NEWCASTLE'S survival hopes suffered a crushing blow this afternoon as they lost 1-0 at home to Fulham.

Hull's 1-1 draw at Bolton has plunged the Magpies back into the bottom three ahead of next Sunday's trip to Aston Villa on the final day of the season.

Alan Shearer's side must now claim at least a point at Villa Park to have any chance of avoiding the drop to the Championship.

Newcastle started brightly enough this afternoon, with Obafemi Martins hitting the outside of the post, but things started to go wrong when Diomansy Kamara broke the deadlock in the 41st minute.

Erik Nevland broke down the right-hand side - an out-of-position Steven Taylor played him onside - and when he squared the ball across the face of the six-yard box, Kamara tapped home from close range.

The Magpies thought they had equalised when Mark Viduka headed home Danny Guthrie's corner at the start of the second half, but referee Howard Webb harshly disallowed the strike, claiming Kevin Nolan had impeded Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Newcastle's afternoon then got worse on the hour mark when Sebastien Bassong was dismissed for a professional foul on Kamara.

The French centre-half clipped Kamara's heels as the striker galloped clear 30 yards out, and will now be suspended for the final-day trip to Villa Park.