APPARENTLY there's no such thing as an easy game at international level.

That may be so, but Shay Given had spent his previous two matches as a largely redundant figure and had gone into Saturday's game hoping to make it a hat-trick of clean sheets following two shut-outs for the Republic of Ireland against Cyprus and Andorra.

But it didn't take long for the reality of the Magpies' defensive frailties to bring him crashing back to earth, with the United back four leaving their goalkeeper exposed time and again.

Given was called into action more often in the first ten minutes at Valley Parade than he had been in the combined 180-plus international minutes he had played over the previous eight days.

With the teams showing a combined goals-against record this season of three figures, 0-0 was a long shot.

The fact that the two best and busiest players were the keepers showed that defensive qualities were found wanting as Newcastle stretched to 26 the number of games they have played without keeping a clean sheet.

The introduction of new £2m man Andy O'Brien did little to raise hopes he will add the mettle sadly lacking in the Newcastle rearguard, but it was perhaps not surprising he started nervously considering his first game was back at the ground he left under two weeks ago.

He received a generous reception from the Bradford fans and it would be churlish to judge him on this performance alone, playing in a United defence - as Bobby Robson admitted - which had never trained together.

Not since the Bantams put seven past Darlington in the Worthington Cup last September could they have had more than 20 efforts on goal in 90 minutes.

But just when they had put themselves in position to take a rare three points, they proved as defensively naive as Newcastle.

Two very interested observers were Alan Shearer and Nikos Dabizas.

There was plenty of head shaking from their direction, and when Carl Cort put a free header over from six yards in the closing minutes, Shearer put his head in his hands.

Had Shearer and Dabizas been fully fit and on the field of play, there is little doubt Newcastle would have won.

But they weren't, and they could only watch what to them must have been purgatory, yet to the neutral was a hugely entertaining game.

"It was a spectator's match," was manager Robson's judgement.

"It wasn't perhaps wonderful football but you saw two marvellous displays by the goalkeepers."

Given found himself picking the ball out of the net twice in the opening ten minutes after the defence went to sleep at set-plays.

First, a high corner from Gareth Whalley was met with ease by David Wetherall on the edge of the box, and his header was deflected in by the unfortunate Aaron Hughes.

With Newcastle still in a state of shock, former Darlington man Robbie Blake curled a 20-yard effort which had Given at full stretch to turn round the post.

The resultant corner wasn't properly cleared and as skipper Rob Lee went in to clear with Robert Molenaar, the lumbering Dutchman went down like the proverbial sack of spuds.

To Lee's disgust, referee Paul Taylor blew for a penalty which Blake converted.

But, to Newcastle's credit, they never believed they were beaten. With Wayne Quinn providing plenty of quality balls from the left, the chances started coming thick and fast.

The Cornishman placed one delicious centre on to Cort's head inside the six-yard box, but the £7m man contrived to miss a glorious chance, heading tamely down and over.

His embarrassment, however, was short-lived and a minute later Quinn again produced a super cross which Cort met on the run to make it four goals from seven starts for the Magpies.

The chances kept coming and as the half-hour approached, Quinn again laid the ball perfectly from the left, this time onto Shola Ameobi's head, but the chance went wide.

A mistake by Hughes in the box gave Blake the opportunity to add to his tally, but Given got down superbly to his left to turn the ball away one-handed.

Then, in first-half injury time, Clarence Acuna's ball found Cort in the box and his first-time shot was turned away at his near post by Gary Walsh.

After the interval, a break by Newcastle on the right caught the Bradford defence square and Cort should have added to his tally but his effort was fingertipped away by Walsh.

Bradford continued to cause panic and a quick free-kick from 25 yards was laid by Blake to Benito Carbone, whose viciously swerving effort seemed destined for the top corner before Given managed to claw it out.

With Given saving well from Ashley Ward and Eoin Jess, and Walsh producing super stops from Ameobi and Warren Barton, it seemd inevitable another goal would come.

Again defensive weaknesses saw a corner half-cleared only to be volleyed back in from the right by Nolberto Solano, for an unmarked Acuna to bundle home.

In the closing minutes two Quinn deliveries were wasted, firstly by Cort and then Gary Speed, before Ward missed again.

On this defensive show, Given will be happy with the break he gets when he's back on international duty.