Fight back to pip Cherries
However, DeAndre Yedlin headed the home side level three minutes before the break from Allan Saint-Maximin’s deflected cross, and Clark stabbed home the winner after fellow central defender Federico Fernandez had flicked on a Jetro Willems delivery.
The visitors might have snatched a point deep into six minutes of added time when Josh King got his head to the ball beyond the far post, but he could not hit the target.
Asked how his heart was at that point, Bruce said: “Absolutely dreadful. I’d better calm down at my age. Not very healthy, I have to tell you.
“Since the debacle at Leicester, they’ve rolled their sleeves up and really dug in and that was pretty evident again, but it was difficult.
“If we hadn’t had that resilience, then it might have been a different story. But they saw it through.”
Opposite number Howe headed off on the long journey south disappointed to have seen a good start to the game wiped out by self-inflicted wounds.
He said: “We’re hugely frustrated and disappointed with that. We started the game so well, created a number of chances, looked in a really good place, scored a great goal.
“But then we made some uncharacteristic errors and just gave Newcastle the encouragement they needed.”
Dubravka 6; Yedlin 7, Fernandez 6, Lascelles 6 (Dummett 20, 6), Clark 8, Willems 7; Almiron 6, Hayden 6, Shelvey 6, Saint-Maximin 7 (Atsu 90, 5); Joelinton 6 (Carroll 83, 6). Unused subs – Darlow, Krafth, Longstaff, Gayle.
Ramsdale 7; Smith 6 (Danjuma 78, 6), Cook 7, Ake 6, Rico 6 (Solanke 66, 6); Wilson 7, Cook 6, Billing 7, Fraser 6; Wilson 7 (Francis 66, 6), King 6. Unused subs – Boruc, Stacey, Mepham, Gosling.
NEWCASTLE UNITEd:
bOURNEMOUTH: