Newcastle made hard work of finishing off stubborn Zulte Waregem to ensure their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, edging to a 1-0 win that saw them go through 4-1 on aggregate.
Obafemi Martins's 68th-minute strike, his 14th goal of the season, was all they had to show for a performance which at times threatened much more, but too often failed to deliver.
A 4-1 aggregate victory handed the Magpies a trip to AZ Alkmaar in the next round after the Dutch side fought back from 2-0 down on the night to claim a 5-5 aggregate draw and a win on the away goals rule.
But a crowd of 30,083, including England boss Steve McClaren, might have expected more from the home side, who nevertheless kept a first clean sheet in 18 games.
Having returned from Belgium last week with a 3-1 win, there was never any real prospect of Glenn Roeder's men surrendering their advantage.
But although they dominated for long periods, they never really looked like taking apart a team which included several semi-professionals.
Keeper Steve Harper had only two saves to make, the second at the death to preserve his side's lead, but manager Glenn Roeder will have been disappointed that his side did not cause more problems against a team lying 12th in the Juliper League.
Zulte coach Francy Dury arrived on Tyneside flying the white flag after the first leg and with his sights set firmly on the weekend's league clash with KAA Gent.
He made eight changes to the side which started at the Jules Otten Stadium, while Roeder fielded his strongest available team.
That meant a return to the starting line-up for £9.5million misfit Albert Luque for the first time since November 30 as Antoine Sibierski sat out with a tight hamstring.
While Newcastle started at a lively pace to put the Belgians under intense pressure, the sides left the pitch at the break with no change in the aggregate score line and with Roeder having shuffled his pack in an attempt to find the breakthrough.
It might have been so different had Stijn Meert not cleared Steven Taylor's thumping header off the line, or had James Milner's blistering sixth-minute drive crept under rather than over the crossbar.
Sammy Bossut was tested for the first time on 22 minutes when Kieron Dyer fired in a stinging long-range effort which the keeper needed two attempts to claim.
With skipper Nicky Butt spraying the ball around the field and Milner tormenting full-back Bart Buysee, it seemed only a matter of time before the home side added to their tally.
However, as long as the opening goal failed to appear, the visitors knew their slim hopes were still alive, and they might have made things interesting had it not been for two excellent interventions by Newcastle defenders.
Bramble timed his 30th-minute tackle to perfection to dispossess striker Sebastien Siani after Meert had played him in.
And Taylor had to be just as alert six minutes before the break after Stijn Minne picked out Wouter Vandendriessche's run into the box.
Roeder's response was to switch Luque to the left wing with Milner moving inside to accommodate Damien Duff on the right and Dyer joining Martins in attack.
Celestine Babayaro, who is due to head to London for his brother Kennedy's funeral tomorrow, did not re-appear after the break and was replaced by Paul Huntington.
But after a brief flurry by the visitors, it was Newcastle who took control, Bramble forcing a save from Bossut and Martins mistiming a header from six yards.
Vandendriessche forced Harper into his first save of the game on 53 minutes with a curling shot from distance, and the keeper was happy to see Ludwin van Nieuwhuyze's skidding drive fly past his far post three minutes later.
Newcastle were labouring, and Roeder withdrew Butt and Luque for youngsters Matty Pattison and Andrew Carroll in the search for fresh impetus.
But it was Duff who finally fashioned the opening goal on 68 minutes when he slid a pass into Martins' run, and the striker calmly lifted a shot over the advancing keeper.
The goal seemed to sap Zulte's remaining energy as the Magpies assumed control for the closing stages. Milner twice went close, the second a swerving 87th-minute free-kick which dipped just wide of the post.
The visitors might have snatched a draw at the death when, with Newcastle committed to an attack, substitute Tim Matthys evaded challenges from Nolberto Solano, Pattison and Bramble to force Harper to save.
