ALL THE talk after Pompey's 2-1 defeat at Charlton on Saturday centred on Shaka Hislop's astonishing howler.

The big Pompey keeper gifted Charlton the points three minutes from time, after Patrik Berger's stunning 35-yard volley had looked to have clinched a hard-earned point.

The Trinidad and Tobagan international had all the time in the world to get down and claim the slowly-rolling ball after David Unsworth had unwittingly nodded it back towards his own goal.

But he contrived to allow it to squirm under his body and over the line.

Immediately the Charlton fans took up a cruel chant of: "There's only one Shaka Hislop" - to add to the keeper's torment.

Manager Harry Redknapp summed up Pompey's feelings.

"It was a farcical goal - you don't mind being beaten by a good goal but that was a farce," he said.

"I didn't even see the ball going into the goal. I'd already looked up to see who Shaka was going to clear the ball to, so I didn't see the ball slip through his arms. It was a bizarre break and cost us the game.

"It was a horrendous mistake but then Shaka has made very few mistakes in the two years he has been with us.

" I just feel very sorry for him - he has done great for me. It's such a shame because he has been a fantastic signing since he arrived here on a free transfer from West Ham two years ago.

"What can you say to a player after something like that - he's very low about it, and there's nothing you can say to him".

Fellow defender Linvoy Primus was full of sympathy for his keeper.

"I really feel for him, and its very rare for him to make such a mistake," he said.

"It will hurt him but he's a big enough character to take it. He's kept us in games so often before, and I am sure he will make more than enough saves this season to keep us in this division.

"I felt we did enough to get a point, but we must take heart from this performance and look back on the chances we made to win the game".

Patrik Berger's fabulous goal eight minutes after the break went unrewarded as Redknapp acknowledged: "It was a great goal from Patrik and deserved to earn us a point.

"It's good to see him back to fitness and form. From then on it looked like a banker draw - there was nothing in it and I couldn't see Charlton winning it.

"Unlike most teams we don't have a game in the midweek so it was important for us to get something from this match.

"We don't play until next Monday evening and psychologically we didn't want to go into that match near to the bottom of the table".

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley also paid tribute to Berger's strike, saying: "You won't see much better than that. Absolutely fantastic, probably the goal of the season.

"It knocked the stuffing out of us, and in the end we were glad of that fortuitous winning goal. You suffer enough when you lose, so I am going to enjoy this result irrespective of how it was achieved".

Jason Euell toe-poked the Addicks into the lead on 23 minutes after the Blues had failed to clear a cross from the pacy Dennis Rommedahl.

But Berger's early contender for the goal of the season came when he smashed a left-footed volley over Charlton keeper Dean Kiely's head from fully 35 yards.

The freak Charlton winner came with just three minutes left, with Pompey coasting to a valuable point, when Charlton's Jonathan Fortune took a free kick out wide, almost on the halfway line, and hoisted it into a crowded Pompey penalty area for Unsworth to get the slightest of touches.

With Steve Stone suffering from a virus and Richard Hughes nursing a calf injury Pompey had brought in Andy Griffin at wing back and Eyal Berkovic in midfield.

Pompey: Hislop, Primu (sub: Taylor), De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Griffin (sub: O'Neil), Berger, Berkovic (sub: Curtis), Quashie, Yakubu, LuaLua

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Schemmel

Attendance: 25,204