Newcastle's reply was almost immediate with Gopperth stepping through and the Falcons piled in to win the breakdown for Vickerman to score in the corner.
"Mr Vickerman knew what he was doing from the outset, having been involved in the pirate community for some time, " said the organisation's director general, Kieron Sharp.
But the Falcons refused to buckle and poor defending from the home side enabled Vickerman to go over for his side's second try of the afternoon - converted by Gopperth to go 17-16 in front.