The Lasses put in a professional and organised display for their final home league game of the year, which produced both Charlotte Wardlaw’s first assist of the season as well as Nobbs’ first goal of the campaign.
Oxtoby made just the one change from Newcastle’s last league outing against Sunderland Women, with Lois Joel returning from injury to replace Elysia Boddy.
Newcastle knew that a win would put them back up to fourth and just three points off the automatic promotion spots.
In what was a cagey opening, exchanges between both sides it was two moments of quality that opened the scoring for the Lasses.
Charlotte Wardlaw’s bombing run forward from the halfway pinned back the Saints before picking out Nobbs, who, on her birthday, flicked the ball over Fran Stenson for her first of the season.
United continued to press for a second goal under the floodlights in Gateshead with Beth Lumsden managing to sit down Isabel Watts on the byline before cutting the ball back to Molly Pike, who couldn’t control her first-time effort, which fizzed over the bar.
While it was Newcastle who were controlling the tempo of the first half and bossing possession, the Saints created a swift counter-attack in added time, but when the ball fell to Atlanta Primus, she could only find the gloves of Anna Tamminen.
The away side's best opportunity of the second half fell to Ellie Brazil and looked dangerous as she cut onto her left and right foot to create a yard of space in the box, but despite her quick feet, she blazed well over and failed to trouble Tamminen.
There was a league debut for Małgorzata Grec as the second half wore on when she replaced Molly Pike and took up her spot as part of a back three to help United see out the last few minutes.
It was a tense end to the game at the GIS with Southampton throwing countless long balls into the area, but Tamminen was commanding her box with real assurance and nullified almost every attack the visitors threw at her.
Newcastle United Women: Anna Tamminen, Charlotte Wardlaw, Demi Stokes (c), Jordan Nobbs, Shania Hayles (Emily Murphy 70), Molly Pike (Małgorzata Grec 84), Deanna Cooper, Oona Sevenius, Lois Joel (Jasmine McQuade 61), Aoife Mannion, Beth Lumsden
Subs not used: Claudia Moan, Jemma Purfield, Freya Gregory, Amelia Freeman
