Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew:
"We felt comfortable at half-time being just six points behind and we thought the game was ours for the taking having coped well in the first half scoring a try into the wind.
"Unfortunately Bristol's second try came from a clear forward pass, it is not a gripe but a fact.
"It was about two yards forward which everyone saw except the referee, but never mind.
"That then allowed Bristol to dictate the pace of the last quarter which they did extremely well - though not a lot happened in that spell.
"I didn't think there was a lot to choose between the two teams."
Bristol: Going; L Robinson, Higgitt, Cox, Lima; Strange, Perry; Hilton, Regan, Crompton; Budgett, Llewellyn; Salter (capt), El Abd, Ward-Smith.
Replacements: Irish, Nelson, Winters, Sambucetti, Short/Lewis, Gray, Lemi.
Newcastle: Burke; May, Noon, Mayerhofler, Shaw; Flood, Charlton; Ward, Long, Morris; Perry, Buist; McCarthy, Harris, Charvis (capt).
Replacements: Williams, Thompson, Finegan, Woods,Grindal, Walder, Elliott.