Newcastle United 0 Charlton Athletic 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED'S search for a Premiership win extended to six matches against Charlton this afternoon as the profligacy of Glenn Roeder's side continued.

Irishman Damien Duff, playing in an unfamiliar striker role alongside Giuseppe Rossi in the absence of Obafemi Martins, was the main culprit of missing decent second half chances.

On four separate occasions the largely left-footed winger proved that his right boot is not as special by directing weak efforts on goal that failed to seriously test Addicks keeper Scott Carson.

And, in the end, Roeder was left grateful for small mercies after the error-strewn defender Titus Bramble very nearly blotted his own copybook once again.

Charlton rarely looked like finding the breakthrough until Bramble, who had been solid up to this point, slipped to miss a routine long ball over the top.

That allowed England striker Darren Bent to run free on goal but, instead of composing himself, he fired high and wide of Steve Harper's net when it looked easier to score.

Things may have turned out differently had referee Mike Dean adjudged that Duff had been tripped by Soulyemane Diawara, who was the last defender, on 28 minutes. Diawara could quite easily have seen the red card but he never and Charlton kept 11 men on the field.

In the end, Newcastle may have stopped a run of three straight league defeats but a draw against the Premiership's bottom club has hardly eased the Geordie faithful's worries and now there is more importance hinging on next Saturday's visit of Sheffield United.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Harper; Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro; Solano (Milner 84), Butt, Parker, N'Zogbia; Duff, Rossi. Subs (not used): Luque, Srnicek, Ramage, Taylor.

CHARLTON (4-4-2): Carson; Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Hreidarsson; Rommedahl, Holland, Faye, Reid (Kishishev 72); M Bent (Hughes 60), D Bent. Subs (not used): Andersen, Hasselbaink, Fortune.