EPL: NUFC vs CAFC

iveco SG

Date: 22/02/2006

Venue: Saint James' Park

KO Time: 1945 GMT

Supposed to have been played on 28/12/2005 but rescheduled due to frozen pitch.

iveco SG

ROEDER ENJOYING TOON TENURE

Glenn Roeder is enjoying life as Newcastle Uniteds caretaker manager, even if he does not want the job on a permanent basis.

The former Magpies skipper will send his side out against Charlton Athletic tonight looking for a fourth successive victory since Graeme Souness departure, having engineered an encouraging turn-around which has raised spirits.

If you play three and win three, it can only be very enjoyable and satisfying, he said. But remember, its a team effort, its not just Glenn Roeder.

Its the backroom staff working away as hard as they can to make sure we keep this small squad as fit as we can to get us through this period while we are waiting for three major players to come back from long-term injuries.

And of course, its the players. I cant cross the white line and do anything about it myself, its the players who are doing it. They are still the biggest, most important commodity at any football club.

Certainly, these last three games have been enjoyable and I have not got any complaints with the players whatsoever.

I am not sure if it has been said too much, but in the three games, we have virtually put out the same team. We have had changes forced upon us with (Celestine) Babayaro suspended and, of course, Alan (Shearer) having to drop out on Saturday through injury.

But I think Graeme had to change the team virtually every single week, so thats important, that you can keep the same group of players playing week in, week out.

Shearer, the man asked to assist Roeder during his time in charge, remains a doubt with his calf injury, while they will make a late check on Saturdays match-winner Kieron Dyer, who was left exhausted by his first start since August.

However, with Everton and Bolton Wanderers to come at home in their next two matches after Charlton, Newcastle know they can make a major push, although the man in charge will allow no-one to look too far ahead as he prepares for a game he admits could make or break their season.

We will attack the Charlton game first, Everton is on the back-burner, Roeder said. We have all the information we need on Everton in terms of reports and videos, but we would not even consider looking at that, we dont need to look at that until after the game tonight.

All our thoughts and attention have been focused since Saturday on Charlton. They are three huge points - these three points could be the key three points of the season.

Alan Curbishley has said that himself. They have got two games this week, and they are looking at the game at Newcastle and whoever they are playing at the weekend (Aston Villa at home) as being the difference between whether they are going to have a good season or an average season.

"I would take the same view. These three points are absolutely critical, and we have got to get it right.

Charlton manager Curbishley admits he is desperate to savour an away win once again.

A glance at the Barclays Premiership table shows the Addicks have fared better than many away from their home ground, with five wins and a single draw so far.

But those five victories were all recorded before the end of October, with that single point - picked up at Chelsea of all places - the sole reward for their last seven away trips.

Curbishleys men have a chance to put that right tonight at Newcastle in a rearranged fixture which fell foul of bad weather in December.

He said: We need to arrest our away record, which is pretty dreadful at the moment.

We had that fantastic start to the season and that has stood us in good stead in some respects.

Our away record stands up still in terms of the points we have picked up but the last five or six games have been dreadful.

We need to arrest that and we need to do it this week. In the last couple of away games we have not done ourselves any justice at all.

We were beaten 3-1 at Spurs and 3-2 at Manchester City and we need to pick some points up on the road.

Newcastle is our next opportunity and we have got to take it. It has been such a topsy-turvy season. At the start we were winning away from home but not at The Valley now it is the other way round.

Only Manchester United and Chelsea have scored more goals than us away from home but we have let too many in. Our defensive mentality is not there any more. It was in the early games.

I have never had a season like it. It can be corrected and if we pick up points on the road then we will have a decent away record.

Striker Marcus Bent is set to return to the starting line-up having been cup-tied for Saturdays 3-1 FA Cup victory over Brentford that set up a home quarter-final with Middlesbrough next month.

Winger Darren Ambrose will hope to get a start against his former club, who have former Addick Scott Parker in their ranks.

Meanwhile, defender Gonzalo Sorondo is on the comeback trail after a broken foot, and played for the reserves against Fulham.

The Uruguay international, who is on loan from Inter Milan, was injured in a challenge with Arsenals Cesc Fabregas in his first Barclays Premiership start for Charlton.

Curbishley said: Hes had a disastrous time. I just hope that now he is over it all he has a decent run-in.

Newcastle United (from): Given, Harper, Ramage, Elliott, Boumsong, Bramble, Parker, N'Zogbia, Solano, Emre, Bowyer, Faye, Clark, Shearer, Dyer, Luque, Ameobi, Chopra.

Charlton Athletic (from): Myhre, Young, Hreidarsson, Powell, Ambrose, Holland, Kishishev, Smertin, Hughes, M Bent, D Bent, Andersen, Perry, Spector, Thomas, Bothroyd, El Karkouri, Bartlett, Euell, Fortune.

iveco SG

Injury-hit Newcastle United were denied a fourth successive victory under caretaker boss Glenn Roeder as Charlton Athletic scrapped their way to a valuable point.

The Magpies dominated much of the game despite having to do without skipper Alan Shearer and FA Cup hero Kieron Dyer, but could not make the breakthrough as the visitors defended stubbornly.

Shola Ameobi passed up a glorious opportunity to win it 14 minutes from time when he powered a free header over, but, with defender Titus Bramble having limped off as Darren Bent belatedly started to make an impression, Roeders men were forced to make do with a draw.

It was a frustrating night for the temporary boss as his side enjoyed enough possession to have won the game, but without a genuine cutting edge they sent a crowd of 50,451 home unable to complain about the amount of effort and commitment, but ruing the absence of their most potent finisher.

Even without Shearer and Dyer, two men who have done much to lift the gloom over St James Park in recent weeks following Graeme Souness' departure, there was a belief that the Magpies could win a third successive Barclays Premiership and a fourth in all competitions.

That feeling was largely reinforced by a first-half display which promised much, although delivered little in terms of tangible results.

Roeder was forced to field a makeshift strike-force - £9.5million summer signing Albert Luque was again consigned to the bench - with Turkey midfielder Emre asked to help link a midfield quartet in which Lee Bowyer was recalled with lone striker Ameobi.

The former Inter Milan stars infectious enthusiasm was matched by the endeavour of Bowyer, Nolberto Solano, Charles NZogbia and the hugely impressive Charlton old boy Scott Parker.

But perhaps more significantly, despite the enforced changes, the home side looked compact and organised with Bramble rock-solid and even Jean-Alain Boumsong largely untroubled as 17-goal striker Bent saw little of the ball.

Former Magpie Darren Ambrose went closest for the Londoners before the break with a curling free-kick and a late drive which was blocked by Boumsong, but the traffic was mostly one way.

Ameobi and Bowyer forced good, if regulation, saves from Thomas Myhre inside the opening quarter of an hour, while Emre dropped a free-kick onto the crossbar and then called upon the goalkeeper twice with well-struck shots.

Local boy Ameobi had a 37th-minute strike correctly ruled out for offside, but it was to defender Boumsong that the best chance had fallen seven minutes earlier when Solano picked him out unmarked with a long free-kick, but he directed his header straight at Myhre.

Myhre once again came to his sides rescue within two minutes of the restart when he had to dive bravely at the feet of Ameobi after Bowyer had dispossessed Radostin Kishishev and poked the ball into his path.

Once again, Newcastle were dominating, although struggling to convert pressure into clear-cut chances, a failing which they knew could prove costly.

Their warning came as Darren Bent finally started to make an impression.

Three times he found the space to run at the home defence, the first time being denied by Boumsong, and then by Robbie Elliott and Peter Ramage.

But to their credit, Newcastle continued the search for the opening goal and Ameobi had appeals for a penalty waved away on 68 minutes after being felled by Chris Perry.

Shay Given needed two attempts to collect a skidding Matt Holland drive 16 minutes from time, but Ameobi headed over from Emres back-post corner two minutes later as time started to run out.

The Irishman had to save from Darren Bent again on 79 minutes and only a last-ditch challenge by Boumsong denied substitute Jason Euell five minutes later.

If anything, Charlton finished the game the stronger as Newcastle ran out of steam and ideas, but Given and his patched-up defence managed to hold out to at least preserve Roeders unbeaten run.