Newcastle had lost their previous three games, reviving jitters they may be dragged back into the battle against the drop as the season heads towards its finale.

But with Newcastle pressing hard against a surprisingly lacklustre Wolves, Woods drew a foul from goalkeeper Jose Sa before thumping home the spotkick in the 72nd minute for his first goal in front of home fans at St James’ Park.

The win put Newcastle 14th on 34 points – a comfortable 10 points above the bottom three relegation spots.

Wolves looked toothless without the suspended Raul Jimenez and did not even manage to touch the ball in Newcastle’s penalty area in the first half. Their best effort was a shot by Fabio Silva that Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka dived well to save.

Defeat left Wolves eighth on 49 points, with their hopes of earning a berth in next year’s Champions League receding.