Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of the match in the Premier League between Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.

After spending millions on new signings during the January transfer window, Newcastle supporters would not have expected their team to suffer a 3-0 defeat at Everton on Wednesday night, and the setback has left the club two points adrift of safety. In the space of a few days, pressure has intensified on manager Steve McClaren, leaving today's fixture as a must win. Can they do it? You feel like they need to.

The pressure has also started to build on West Brom head coach Tony Pulis. The Welshman has done a solid job at The Hawthorns but four games without a win and his side showing little threat in the final third has led to plenty of frustration from the Baggies faithful. He finds himself in a position where he needs to deliver an improved attacking display if he is going to satisfy the club's support at St James' Park, who may feel that their hosts are there for the taking.

Before I continue, I should point you in the direction of our coverage of Manchester City and Leicester City. If you are not aware of the score, I advise you to take a look here.

Anyway, without further ado, let's take a look at the two starting lineups. Both sides have been plagued by injuries so it's inevitable that there are going to be a few changes.

NEWCASTLE UNITED XI: Elliot; Janmaat, Taylor, Coloccini, Aarons; Sissoko, Tiote, Shelvey, Townsend; Wijnaldum; Mitrovic

NEWCASTLE UNITED SUBSTITUTES: Darlow, Gibson, Williams, Barlaser, Saivet, Perez, Doumbia

WEST BROMWICH ALBION XI: Foster; Olsson, Chester, Yacob, Gardner, Anichebe, McClean, McAuley, Fletcher, Dawson, Sandro

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBSTITUTES: Myhill; Pocognoli, Lambert, Berahino, Pritchard, Sessegnon, Rondon

McClaren has made four alterations for this afternoon's clash, the most notable seeing Steven Taylor make his first start in defence since August. There are also starts for Cheick Tiote and Aleksandar Mitrovic, while Rolando Aarons will start in an unfamiliar position of left-back due to an injury to Paul Dummett.

New signing Seydou Doumbia is only fit enough for a place on the bench, which also includes three teenagers - Liam Gibson, Callum Williams and Dan Barlaser.

As for West Brom, Saido Berahino remains on the substitutes' bench for a game against a side who were reported to have bid in excess of £21m for his serves during the transfer window. He is joined by Salomon Rondon, who has been dropped despite scoring a last-minute equaliser against Swansea. James Chester is also handed a recall in defence, in place of the injured Jonny Evans.

There are still seven minutes remaining at the Etihad Stadium. Trust me, it's worth taking a look at our live text commentary.

If you take a look at our Stat Centre (hint hint), you will see that West Brom are placed in ninth in the form table, but in truth, only Norwich City and Crystal Palace have been worse over the past four games. The same can be said of Newcastle, who only have four points from seven matches. This is one of those games where you would expect both teams to come out flying, but will they have the confidence in attacking positions to seize the initiative?

The answer to that is probably no. Newcastle have netted just 25 times this season, with West Brom scoring two fewer with 23 - only Villa possess a worse record with 18 goals.

Pulis has been speaking to the media ahead of this game and he has revealed that both Rondon and Berahino are carrying knocks, limiting them to no more than 45 minutes. That explains their role on the bench then...

RESULT! The full-time whistle has gone at the Etihad Stadium and Leicester City have recorded a 3-1 victory over Manchester City to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League. I will let you read all the details by clicking here.

HEAD TO HEAD! This afternoon's fixture will represent the 126th time that these two clubs have met in a competitive match. The Baggies hold a slender 47-45 advantage, with the other 33 games ending in a draw. You have to go back to December 2011 for the last time that West Brom won at St James' Park, however, with Newcastle prevailing in two of the last three contests played in the North-East.

The reverse fixture was played less than six weeks ago, with a Darren Fletcher goal proving to be the difference between the two sides. Despite the narrow 1-0 scoreline, the Baggies dominated the game, but Newcastle were left ruing what appeared to be a stonewall penalty not being given during the second half.

The St James' Park pitch looks a bit on the damp side. With rain continuing to make its way up the country, let's hope that the surface can hold out until 5pm.

PREDICTION! This has got a tight, nervy game written all over it, but we are backing Newcastle to take the spoils. McClaren's men have already proven this season that they are capable of a fast start and that could be the case here. Newcastle to win 2-1.

As always, we have all of the Premier League fixtures taken care of this afternoon. You can access each of our live commentaries here.

It's time for the two sides to make their way out of the tunnel to a rapturous reception from the St James' Park crowd. Everyone in attendance recognises that this is a big game. Newcastle could potentially move outside of the relegation zone, while West Brom could potentially move 11 points clear of safety.

We are underway in the North-East.

As expected, Newcastle have started this game very much on the front foot. An early ball is whipped into the box, but a West Brom defender does superbly to get in front of Mitrovic after he controlled the ball around 12 yards out.

Janmaat is looking a major threat down the right. After seeing his first cross cleared, his second attempt almost finds Wijnaldum at the back post, only for the attacker to be pushed back.

SAVE! The pressure from Newcastle is relentless. After Wijnaldum missed his kick, the ball fell to Townsend, who curled the ball towards the bottom corner from 20 yards, only to see Foster tip the ball away. Great save.

CHANCE! Mitrovic has missed his fair share of sitters this season, and he has squandered another opportunity here. The ball fell invitingly to him from around three yards out he can only find the outstretched hand of Foster, who pulls off a super save. The Serbian definitely should have scored, however.

After a stoppage in play, West Brom finally get some time on the ball with McClean running directly at Janmaat down the left flank. His ball into the middle is poor though, and Newcastle make the clearance.

Newcastle have Janmaat down with an injury off the pitch, but Sissoko takes advantage of the space to direct a cross towards Mitrovic, but Chester is able to nod the ball away for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece but the home side are soon back on the offensive.

Newcastle have had 88% of possession. EIGHTY-EIGHT! Shelvey is pulling the strings in the middle of the park. West Brom are giving him all the time in the world.

West Brom win a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area after Aarons fouls Gardner. Very close to a spot kick, but chance here for the Baggies.

Gardner gets up to take the set piece himself but it's tame and deflected away for a corner. It'a decent delivery from McClean but it's headed clear for Newcastle to lead a counter-attack. A through-ball nearly finds Sissoko but Foster comes out well to claim the ball.

I might run out of superlatives to describe Shelvey's passing by the end of the match. He sprays another delightful ball out to the right flank but Janmaat's low cross is well defended, with Mitrovic ready to pounce at the near post.

SHOT! I can't quite stretch to a superlative on this occasion, but Shelvey's speculative 25-yard strike is comfortably saved by Foster. Midway through this first half and the Baggies have barely touched the ball in the Newcastle penalty area.

As I say that, McClean cuts back onto his right foot to curl the ball towards the back post but Aarons does well to get to the ball ahead of Gardner, who looked like he was about to head his team into the lead.

Another terrific burst down the right flank sees Sissoko drive the ball across the six-yard box. It was the perfect ball for Alan Shearer or Les Ferdinand, but not Mitrovic, by the looks of it.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Big moment here at St James' Park. Tiote think he has scored a 30-yard effort which deceives Foster, but despite the goal initially being given, the referee consults his assistant who rules that Mitrovic was in Foster's line of sight. The Serbian does not touch the ball but it seems a fair decision.

Newcastle have definitely taken the lead now! A searching through-ball from Shelvey finds Mitrovic in space after beating the offside trap and he coolly slots the ball past Foster. A deserved goal for the Magpies.

Every time Shelvey gets the ball, the crowd are on the edge of their seat in anticipation of another pass that will set their side away. They get their wish here as the England international releases Janmaat, but the Dutchman's floated cross into the middle is easily dealt with by Foster.

I haven't mentioned much of Townsend as of yet, but that's because the West Brom defence are doing an effective job of forcing him onto his right foot each time he has the ball. He has probably been told to help out Aarons at left-back too, but the youngster is doing well on his own.

Despite dominating this match, Newcastle get lucky after Gardner is released behind the defence. He has plenty of time to find McClean, but he gives the backline too much time to get into position and McClean fires over from 12 yards.

There will be one minute of added-on time. I;m not sure how they have calculated that. We should have been looking at a minimum of three.

The half-time whistle goes at St James' Park and Newcastle take a fully-deserved 1-0 lead into the break. They should be a few goals to the good but I am sure that McClaren would have taken a slender lead before kickoff.

As I mentioned earlier, Pulis has said that Rondon and Berahino are both carrying knocks but he probably needs to risk his star duo. He needs to do something to swing the pendulum in West Brom's favour.

We are back underway at St James' Park.

BOOKING! Gareth McAuley has gone into the book for a cynical foul on Wijnaldum. He has also injured himself in the process. Pulis has made two alterations, with Berahino and Pritchard replacing Sandro and Gardner.

With Newcastle leading and Norwich behind at Villa, the Magpies are creeping outside of the relegation zone as it stands. Long way to go though...

McAuley is really struggling. Pulis could be forced into a third change, but that would leave him unable to use Rondon later in the match. Decision, decisions...

It's still all Newcastle, by the way. Nothing has changed since the break.

There's some concern for Tiote, who lands heavily after challenging for a high ball. He is clutching his shoulder as he makes his way off the pitch, but I think he is going to be fine to continue.

At times this afternoon, Newcastle are spraying the ball around like Barcelona. Seriously. It looks so easy on they eye, but they need a second goal to create some breathing space. The Baggies are starting to offer a little more threat in the final third, with Pritchard curling over from 25 yards.

With McAuley having recovered from the knock he suffered earlier, it's surely time for Rondon to replace Anichebe. He has barely touched the ball, aside from a couple of knockdowns. The Baggies have a corner, however.

BOOKING! One of the easiest cautions of the season as Chester slides in on Sissoko to bring an abrupt halt to a break-away. Mitrovic gets involved needlessly, and he's lucky not to get booked too.

CHANCE! It should be 2-0. Sissoko does well to tee the ball up for Janmaat to cross for Wijnaldum, but the Dutchman's header from six yards goes over the crossbar. It may have been a little high for him, but he should have hit the target because if he hits the target, it would have been a goal.

WOODWORK! Townsend is so unlucky. After receiving the ball just inside of the penalty area, he turned the defender before curling a shot towards the bottom corner, only to see the ball hit the post and rebound clear.

CHANCE! Newcastle continue to play some of the best football that they have played all season, but they still can't find that second goal. Sissoko combines with a teammate on the left, who plays the midfielder into the box. However, he can't get enough curl on his shot towards the far post and it goes agonisingly wide.

SUBSTITUTION! Finally, Rondon is introduced for Anichebe. The Venezuelan scored in the latter stages in midweek - can he do the same again?

So far, the change has done nothing to alter the flow of this match. Newcastle are still pressing for a second, but they still can't find that clinical touch. I imagine we will see new signing Doumbia for the closing stages.

Shelvey concedes a free kick around 30 yards from goal. Can West Brom get their first shot on target? Pritchard is the man standing over the ball.

SHOT! It's a great effort but his dipping effort just clears the crossbar. The on-loan Spurs man has done well since his introduction. The same cannot be said of his teammates.

BOOKING! Jonas Olsson is the latest West Brom defender to go into the book. That's three quarters of the backline who have received a yellow card.

When you see Newcastle perform like this, it's hard to believe that they are fighting for their Premier League status. They have been head and shoulders above West Brom in all departments. First change for Newcastle, with Ayoze Perez replacing Townsend, who is receiving a standing ovation for his efforts.

SHOT! West Brom show some urgency in the final third but they waste the opening. A ball across the box finds Dawson, but his first-time shot goes miles over the bar.

There will be five minutes of added-on time. Again, I am not sure how they have calculated that.

CHANCE! West Brom manage to work the ball behind the Newcastle defence, which in turn releases Rondon. However, his pass to Berahino is poor and the chance is lost.

Tiote wins a free kick for Newcastle on the halfway line. That should be that.

The full-time whistle goes at St James' Park and Newcastle have secured the three points thanks to Mitrovic's goal in the first half. They should have been out of sight by the middle of the second half, but the Serbian's fifth goal of the campaign is enough to move the Magpies out of the relegation zone.

That will be all from Sports Mole for this game, but we hope that you can stick around for all of the results and reaction from today's games. Goodbye for now.