Sheringham's arrival helped West Ham improve their form

Sheringham celebrated his 40th birthday by coming on as a substitute and was denied a winner when Thomas Myhre made a late save in the 0-0 stalemate.

But Pardew said: "He is an icon of the game and everyone who has enjoyed the Premiership will have enjoyed Teddy.

"You can't get enough of players like Teddy but unfortunately there are not that many of them about."

He added: "Aesthetically and the way he plays is a joy to behold."

It was a very even first half and I think West Ham's changes in the second period gave them the edge Charlton boss Alan Curbishley

Pardew denied his side had their minds on the upcoming FA Cup semi-final and insisted they had been seeking a win over Charlton to boost their European hopes.

"We just showed a little bit of quality in the second half and I thought we had two or three chances we should have taken," said Pardew.

"I'm disappointed because I don't like goalless draws. We are all about attacking and goals but we'll take some of the performances as there was some really good stuff from the defenders."

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley was satisfied with the point earned by his team but was left ruing their defensive performances earlier in the season.

"It was a very even first half and I think West Ham's changes in the second period gave them the edge," stated the Addicks boss.

"I wish we had defended like we did in this match during the Christmas period and it may have been a bit better for us.

"That run we had around Christmas has really done for our season a little bit."