Newcastle manager Chris Hughton felt his side had taken another step back towards the Premier League after a first away victory in seven league outings at Watford.
Goals from Fabricio Coloccini and Andy Carroll, both scored within the first five minutes of the start of each half, put the Magpies in the driving seat before a late Will Hoskins strike gave the Hornets a late glimmer of hope.
"It's a tough place to come," said Hughton
"They are a side that have got a lot energy, they played very well at St James' Park earlier in the season.
"The first goal obviously set us off and we had a period in the second half where we were very comfortable and probably the only disappointing note of the afternoon was conceding the goal when we did."
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