HAVING written off his hopes of reaching Jackie Milburn's Newcastle United goalscoring record last week, every goal Alan Shearer scores between now and the end of the season will do his retirement plans no good whatsoever.

The 16 needed to equal the Gallowgate legend's 200 mark may prove elusive but the 11 scored in 17 starts this term are testament to him still being a master of his art.

His manager, Graeme Souness, watched the Magpies skipper return to the attack on Saturday and show in an hour exactly what has been sadly lacking for most of the last 12 matches.

The fire in Shearer's belly still burns, and in his absence due to thigh and calf injuries just ten Premiership points have been accrued from a possible 27.

In his 62 minutes on the pitch he led the line with authority, held the ball up, won more than his fair share of headers, harangued the referee and his assistant mercilessly, and just for good measure cracked home an ninth minute penalty - his 400th career goal.

When he left the pitch Southampton gained a foothold. The ball pumped towards the Newcastle forward-line came back far too often and as the Saints' confidence grew so the Magpies' nerves began to fray.

Souness knows exactly what Shearer brings to his young side, and the void created when his boots are encased in a glass box on the empty shelves of the Magpies' trophy room will need filling.

The Scot will no doubt continue to press the case for £7.5m man Yakubu, but whether Portsmouth's Nigerian striker is the answer remains to be seen.

The Newcastle boss may be resigned to the inevitability of his talisman's departure, but that won't stop him trying to get at least another year out of the 34-year-old.

"He's been the best at it (holding the ball up) for a long time now," said Souness.

"Whether people can do it as well as he can I very much doubt. We became nervous in the second half.

"Alan had run out of steam. He's been working in the gym and played a little bit of football but he's not had games.

"In an ideal world you would have kept him on and he'd have been running round in the 90th minute. We thought he was running out of steam and when you're coming back from injury there's always the worry you'll do something else because your legs get tired and that's when you're vulnerable.

"But we weren't getting hold of it like we were when he was on the pitch."

With Shearer in tow the Magpies had the Saints on the ropes for the first 40 minutes of the game.

A beautifully clipped ball from the halfway line by Titus Bramble with just five minutes on the clock had Shola Ameobi bearing down on goal only to be pulled back by Calum Davenport.

The penalty was duly awarded but Ameobi's momentum in falling saw him clatter into Antti Niemi in the Saints' goal.

A near five minute delay ensued with the Finn stretchered off and replaced by Paul Smith. If the watching Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren was there to see Niemi then it was a wasted journey up the A19.

With Davenport attempting to hide behind team-mates fearing as the last man he was about to receive a red-card, referee Uriah Rennie decided against even a caution.

Perhaps he had forgotten why he awarded the penalty or the loss of Niemi was enough. Whatever the reason Shearer strode up and sent Smith the wrong way.

For the next 30 minutes Newcastle peppered the Saints goal. Craig Bellamy, Ameobi, Kieron Dyer and Steven Taylor were all denied either by their team-mates or by Smith.

A second appeared inevitable and it arrived courtesy of Bramble. Paul Telfer was booked for bringing down Bellamy on the left side of the box and when Celestine Babayaro curled the ball in an unmarked Bramble turned it home.

The fact that it should have been game over triggered the Newcastle knee-jerk reflex.

Four minutes later a corner saw David Prutton deliver for Davenport to head back into the six yard box. Kevin Phillips was the first to react and when his effort came back off the bar Newcastle played statues allowing Peter Crouch to score from six yards through the legs of Shay Given.

The second half was largely forgettable but after Shearer's exit it threatened to go horribly wrong for the home side.

Newcastle lacked any real threat and it took Southampton a while to realise they were more than capable of stealing a point.

He may be awkward and ungainly and resemble a cross between Gareth from The Office and former Aston Villa 'favourite' Ian Ormondroyd, but Crouch was proving a handful for the Newcastle defence.

After his first half goal he continued to give Jean-Alain Boumsong a torrid time and was unlucky not to earn a penalty when Bramble appeared to chop him down in the second half.

In the 79th minute he rose well to head back across for substitute Anders Svensson to fire over but the Saints best opportunity came in the 93rd minute with Taylor blocking a seemingly goal-bound effort from Prutton.

Newcastle hung on desperately for the win but looked rudderless without their skipper.

The likelihood is that, fitness permitting, Shearer will have a minimum of 22 career games left depending on cup runs.

Based on his record so far this term that would give him just over 14 goals. Somehow it's hard to accept that Mr Shearer has completely written off that Milburn target.

Result: Newcastle United 2 Southampton 1.

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