make the most of his chance.

He headed a 13th-minute Charles N'Zogbia corner over the bar when he should have done better, and then failed to get in a shot after being picked out by Geremi inside the box.

Xisco was not the only culprit, and Danny Guthrie will know he really should have hit the target after Geremi once again worked an opening with 19 minutes gone.

Skipper Michael Owen, playing behind a front two of Xisco and Shola Ameobi, was seeing plenty of the ball, and it was he who almost broke the deadlock 14 minutes before the break.

The England international timed his run to perfection to meet Geremi's free-kick, but keeper Boaz Myhill produced a fine reaction save to keep out his deft header.

Newcastle did not have it all their own way and Shay Given had earlier been forced to make a smart 14th-minute save from King's snapshot.

However, the Irishman was finally beaten with 11 minutes of the half remaining after Nicky Butt slid in to try to block Peter Halmosi's cross and his momentum carried him into the Hull man.

Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot and although Given got his hand to King's penalty, he could not keep it out of the bottom corner.

Geremi and Ameobi both went wide of the post as the clock ran down to half-time, but City survived.

The teams returned to find the crowd applauding warmly as a banner demanding "Cockney mafia out" was paraded around the stadium.

However, attention turned to the pitch with 49 minutes gone when Owen turned smartly on the edge of the box and headed towards goal, but he saw his long-range shot blocked.

But the mood turned ugly once again five minutes later when City attacked on the counter and found the home defence in tatters.

King ran on to Halmosi's through-ball and after cutting inside the recovering N'Zogbia, curled a left-foot shot past Given to make it 2-0.

The home side would have been back in the game had Guthrie's 58th-minute cross not run to safety after Myhill had tipped it on to his own bar and then got a fortunate bounce off the keeper.

Ameobi slashed a shot wildly across goal on the hour and was promptly hauled off as Hughton introduced midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez and asked Owen to partner Xisco in attack.

But the home side were in complete disarray and Craig Fagan sent a 66th-minute free header wide.

Newcastle's efforts to get themselves back into the game were laboured, but they pulled a goal back nine minutes from time when N'Zogbia's shot came back off the post and Xisco converted the rebound.

But the fightback fizzled out and Guthrie's misery was complete when he was sent off for a late challenge on Craig Fagan.