NEWCASTLE: Harper, Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor, Simpson,Jose Enrique, Geremi, Barton (Kadar 89), Nolan, Guthrie (Donaldson 85), Smith, Ranger (Vuckic 85).Subs Not Used: Krul, LuaLua, Ngo Baheng, Tozer.
LEICESTER: Weale, Neilson, Brown, Hobbs, Berner,N'Guessan (Adams 90), Oakley, Fryatt (Waghorn 69), Wellens,Howard, Gallagher (Dyer 60).Subs Not Used: Logan, McGivern, Morrison, Andy King.
Att: 38,813
Danny Guthrie fired Newcastle to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship in a fixture that predicted a game of few chances.
Newcastle didn't look to have much fire-power in their injury-ravaged side, and Leicester are struggling to find their feet in a Division new to them.
The first half was rubbish, and the second-half was little better ... but Guthrie did the damage and the Toon fans were happy to take the points.
Personally I'd have had Alan Smith lead the line ... but he did everything asked of him in other areas ... so perhaps I was wrong and Hughton got it right.
As for the rest of them ... Enrique couldn't be bothered in the first 45 minutes and looked a liability. He wasn't keeping in line with the rest of the defence and gave the Foxes the opportunity to hit us with the long ball, but thankfully Steven Taylor did the Spaniard's job for him more than once.
All eyes were on Nile Ranger, who stuck to his task well. He didn't have much of a sniff at goal but one aspect of his game that Oba Martins never had ... he can lay the ball off well.
He took a lot of stick but stood up strong to everything, holding the ball up well and standing his ground when defenders were trying to out-muscle him.
It was a superb performance, as he felt the rest of his company could find an easier route to goal, and he laid off some superb passes into telling areas.
Match report:
Guthrie's 52nd-minute strike was enough to secure a fourth successive league win in front of owner Mike Ashley, prospective buyer Barry Moat and would-be manager Alan Shearer on a night when a New York-based consortium claimed they were ready to open talks over a deal.
On the pitch, the home side triumphed despite injuries reducing caretaker boss Chris Hughton's options to virtually none - his seven substitutes did not have a league start between them.
A crowd of 38,813 left St James' Park delighted with the result, but wondering just how long the run of results will continue with the squad looking thinner by the day.
On a day when the club loaned Spanish misfit Xisco to Racing Santander for the season, Newcastle were without Fabricio Coloccini after he joined up with the Argentina squad and injured quartet Nicky Butt, Jonas Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll, and Hughton decided to pair teenager Nile Ranger with Kevin Nolan in attack.
The Magpies went close with four minutes gone when Geremi and Guthrie broke at pace to set up Nolan, whose right-footed shot was saved comfortably by Chris Weale.
They had appeals for a penalty turned down when Ryan Taylor's 15th-minute cross clipped Paul Gallagher's arm, and Wayne Brown was fortunate to escape after a more blatant handball a few seconds later.
However, it was Steve Harper who had to make the game's first real save six minutes later when Newcastle supporter Steve Howard met Matt Oakley's corner with a bullet header.
Howard was proving a real handful and Alan Smith's foul on the striker presented Gallagher with a 38th-minute free-kick, Harper once again coming to the rescue with a fine diving save.
Matty Fryatt might have done better in injury time when he made the most of Danny Simpson's misjudgment to home in on goal, but his left-footed effort was well off target.
Ranger whistled a right-footed shot just wide from 25 yards within seconds of the restart, and the youngster played a part in the opening goal with 52 minutes gone.
Nolan laid off Harper's clearance to him and he fed Guthrie to step inside defender Jack Hobbs and smash the ball past Weale.
Geremi might have doubled his side's advantage within three minutes with a swerving drive which just evaded the bottom corner as Newcastle went for the kill.
Smith, Nolan and Joey Barton all went close to a second as Ranger repeatedly carved the City defence open, and despite a rousing finish from Leicester, their side saw out time to claim the points.