It was a result Charlton set out to achieve, while anything less than a point would hardly have been a huge shock.
Less clear is what Curbs meant when he described the rearranged Premiership fixture as "a bonus game", other than the fact it wasn’t originally scheduled for last night of course.
Indeed, who can say what the outcome might have been had the game taken place on December 28th when Graeme Souness was still in charge of the Magpies?
Instead, it was up to caretaker boss Glenn Roeder to reflect the mood on the Toon after the draw.
"It was up to us to break down Charlton. No-one can criticise the effort of the team but it was a hugely frustrating night," he said.
Source: The Sun