Centurions Charlton celebrated their old age at the Valley yesterday but, for Newcastle, it was a case of age-old defensive mistakes costing them a second away win of the season.

The Magpies looked to be cruising when Craig Bellamy headed them into a deserved half-time lead but, rather than turning their early dominance into all three points, Graeme Souness' side were rocked onto the back foot by an all too familiar defensive lapse.

Andy O'Brien went to sleep as Kevin Lisbie flicked the ball over his head 25 yards from goal, and went on to compound his mistake by hacking into his own net after the Charlton striker had rounded Shay Given.

Either side could have scored a winner in a frantic finale that saw goalmouth scrambles at both ends but, ultimately, Newcastle were left to rue the defensive failings that led to the game's crucial turning point six minutes after half-time.

Before the game, Alan Shearer had urged Newcastle to start challenging Arsenal and Chelsea at the top of the Premiership table, but it is difficult to imagine either of those sides throwing away a winning position with such abandon.

"It was a silly goal to give away," Shearer admitted after the final whistle. "It was a long ball and it was criminal that we let the ball bounce in the first place. We were 1-0 up and cruising but, from then on, it could have gone either way."

Newcastle drew 12 away games last season - most of which contained a similarly sloppy goal going in at the wrong end - and, despite Souness insisting that anyone can make a mistake, history is already repeating itself given yesterday's events and this month's 2-2 draw at Birmingham.

The Magpies boss could also be about to face some of the same ego clashes that plagued previous boss Sir Bobby Robson if Bellamy's reaction to being substituted midway through the second half is anything to go by.

The Magpies boss has tended to prefer Patrick Kluivert's poise to Bellamy's pace since taking over at St James' but, after being given a rare run out in his preferred position of centre-forward, the Wales international was clearly angry at being taken off after providing a timely reminder of his goalscoring touch.

His elevation to the striking ranks created a gap on the left of midfield but, rather than plugging it with either Laurent Robert or James Milner, Graeme Souness opted to hand Darren Ambrose his first start of the season.

And, while Milner is young enough to shrug off his disappointment, Robert will be another unhappy trooper after yet another high-profile snub.

The Frenchman has paid the price for Souness' desire to toughen his side up and, with Nicky Butt providing a defensive base yesterday, Newcastle's three other midfielders were given license to burst forward.

Jermaine Jenas, in particular, made a number of probing runs in the first half and after a wonderful step-over on the edge of the Charlton box, his one-two with Lee Bowyer ended in a tame shot wide.

Butt's reliability allows the likes of Jenas and Bowyer to break at their own leisure and, save for a 14th-minute aberration that saw him cede possession needlessly in his own half, the former Manchester United midfielder's first-half performance underlined how influential he has become in his three months on Tyneside.

His early mistake led to Shay Given making an acrobatic stop from Graham Stuart but, that aside, Butt provided the defensive platform so conspicuously lacking in many of United's displays on the road last season.

As a result, Charlton's first-half attacks were few and far between although Bernard was forced into a last-ditch defensive header shortly after the half-hour mark to prevent Lisbie nodding in Hermann Hreidarsson's hanging cross.

Defensively, Bernard has looked an improved player this season - perhaps a result of not playing behind Robert week in week out - but, offensively, his abilities have never been called into question.

His raids down the left flank have always been a key part of his game and, from one such surge in the 39th minute, Newcastle claimed the lead they deserved.

Bernard's positional awareness was matched by an inch-perfect cross that Bellamy deftly glanced home after stealing between Charlton's two centre-halves.

The visitors almost added a second four minutes later, with Shearer nipping in ahead of goalkeeper Dean Kiely to prod another Bernard cross narrowly wide of the post.

Newcastle could have done with that going in because, after looking defensively secure for the whole of the first half, the visitors contrived to concede a goal of near farcical proportions six minutes after the re-start.

O'Brien was left all at sea as Lisbie outfoxed him and, after the striker had dribbled round an exposed Given, the Newcastle centre-half steered the ball into an empty net after an attempted tackle from Stephen Carr.

From Newcastle's point of view, the goal was a mess but, while it wasn't defensively sound, neither was it dramatically surprising given the Magpies' penchant for conceding soft strikes.

Buoyed by their leveller, the Addicks proceeded to enjoy their best spell of the game with Given keeping United on level terms - the Irishman producing an excellent parry from Danny Murphy's ferocious strike.

Souness responded by introducing Robert and Shola Ameobi and, after being on the field for just five minutes, the former would have fired the Magpies back in front had Luke Young not produced an excellent block in his own six-yard box.

Shearer's goalbound header was cleared off the line as the Magpies continued to pour forward, and the United skipper saw Young produce another superb block to keep out his 84th-minute strike.

But Souness' side were almost leaving South London empty-handed themselves as Charlton finished with a flourish.

Danish winger Dennis Rommedahl rattled the United crossbar with a strike that took a crucial deflection off Bowyer, before the visitors were saved by the most unlikely of sources.

After seeing two of his own efforts blocked, Shearer turned defender as he chested away Jonathan Fortune's late strike on his own goalline, before Matt Holland crashed the rebound against the post with Given beaten.

Result: Charlton Athlectic 1 Newcastle United 1.

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