A second win over relegated opposition in five days saw Newcastle conclude their season positively on Sunday, attaining a barely believable twelfth place finish after a goal in each half witnessed by 2,000 fans at Craven Cottage.

Two years on from the memorable 4-0 romp here in front of a buoyant away support, it was a rather more sombre afternoon by the Thames as Fulham took their leave of the top flight once again.

Aside from Heathrow-bound flights overhead, the loudest noise came courtesy of the cardboard clackers given out for home diehards to vent their frustrations by braying anything within reach. Surely any fan led review of the game will see these accursed things outlawed?

Beginning without a recognised striker but two on the bench, the Magpies took all three points from a tepid contest despite conceding the bulk of possession to the hosts, for whom old boy Aleksandar Mitrovic was unfit after a season comparable to Ryan Fraser in club versus country impact.

Neither side had come close to engineering an opening before Willock took an opportunity to claim his seventh goal in successive league appearances: emulating Alan Shearer's feat for the club in the Premier League and both Paul Goddard and Len White from the First Division era.

That 23rd minute strike divided the sides at the interval, while the highlight of a turgid second period was a Fabian Schar penalty conversion. Victory ensured that United went level with Wolves on points, while the consequence of Schar's Swiss precision was to match their goal difference. That then meant that we finished above them due to a better goals scored record.

Fulham's lack of a goalscorer was glaringly evident as Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro wasted good chances - the latter guilty of an awful 58th minute miss, clearing the bar when an equaliser seemed inevitable. Visiting substitute Dwight Gayle - on for the limping Allan Saint-Maximin - was then equally profligate, heading over the bar from six yards out when unmarked from a free-kick.

The game appeared to be petering out until Matt Ritchie was clipped from behind in the area by Kenny Tete with two minutes of normal time left; referee Chris Kavanagh pointing to the spot with VAR confirming a decision that brought no real protest from home players. And with Ritchie clearly reluctant to take responsibility, substitute Schar came forward and casually tucked the ball inside a post.

That rounded off a victory that was far more impressive on paper than in the flesh, but had a sizeable effect on the club's finishing position and prize pot. Beginning the day in 15th, the 12th place finish resulted in an uplift of around £8.5m from the Premier League prize fund.

Victory also saw Steve Bruce improve on his first season in charge by one point and three places - triggering the inevitable humble pie references in his press call.

A look at the final table and the massive 17 point difference between the two sides underlines the ludicrousness of our belief that we'd finish below Scott Parker's side. That looked a distinct possibility though following the deserved 0-3 defeat at Brighton in March, as we seemed unable to pull out of a rapidly-developing death spiral.

To have recovered from that with something to spare is praiseworthy indeed; just two defeats in nine games and passages of inspired counter-attacking play that would have been celebrated wildly had fans witnessed them first-hand.

To be content with that upturn though is to fall into the usual unrealistic expectations trap. How high could we have finished if we'd not had our own personal mid-season break and attempted to play games without actually attacking? Injuries and the effects of the pandemic this season weren't unique to this club, no matter what you might hear in the media.

Today's 90 minutes encapsulated much of what we've exhibited in 38 games this season: a reasonable result but an unconvincing performance that at times verged on the unwatchable.

On the fourteenth anniversary of his gaining a controlling stake in the club, Mike Ashley was present here to witness our highest finish since 2017/18, matching the 45 points collected in 2018/19.

What he thought of that isn't recorded, but it's hard to believe that he derived any more enjoyment than the fans watching from afar: trapped in a loveless marriage, saddled with a club content to exist, never seeking to prosper or actually develop. He can change that.

Anywhere else there would be optimism that this better-than-anticipated finish would signal genuine forward progress next season. Instead though, our own bleak take is that we'll be firmly back along the also-rans.

Something desperately needs to change.

PS: after another season when our collective experience of football was skewed out of all recognition, it's a relief to conclude with at least a semblance of normal service restored - and relegation averted.

We've lost too many good people to mention them all individually here without becoming endlessly maudlin; apologies to anyone we omitted when posting our periodic tributes.

If nothing else, NUFC didn't add to people's burden and hopefully provided some moments of relief. We hope for better days and remain genuinely appreciative of your support and encouragement.

Biffa