HE might have spent the last two days eyeing a first start of the season, but Kieron Dyer's hopes of appearing against Charlton were dashed yesterday when a freak eye injury forced him to rest for two weeks.

The injury-plagued 27-year-old, who played his first football since April as a 60th-minute substitute in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Portsmouth, damaged his left eye in training yesterday morning.

He was taken straight to see a specialist and has been told to avoid any contact training for at least a fortnight. That rules the midfielder out of league games against Charlton and Sheffield United, the UEFA Cup trip to Palermo and next month's Carling Cup fourth-round clash at Watford.

"Kieron took a knock to his left eye on Friday morning in what can only be described as a freak accident," confirmed Magpies manager Glenn Roeder.

"We immediately took him to see a specialist and his advice was that he needs to rest and not to take part in any contact training for at least two weeks.

"Kieron does not deserve such wretched luck little more than a day after getting back out on the pitch against Portsmouth, when for 30 minutes he showed the kind of electric pace and ability that we know he is capable of.

"It is such cruel luck to be robbed of his services, but we have just got to stand up and be counted and move forward in a positive way, starting with Charlton."

Dyer's latest injury problem comes after a gruelling battle against groin and hamstring injuries, complicated by an existing medical condition, which at one stage left his career in doubt.

In the wake of Wednesday's win, the England international expressed his hope that his previous lengthy lay-off would be his last.

Instead, his latest comeback has lasted less than three days.