ALAN Shearer had the nerve and the Will as he grabbed his 200th career League goal and sent Newcastle to the top of the Premiership.

The 30-year-old strike ace had been desperate to celebrate the birth of his new son Will with a goal and duly obliged when he was handed the chance from the penalty spot in the 30th minute after Laurent Charvet was brought tumbling down in the box.

Shearer showed no fear as he rammed the ball home for his first goal of the season and, more importantly, the elusive 200th.

Kevin Gallacher rounded off a great night for the Magpies with the second after 58 minutes against his former club.

It may be early days, but Newcastle showed they are going to prove a greater force at the top end of the table this season.

Bobby Robson sprang a major surprise when he handed Charvet a starting spot in place of the suspended Warren Barton, who began a three-match ban after his sending off in the 3-2 victory over Derby.

The Frenchman's one and only start last season was in the 2-1win over Spurs at St James' Park last November.

But he showed he was worthy of a place with a solid performance at the back and the marauding run which led to the penalty.

Newcastle started in determined fashion and went close to breaking the deadlock in only the second minute when Alain Goma thundered a close-range header over the bar from Daniel Cordone's corner.

Almost immediately Coventry hit back with £6.5m striker Craig Bellamy finding space in the box and hooking a 15-yard effort over Shay Given but against the bar.

The early pace was frenetic and Newcastle launched another quick raid down the left with Stephen Glass linking up with Gary Speed and the Scottish winger's superb ball whistled across the face of the goal.

Goma was proving a valuable asset at set-pieces and in the sixth minute he went close again when he rose majestically to send a powering header from Cordone's free-kick goalwards, Magnus Hedman arching backwards and pushing the ball over the bar.

It was end-to-end stuff and the little and large pairing of Bellamy and Cedric Roussel were proving menacing at the other end, with Bellamy flicking a header harmlessly wide when danger lurked for Given.

Glass was the first player to be booked when he caught Marc Edworthy late in the 14th minute.

The Coventry full-back then caused problems down the right and swung in a dangerous cross which Given did well to clear.

Given was called into action again in the 20th minute when he acrobatically flew to his left to keep out a sizzling 20-yard drive from Youssef Chippo.

The visitors were under pressure and forced to make an early substitution when Andy Griffin replaced Didier Domi in the 22nd minute. The Frenchman had earlier been caught by the boot of Paul Telfer and it seemed to affect him.

It could have been worse for the Magpies when Glass lunged at Edworthy in the 26th minute and could have been red-carded, but referee Alan Wiley let him off with a stern lecture.

Coventry, who won this corresponding fixture 4-1 last season, pushed forward and Chippo sent another long-range effort inches wide.

But in the 29th minute Newcastle took the lead with a flowing move which deserved a goal.

Speed sent a superb 25-yard crossfield ball to Shearer, who headed the ball down for the on-rushing Charvet. His brilliant run came to a crashing end in the Coventry box as three home defenders chased back frantically with Paul Williams adjudged to have made the last challenge, although he claimed Charvet dived.

Shearer coolly slotted home the spot-kick and suddenly Newcastle begin to take control, with Speed prompting and Coventry continually frustrated.

In first-half injury-time Shearer went close to a second when, under-pressure, he headed a left-wing free-kick from Glass over the bar.

With Coventry searching for the equaliser, Newcastle added extra firepower up front with the addition of Kevin Gallacher for Glass.

The former Coventry frontman made an instant impact when he put Newcastle 2-0 up in the 58th minute.

It was a bizarre goal as a clearance on the left by Marcus Hall struck Kieron Dyer and the ball span back into the Coventry box where the unmarked Gallacher tapped the ball into the net for his first league goal since March, when he netted against Watford.

On the hour Cordone almost made it 3-0 with a curling left-foot effort which Hedman pushed away to his right for a corner.

Coventry were crumbling, but they deserved credit as they kept battling and Carlton Palmer smashed a rasping 25-yard shot which the alert Given tipped over the bar.

But Newcastle were comfortable and eased home impressively to their third victory of the season.

l Newcastle's Warren Barton last night served a one-match suspension and is not banned for a total of three games, as was reported in EchoSPORT yesterday.

It was initially understood Barton was sent off for serious foul play, which carries a three-match penalty, in the home game with Derby.

l Darren Anderton, Tottenham's injury-jinxed midfielder, is back on the casualty list and out of England's World Cup qualifier against Germany next month.

The 28-year-old player, who earned the nickname ''Sicknote'' because of the succession of injuries that have blighted his career for both club and country, tore a groin muscle taking a corner for Spurs in the first minute of Tuesday's 3-2 home win over Everton.

He is still awaiting the results of a scan on the damaged area but fears he is likely to be out for between four and six weeks.

A shattered Anderton said: ''I couldn't believe it when it happened. I hurt myself when I crossed the ball and, although I tried to carry on, there was no way I could.''

Anderton, who hobbled off in the 17th minute, had made a full recovery from an Achilles tendon operation which sidelined him towards the end of last season