STEVE McCLAREN admits Newcastle United's lack of goalscoring threat is hampering their attempts to clamber out of the bottom three - and has contrasted his own side's struggles in front of goal to the success of Watford duo Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney.

Ighalo scored his 14th Premier League goal of the season as Watford beat Newcastle 2-1 at Vicarage Road.

The striker rounded Rob Elliot to open the scoring, and while Craig Cathcart doubled Watford's lead before Jamaal Lascelles headed home for Newcastle, it was Ighalo's partnership with Deeney that proved crucial to the home side's success.

Deeney boasts six league goals this season, and the pair's effectiveness in front of goal stands in marked contrast to the toils of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez, both of whom spurned good opportunities this afternoon.

Mitrovic, who has only scored four times in a Newcastle shirt, fired a first-half shot much too close to Heurelho Gomes, while Perez failed to find the target with a header after coming off the substitutes' bench.

McClaren said: "It's about players, and quality players at the end of the day.

"Undoubtedy Watford are doing very, very well because they're always in football games, they're always in matches, they're always creating opportunities.

"We kept them quiet, it looked offside the first goal but he (Ighalo) plays on the line, and he got the decision and went through.

"I think they've only scored 26 or 27 goals, and they've (Ighalo and Deeney) got about 22 or 23 of them. So you can see why Watford are doing well. You could see today why we are where we are."

Newcastle remain rooted in the bottom three, one point adrift of Swansea City, who travel to Everton tomorrow.

McClaren added: "We've come here again, similar to the (FA) Cup game, and played very well again.

"It was another good performance - we created opportunities, chances. That's the difference, and we've been like that for quite a while.

"You can't fault the attitude and application of the players, the way we're playing and our football. But games are won and lost in each box."