Author: kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-0 Shrewsbury Town

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Addicks’ last home match of an underwhelming season ended in a win. KEVIN NOLAN kept an eye on the desperate battle to finish 12th in League One.

It’s been obvious for some time that Charlton have not been remotely good enough to sustain a challenge for promotion from League One. On their day they were capable of giving most teams in the division a decent game; unfortunately that “day” became all too rare as the pressure mounted. You could say they came up a day late and a dollar short when it mattered.

At the same time, there’s been only a fleeting fear of relegation and it can be safely stated that the Addicks proved they don’t belong in that unseemly struggle to avoid demotion to League Two. They are, in fact, destined to finish where they belong – squarely among the mid-table nonentities, if less grateful than the clubs around them to be considered also-rans. Charlton could’ve – should’ve – been the contenders Nigel Adkins promised they’d be last summer.

An impressive return of 16 points from the eight league games which preceded the visit of Shrewsbury Town had fans studying the table and wistfully indulging “what might have been” daydreams. In the middle of that run, inexplicable home defeats to Lincoln City (1-2) and Morecambe (2-3) brought them down to earth. And those two results drove home, with sobering impact, the chronic inconsistency which undid them.

Still we are where we are and it is what it is. There remain 12th and 13th positions to sort out and the race between Charlton, Cambridge United, Cheltenham Town and Accrington Stanley, easily dismissed as a losers’ repechage, was hotter than a pistol on Saturday. Fair enough, nobody else gave a flying farquhar but on this parochial level, it mattered a great deal.

In midweek, the Addicks had done their hopes no harm by leapfrogging Cambridge after beating them 2-0 at their place. They started Saturday two points ahead of United, who faced a daunting and ultimately fruitless trip to Sunderland (1-5). That removed Cambridge from the equation which switched attention to Cheltenham, beaten at home by Bolton Wanderers, and Accrington, home winners over Lincoln City. Both trailed Charlton by one point so only Stanley can catch Johnnie Jackson’s men now. The tension’s ratcheting up and some of us can hardly wait till next Saturday. There’s everything – well, not everything but definitely something – left to play for this season. You just have to know where to look.

The importance of Shrewsbury’s visit, to be brutally frank, seemed to have escaped Charlton’s attention in a dreadful first half at a less than impressed Valley. Dealt a pre-kick-off blow when dynamic Corey Blackett-Taylor was taken ill during warm-up, they were compensated by a lively contribution by Diallang Jaiyesimi, who stepped in and answered Jackson’s call admirably. It was Jaiyesimi, whose fierce drive after cutting in from the left, was capably saved at his near post by Marko Marosi in the 3rd minute.

In reply, Tyrese Fornal half-volleyed narrowly wide but the Addicks edged what were admittedly tepid exchanges. They looked likelier to score but Conor Washington shot too close to Marosi when sent clear by Jayden Stockley’s flick and Alex Gilbey tamely headed Albie Morgan’s inswinging corner straight at the Slovakian keeper. The interval arrived as a relief to our suffering.

Two minutes into the second period, breathtaking brilliance by Craig McGillivray denied Town a surprise lead. Put through by Luke Leahy’s pass, Ryan Bowman shot hard and low for the bottom right corner. His shot was instinctively parried by McGillivray, who regained his feet in time to block Joshua Daniels’ point blank attempt to convert the rebound. This was the keeper’s 16th clean sheet of an ever-present league season.

Morgan’s beautifully-judged ball over the top promptly sent Washington through again to confront Marosi but the big Slovak came out on top once more and saved the Northern Irishman’s angled effort. Something more precise was clearly necessary to beat him and Stockley duly delivered by meeting Morgan’s corner and heading unstoppably into the roof of the net.

Scorer of the added-time goal which beat the Addicks 1-0 in frigid Shropshire last November, Daniel Udoh took matters in his own hands as the Shrews sought an instant equaliser. A mazy solo run carried him past a pursuing posse of home defenders but his entry for goal-of-the-season was foiled by McGillivray’s full-length save.

The 75th minute replacement of Gilbey by Chuks Aneke was the straw that broke Shrewsbury’s back. Aneke’s incredible scoring record as a late substitute is an article of faith around SE7 and almost inevitably he delivered again. Before he did so, he missed a sitter when feebly heading Jaiyesimi’s carefully dinked cross from the left into Marosi’s hands. His confidence remained intact and he made no mistake in powering Morgan’s precise free kick past the helpless keeper to seal the points with four regulation minutes left on the clock.

Marosi might understandably have been distracted by the ignorance of the mentally challenged “hero” who verbally abused him from behind his goal. But then again, Aneke’s header was goalbound as soon as it left his brow.

Their ninth 2-0 win of a generally dismal season at least puts the Addicks in the catbird seat as the battle for 12th place in League One climaxes next weekend. This season ain’t over – not while finishing above Accrington Stanley is at stake. Let’s hope Wimbledon can do us a favour and beat Stanley – unless they’ve still got the needle for letting them down against Morecambe recently.

It’s all about pressure in the middle of the table. Remember what they say: there ain’t no disgrace in thirteenth place!

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Pearce, Famewo, Matthews (Kanu 90+7), Dobson, Morgan, Gilbey (Aneke 75), Jaiyesimi, Washington, Stockley. Not used: Harness, Forster-Caskey, Leko, Inniss.

Shrewsbury: Marosi, Leahy, Pennington, Whalley, Fornah, Vela, Udoh (Bloxham 90+4), Bowman, Daniels, Nurse, Flanagan. Not used: Burgoyne, Pierre, Caton, Craig, Janneh, Barlow.

Referee: Sam Purkiss. Att: 11,207 (667 visiting).

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-3 Morecambe

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Morecambe were the visitors at the Valley for the penultimate home game of the season. KEVIN NOLAN was there to witness another frustrating afternoon for the Addicks.

A harum-scarum, knockabout collision between two sides destined to finish in the lower half of League One entertained the few neutrals present, while providing painful confirmation that both of them belong among the division’s also-rans. That verdict will not bother Morecambe, for whom safety from relegation after reaching English football’s third tier via the play-offs last season qualifies as a success. Under the shrewd stewardship of Derek Adams, the Shrimpers are nailed on to survive after outlasting – and at times outclassing – their hapless hosts.

Already sporting the world-weary appearance of a man who expects little and is rarely disappointed, Charlton boss Johnnie Jackson will understandably look forward to the end of this miserable campaign. To say his side has been a massive let-down would be to stretch understatement to unplumbed depths. Inconsistency has been their benchmark, one they have paradoxically made easy to predict.

Just seven days before tumbling to this defeat, Jackson took his team to Rotherham, where they were entertained by opponents fresh from a Wembley triumph and strategically positioned to make a run for automatic promotion to the Championship. Depleted by injury and suspension of his first choice centre backs, Jackson rang the changes and was rewarded by a spirited, heartening performance and an odds-busting 1-0 victory. Stepping in to replace Sam Lavelle and Ryan Inniss, both veteran Jason Pearce and novice Akin Famewo made sterling contributions, while goalkeeper Craig McGillivray kept his fifth clean sheet in eight games, having conceded only three goals in the process.

Presumably buoyed by the solid nature of the win in South Yorkshire, The Addicks started brightly on Saturday, created but missed several half-chances, then found themselves two down at half-time after conceding a pair of well-taken but poorly defended goals.

The first of them was claimed by the ultra-prolific Cole Stockton, who made it 23 in the league and was a lively, physical handful for Pearce throughout a testing afternoon. Built like the proverbial outhouse, Stockton regularly roughed up Pearce, who was booked for an exasperated second half foul on his nemesis. Stockton also found time shortly after scoring to exchange barbs with the covered end; his detractors were doubtless reminding him of the dubious part he’d played in winning and converting a penalty, with Pearce his outwitted dupe, during the 2-2 draw back in October. They were definitely not congratulating the old-fashioned centre forward on his clever movement in finding space to meet Greg Leigh’s cutback from the right byline, nor saluting the marksmanship he showed in steering a low drive in off McGillivray’s right hand post. It was a chance he was never likely to miss.

Supporting Stockton up front, meanwhile, was lesser known quantity Arthur Gnahoua, more athletically built than his colleague, more mobile and, based on what he showed, on Saturday at least, equally ruthless in front of goal. Two minutes before the break, he picked up his skipper Aaron Wildig’s flick, cut inside from the right flank and found the same bottom corner as Stockton with a crisp low drive which gave McGillivray no chance. There was still time for visiting keeper Trevor Carson to protect his side’s interval lead by spectacularly tipping Jayden Stockley’s point blank header over the bar.

Possibly feeling some responsibility for his failure to track back in the build-up to the visitors’ opening goal, Corey Blackett-Taylor made an indelible impression on the second half. Having already established his domination of Leigh along Charlton’s left flank, he proceeded to tease and taunt the visitors to distraction as he saw more and more of the ball. Eight minutes after resumption his dynamic run to the left byline spreadeagled a posse of Shrimpers, who proved helpless to prevent him from crossing precisely to Mason Burstow at the far post. Unselfishly, the youngster headed back across goal for Stockley to prod past Carson and the Addicks were back in business – until, that is, a disastrous misjudgement by McGillivray, barely six minutes later, restored Morecambe’s two-goal lead.

Seeking to release quickly after gathering a loose ball, McGillivray’s delivery, intended for Adam Matthews, was intercepted by Dylan Connolly and promptly moved on to Gnahoua. The rangy Frenchman made use of the room given him by a hesitant Sean Clare, moved the ball on to his left foot and thundered it into the top left corner, with McGillivray no more than a guilty spectator. The Addicks had not so much shot themselves in the foot as blown all their toes off.

There were, to their credit, no signs of surrender, particularly with Blackett-Taylor in such mesmerising form. Lending him sturdy support was never-say-die George Dobson, who exploded into the visitors’ penalty area, where he was bundled off the ball by Rhys Bennett. Not quite blatant enough to warrant a penalty, decided on-the-spot referee Marc Edwards – and he was probably right. But the Addicks weren’t quite finished and came back into contention with a second goal nine minutes before the end.

Again the mercurial Blackett-Taylor was the catalyst with another twisting, stop-and-go solo run cutting through Morecambe’s resistance and carrying him to the left byline. Checking back on to his right foot, he calmly placed a dinked cross on to substitute Chuks Aneke’s head and from nine yards, the powerful striker directed a deliberate, standing header beyond Carson. With the relegation-haunted visitors in a state of panic by now, Dobson’s Cruyff turn sent Bennett on his way east while he himself headed west and should have been crowned by a superb equaliser. Unfortunately, the eager midfielder’s hurried shot cleared the bar and it was time for the fat lady to burst into song. And as far as this miserable season is concerned, not before time…

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Pearce, Famewo, Matthews, Dobson, Morgan (Forster-Caskey 69), Gilbey (Washington 60), Blackett-Taylor, Burstow (Aneke 75). Not used: Harness, Purrington, Jaiyesimi, Leko. Booked: Pearce.

Morecambe: Carson, Leigh, Bedeau, Wildig (McLoughlin 88), Connolly (O’Connor 82), Phillips, Gibson (Conney 77), Gnahoua, Fane, Bennett, Stockton. Not used: Smith, Diagouraga, Ayunga, McCalmont.

Referee: Marc Edwards. Att: 10,700 (350 visiting).

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Lincoln City

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Addicks sank back into mediocrity on Saturday with defeat to Lincoln City – but, as KEVIN NOLAN reminds us, at least relegation is off the cards this season…

Charlton’s recent three-game winning streak, during which they disposed of feeble opposition in Gillingham, Burton Albion and Doncaster Rovers, was nothing much to shout about.

But at least their doggedness was impressive as they belatedly removed the last, lingering threat of relegation from a desperately dreary season, over which a veil should be mercifully drawn.

Given their parlous plight in September and October, when they languished in 21st position, their recovery was timely, but hardly worthy of kudos. Unremarkable in a division of stodgy mediocrity, the Addicks found their level among the also-rans.

Saturday’s visitors Lincoln City contributed to Charlton’s discomfort last autumn by beating them 2-1 at Sincil Bank. They arrived at The Valley trailing their hosts by seven points but significantly nine points clear of fourth-from-bottom Wimbledon – not exactly safe from relegation but on course to salvation. In completing a valuable double over Johnnie Jackson’s co-operative side, they virtually assured themselves of League One football next season.

An impressively loud corps of 1,110 pilgrims from Lincolnshire’s cathedral city made it clear, with their jubilant chorus of “the Imps are staying up”, that survival ranks as an achievement to be celebrated.

Watching the owner’s foolhardy “five-year plan” to reach the Premier League reduced to a hollow joke, meanwhile, the locals were in no mood to join the Imps’ party. The 2021-22 season has been, for them, disappointing and no amount of trans-Atlantic razzmatazz will convince them otherwise. Nor will that tone-deaf ditty he inflicts on them before kick-off.

But back, meanwhile, to the entertainment provided by two teams with little or nothing to play for. With seven games left, it was easy to suppose that an encounter of grim stalemate was on the cards but nothing was further from the truth.

These sub-mid-table opponents set about each other with gusto and even cared enough to have a player each sent off by letter-of-the-law referee Bobby Madley. Neither Charlton’s Alex Gilbey nor Lincoln’s Morgan Whittaker could deny their fate was richly deserved but the latter, at least, departed with the satisfaction of having put his side into the lead.

Gilbey’s dismissal was both boneheaded and inexcusable. Having been correctly cautioned for tugging back Jamie Robson, he repeated the offence ten minutes later to prevent Conor McGrandles eluding him in the centre circle. The immediate threat posed by McGrandles was negligible but, as Jackson remarked, referees are quick to book offences which prevent the quick break. Both transgressions were committed under the official’s nose and rendered an alibi defence insupportable.

At the point of Gilbey’s shamefaced departure, the visitors were already a goal to the good. Moving laterally from right to left just outside the penalty area, Whittaker benefitted from indecisive tackling and a favourable run of the ball before finding the space he needed to fire a low drive inside Craig McGillivray’s left hand post. His strike was avoidable but clinically executed.

The Addicks could count themselves unlucky to fall behind after controlling the opening half hour. After seven minutes, Conor Washington skilfully chested down Adam Matthews’ hard delivery for his strike partner Jayden Stockley to whip a firm volley narrowly wide. Stockley went closer almost immediately by turning Gilbey’s hard-driven cross against Jordan Wright’s crossbar.

Just nine minutes into the second half, the feeling that this was not to be Charlton’s day hardened into certainty when Stockley rose to meet Ben Purrington’s cleverly flighted cross, momentarily beat Wright but was denied an equaliser as the keeper frantically clawed his header to safety. Your reporter added his partisan two-cent’s worth to the home crowd’s howls for justice but was privately unconvinced that the ball had crossed the goalline. You can’t blame a bloke for trying, of course, but Madley, unassisted by VAR as he was, was justified in cocking a deaf ‘un.

Local frustration continued to grow until Whittaker added his shoulder to the home wheel. His studs-up challenge on Purrington was late and dangerous, which meant his second entry into the official notebook. The most you could say for the young forward is that he wasted no time in arguing the toss. He was bang to rights and knew it.

Heartened by the readjustment in manpower, the Addicks eagerly sought equality and Stockley found space to meet Washington’s cross from the right, directed another header goalward but was again denied by an intelligently positioned Wright. Washington then curled a worthy effort wide and Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s magnificent recovery tackle foiled George Dobson before the Imps apparently quelled the revival with a second goal.

A constant threat to Jackson’s defence, Irish striker Anthony Scully had been working tirelessly with scant reward but kept going optimistically. With less than a quarter of an hour remaining, he cruised in from the left and bent a splendid right-footed drive into the far corner. That seemed to be that but Charlton were not quite finished.

Quickly finding his feet after his lengthy lay-off, Jake Forster-Caskey had replaced the serially disappointing Scott Fraser ten minutes before Scully scored and settled down quickly, with intelligent movement, a range of pinpoint passes and accurate setpieces. His 88th minute corner, swung outward from the left, was headed home by Stockley and City briefly wavered. Substitute Elliot Lee’s searching pass found Washington deep inside their penalty area but the Northern Irishman drove a last-gasp effort agonisingly wide.

Charlton’s threat duly petered out – rather like their season had several weeks ago.

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Matthews (Leko 74), Lavelle, Purrington, Dobson (Lee 86), Gilbey, Fraser (Forster-Caskey 65), Blackett-Taylor, Stockley, Washington. Not used: Harness, Famewo, Pearce, Burstow. Sent off: Gilbey.

Lincoln: Wright, Poole, Jackson, Whittaker, Cullen (Marquis 87), Scully (Hopper 82), McGrandles, Fiorini, Norton-Cuffy, Bridcutt (Maguire 70), Robson.

Not used: Sanders, Bishop, Walsh, House. Booked: Fiorini: Sent off: Whittaker.

Referee: Bobby Madley Att: 10,091 (1,110 visiting).

Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-0 Burton Albion

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

KEVIN NOLAN was at the Valley to witness a second Addicks victory in a week.

Bathed in early spring sunshine, The Valley was a pleasant, relaxed place to be on Saturday. There was an agreeable atmosphere inside the fabled old ground, a bit like that carefree feeling you enjoyed at school during those dog days between exams and breaking up for the summer holidays.

There was always a price to pay, of course, namely the report you had to explain away to your parents. It came with hurtful comments such as “needs to concentrate”, “must decide whether or not he is the class clown” or that old cliched chestnut “could do better with more effort.” The latter was a time-honoured classic that could apply to just about every kid who went through the educational system. It was once the bane of my life – still is, come to think of it.

Charlton could – and should – certainly have done better during this irritating 2021-22 campaign. They got off to a miserable start, with only a 2-0 win over Crewe interrupting an otherwise dismal string of nine opening games, until they managed a 2-1 victory at Fleetwood on October 2nd. Defeat at Lincoln two weeks later plunged them into 22nd place and prospects were grim.

Form has been in-and-out since that abject surrender at Sincil Bank, with consecutive 2-0 home wins over Ipswich and Cambridge rare highlights. Promotion disappeared as a realistic ambition weeks ago but, until Gillingham were vanquished last Tuesday, relegation hovered over the Addicks like that sword dangled over some bloke’s head by another bloke called Damocles. Be fair, there’s not been much to e-mail home about this season.

Burton Albion arrived in SE7 four points better off than their hosts but departed with that advantage cut to one after becoming Charlton’s second “double” victims. They lost 1-0 to Johnnie Jackson’s men on a bitterly cold afternoon in November and never looked likely to gain revenge in this reverse fixture. Falling behind to a 12th minute sucker punch was no way to start but they weren’t the first victims of a well-rehearsed routine. Morecambe were knocked temporarily bandy by it back on a bleak evening in November.

It wasn’t too smart of Saturday’s visitors to leave Ciaran Gilligan on his own, policing Conor Washington near the halfway line as they poured forward to exploit one of Tom Hamer’s huge throw-ins. They were caught horribly under-manned as Craig McGillivray fielded Sam Hughes’ tame header, sprinted to his 18-yard line and released a long, flat clearance, which pitted Washington against Gilligan in a one-on-one footrace along the striker’s preferred left channel. There was only one winner in their All-Ireland duel and it was the Northern Irishman who forged ahead, spotted Ben Garratt’s rash advance off his line and lifted a shrewdly judged lob over the keeper’s head on its way into his vacated net. Washington’s 10th goal in his 21st start (six substitute appearances) somewhat explodes the theory that his finishing lacks the clinical touch. He’s dynamite playing “off the shoulder”.

Shaken by their early setback, the Brewers had little to offer in return except Hamer’s crudely effective throws, under which they gathered in search of rebounds and ricochets. The burly defender was fortunate to be around to deliver them after a vicious foul on George Dobson as early as the 9th minute was deemed by referee Rebecca Welch to deserve a yellow rather than the red card it merited. Hamer’s was the first of six cautions meted out to the visitors, who were clearly operating a “no prisoners” policy. Former Addick Deji Oshilaja’s second half caution for chopping down Jayden Stockley might have earned him a second booking; his 2nd minute foul on Stockley was brutal enough to have been similarly punished. Oshilaja and Stockley were both sent off at Burton in November. It’s fair to say they don’t get along.

It was Deji who came closest to equalising for the Brewers during a brief pre-interval purple patch. His ferocious drive from outside the penalty area beat McGillivray but rebounded harmlessly from the crossbar. Oshilaja’s near miss was quickly followed by Omar Niasse’s skilful turn to elude Sam Lavelle in dispute of John Brayford’s long ball but, with the hard part done, the Senegalese fired his self-made chance narrowly over the bar.

Having failed to draw level, the Trentsiders fell further behind before the break. They seemed in no great danger as Corey Blackett-Taylor meandered infield from the left touchline before unleashing a low, speculative drive which squeezed inside Garratt’s right-hand post despite the keeper’s full length effort to reach it. Blackett-Taylor’s first league goal rewarded his have-a-go attitude. Unhappily, after going close with a second half bid to double his tally, the bright young winger limped off with a worrying injury.

Blackett-Taylor departed after having left the Addicks in a dominant position. They spent the second half in complete control, if troubled occasionally by Hamer’s dangerous throws. Stockley headed Scott Fraser’s fine cross straight at Garratt as they pottered through what remained. At the other end, Conor Shaughnessy blasted proverbial miles over the bar, his waywardness typifying the visitors’ feeble contribution.

Burton were pretty lightweight…in fact they were awful. Brewers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink could only envy Jackson the inexhaustible energy of the consistent Dobson, Blackett-Taylor’s explosive pace and the impressive sang froid shown by Washington. There’s also the promise of more to come from classy Scott Fraser and his midfield ally Alex Gilbey as Charlton seek to finish this disappointing season strongly. It’s a work in progress which begins all over again in late July.

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Matthews, Lavelle, Purrington, Dobson, Gilbey, Fraser (Lee 81), Blackett-Taylor (Jaiyesimi 54), Stockley, Washington. Not used: Harness, Gunter, Famewo, Leko, Burstow.
Burton: Garratt, Brayford, Borthwick-Jackson, Oshilaja, Powell (Saydee 64), Smith (Chapman 64), Hughes, Shaughnessy, Niasse, Gilligan (Guedioura 70). Not used: Ahadme, Moult, Mancienne, Lakin.
Referee: Rebecca Welch. Att: 11,348 (320 visiting).

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-0 Gillingham

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Addicks sent their visitors from down the North Kent Line packing on a nervous night at The Valley. KEVIN NOLAN was there.

On a chilly evening when the result was all that mattered, an opportunistic strike by Alex Gilbey – his second goal of a stop-start season – was enough to settle this scruffy game and all but dismiss Charlton’s lingering fears of relegation to the unspeakable horrors of League Two.

Unable to exploit the Addicks’ alarming second-half disintegration, Gillingham were at least favoured by other results, leaving them a precarious fourth from bottom and still under severe pressure to survive the drop.

To be brutally frank, this downmarket clash between substandard teams went largely unnoticed elsewhere. But at The Valley, the nerves were palpable, mistakes rife and the mood tetchy.

A disappointing home crowd, bolstered by a lively contingent from the Orchard of England, saw Charlton start brightly, control much of the first half and take a deserved lead into their dressing room at half-time. The second half told a different story as the Addicks, increasingly aware of the stakes on offer, appeared to freeze. The visitors sensed their vulnerability, grew in confidence but lacked the quality to press home their growing advantage.

As the tension affected Johnnie Jackson’s men, their ability to hold on to the ball disappeared. Clearances were inconclusive and their pre-interval grip on the game loosened. An equaliser seemed, if not inevitable, then more than likely.

As they battled to hang on to their lead, Charlton rediscovered the spirit so frequently lacking during a seven-game winless streak. They ran, pressed and covered for each other with almost manic enthusiasm.

Up front, Conor Washington and Jayden Stockley set an example of unstinting effort, while Corey Blackett-Taylor’s frequent bursts of pace pinned the Gills back and provided respite for his nerve-shredded side. Behind them, George Dobson supplied his usual energy, the often unfairly maligned Gilbey did his bit and Scott Fraser showed enough to suggest there’s more to come from this talented playmaker. His 66th minute substitute, Elliot Lee, shook off a shaky start before providing a masterclass in how to run down the clock with several cameos, of which the storied Tony Watt would have approved.

It was Gilbey, restored to the starting line-up after being dropped for the last two games, who provided the 40th minute breakthrough. He had already gone close by capping a blistering run with a shot which whistled narrowly wide and was clearly in the mood to try his luck. In support as Blackett-Taylor’s drive was spilled by Pontus Dahlberg, he pounced on the rebound when the keeper bravely parried Stockley’s follow-up, and netted on the turn from 14 yards. His goal ended Charlton’s failure to score from open play since Lee headed the Addicks in front at Wigan on February 12th – a barren run of five games.

Though they beavered away industriously, Neil Harris’ men created little of note to bother Craig McGillivray. Top scorer Vadaine Oliver headed Ben Thompson’s first half cross tamely into McGillivray’s hands and Conor Masterson sent a 25-yard snapshot whistling wide after the break.

His keeper’s relative inactivity didn’t dissuade Jackson from singling out McGillivray for special mention. “I thought Craig was excellent. I’m pleased because obviously we’ve conceded a few goals and I know he took that pretty hard so he deserved that clean sheet. And the win came from hard work and heart and they showed that in abundance today.”

It’s been a rough ride recently for Charlton’s popular boss – ringing the changes as his depleted team hit the skids. Seven games without winning sent them into dangerous freefall and Jackson spoke for everyone in stressing the overriding importance of this result.

It hadn’t been about the elegance of the performance – which was just as well – but winning, however ugly it was. “We’ve had important players missing and that’s impacted on results,” he remarked. “We’ve had to try another way and it’s been difficult but I think you saw tonight when we get those guys on the pitch, we’re going to win football matches.” Amen to that, boss.

And a word to the owner. You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself. Johnnie Jackson is the right man for the job. Give him the right tools and he’ll do that job.

Just make sure those tools can play 90 minutes and can turn out regularly. We have more than enough part-time players as it is. We’re lucky to have this bloke in charge. So don’t screw it up.

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Lavelle, Purrington, Matthews, Dobson, Gilbey, Fraser (Lee 66), Blackett-Taylor (Pearce 88), Washington, Stockley. Booked: Gilbey, Stockley. Not used: Harness, Gunter, Jaiyesimi, Leko, Burstow.

Gillingham: Dahlberg, Tutonda (Dickson-Peters 81), O’Keefe, Ehmer, Tucker, Thompson, Lee, McKenzie (Lintott 59), Masterson, Oliver, Kelman. Booked: O’Keefe. Not used: Chapman, Maghoma, Akehurst, Chambers.

Referee: Will Finnie. Attendance: 9,728 (1,559 visiting).

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-0 Sunderland

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Kevin Nolan's Valley View

After the turmoil of recent weeks, a goalless draw with Sunderland came as a relief for The Charlton Champion‘s KEVIN NOLAN…

No doubt you’ll have noticed that Charlton never lose any of those past games they show on the big screen before kick-off. They win ’em all.

It must rankle among fans in the adjoining Jimmy Seed Stand to be force-fed so much failure. Having said that, it was hard to identify what games they picked when Millwall were the visitors a couple of years ago; those grainy pre-war pictures are tough to make out.

Be fair though, what brings a glow of pleasurable nostalgia to SE7 is still a bitter pill to swallow on Wearside; no wonder Sunderland live and breathe vengeance, with those play-off finals sticking in their craw.

They came south on Saturday, confident that revenge was there for the taking against their nemesis but instead met a side prepared to dig in and redeem themselves after a miserable run of results; a modest side (with much to be modest about recently) but one with their backs to the wall and spoiling for a fight. The point they took from this dour but competitive encounter will be of more satisfaction to Charlton than the one taken home by Sunderland, who slipped from sixth to no-account seventh in the table.

Heartened by the return from injury of Jayden Stockley and by the eagerly anticipated full debut of Scott Fraser, worried manager Johnnie Jackson will draw quiet encouragement from the excellent contribution made by Diallang Jaiyesimi. The mercurial No 7 only rarely crossed the halfway line but tackled, intercepted and read the game like a seasoned defender. His was an unselfish, disciplined, performance which placed his team’s needs above his natural impulse to go forward.

Also worthy of special mention in a generally solid display were Jason Pearce and Craig McGillivray. You know what’s on offer from the redoubtable skipper and he invariably delivers. There’s nothing he relishes more than a no quarter-asked-or given encounter with a physical opponent and, in prolific Scot Ross Stewart, he was evenly matched.

With 22 goals already this season, Stewart was unable to add to his tally but posed a constant threat. Several chances were either directed wide or saved by McGillivray. But Pearce kept him relatively quiet, something few centre backs have achieved this season.

McGillivray’s excellent statistics took a battering in February, during which Charlton shipped 14 goals in six games, the last three of which yielded 8 of those goals. Those statistics, however, don’t register the often stunning saves he made to make the margin of defeat manageable.

Against free-scoring Sunderland, he made a string of defiant stops to keep the Addicks level. The best of them was the athletic tip-over which kept out Bradley Pritchard’s swerving first half free kick, though the full length dive he made to tip Stewart’s corner-bound shot to safety had its admirers.

In between the spectacular was the competence he showed in repelling Patrick Roberts’s one-on-one effort and the sound positioning which made Elliot Embleton’s crisp daisycutter a matter of routine to handle.

The Addicks’ chances were fewer, though they came close to collaring all three points in a hectic finish to an otherwise attritional struggle. Stronger than their visitors during the closing minutes, they forced a series of setpieces which had the Black Cats wilting. Elliot Lee’s much-improved performance culminated in a salvo of late free kicks conceded by the tiring Wearsiders.

Following Roberts’ foul on substitute Jonathan Leko, Lee’s inswinging delivery from the left was headed narrowly wide by an unmarked Sam Lavelle. A mere minute later, Bailey Wright wearily impeded Stockley in the same area and Lee’s free kick picked out the blond centre forward wide of the far post. A venomous volley whistled across the six-yard area, left Anthony Patterson helpless, but eluded the sliding Lavelle by agonising inches. “Would have been harsh on Sunderland,” admitted Jackson. Be honest, John, would you have cared? Or shown a grain of sympathy?

Jackson was easier to believe in his comments about his side’s performance. “It came from hard work and heart”, he remarked, “and they showed that in abundance.” They did indeed, boss, none more so than Pearce, whose defiance inspired Chris Gunter to resourcefully clear off the goalline from Dennis Cirkin during a period of Sunderland pressure early in the second half. Also, George Dobson kept hustling, as did Lee and Ben Purrington.

This was a worthy point, with Mason Burstow’s extreme youth mitigating the tame finish he applied to Stockley’s deftly headed flick. Mason’s not the finished article but he put in the same effort as his more experienced colleagues.

Anyway, I think we can safely say this point – and other results – remove any possibility of relegation. That’s not something we should be celebrating but it’s some sort of relief.

At least we can embark on our owner’s five-year plan from a League One, rather than League Two, starting point, something he hasn’t mentioned lately. Probably in the recording studio. Anyone know if we’re still on?

Charlton: McGillivray, Gunter, Lavelle, Pearce, Purrington, Jaiyesimi, Dobson, Lee, Fraser (Gilbey 66), Stockley, Burstow (Leko 73). Not used: Harness, Famewo, Morgan, John, Matthews. Booked: Purrington, Dobson, Lavelle, Lee.

Sunderland: Patterson, Evans, Broadhead (Clarke 70), Gooch (Roberts 81), Stewart, Winchester, Cirkin, Xhemajli, Pritchard (Embleton 75), Wright, Matete. Not used: Hoffmann, Doyle, Neil, Hume. Booked: Clarke, Cirkin, Wright

Referee: Anthony Backhouse Attendance: 13,716 (2,702 visiting).

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-2 Milton Keynes

kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Addicks sank to another defeat last night as their slide down the League One table continued. KEVIN NOLAN reports.

Bang in form and full of themselves, Milton Keynes swept into The Valley on Tuesday evening, intent on proving that whatever Oxford United could do, they could do better.

Four days previously, Oxford had barely broken sweat in cutting Charlton to ribbons; MK confidently expected to mop up the debris left by Saturday’s conquerors and bank three similarly easy points. They didn’t quite emulate their predecessors but their victory was achieved with the same casual swagger.

Liam Manning’s promotion hopefuls were followed down from the Buckinghamshire boondocks by just over 600 fans. They were cocky, entitled and relished the reversal of roles which made them the warmest of favourites, with the bedraggled Addicks prohibitive underdogs.

They huddled together in the Jimmy Seed Stand, and, without any sense of irony, confirmed their club’s reputation as football cuckoos by shamelessly adopting Millwall’s “no-one likes us” anthem as their own. This bunch of empty-headed arrivistes hardly deserve the fluent, gifted side that Manning dexterously manages.

Bereft of three experienced strikers and riddled with weaknesses elsewhere, meanwhile, Johnnie Jackson made several changes from the shambolic side with which Oxford had toyed. A full debut was handed to Juan Castillo – a dubious honour in such discouraging circumstances – and Sam Lavelle made a welcome return from injury.

Chris Gunter resumed at right-back with Sean Clare beginning a three-game suspension after being sent off against Oxford. Adam Matthews operated at right wingback, while Mason Burstow was partnered with Jonathan Leko up front.

Jackson’s frustration was easy to imagine when Burstow limped off in the second half with what looked ominously like hamstring trouble. And there was still little sign of Covid victim Scott Fraser, so briefly impressive at Bolton.

Jackson had every right to be pleased with the first-half performance of his sorely depleted side. They held their own, made one or two chances and apart from an early scare when Troy Parrott’s poor control allowed Craig McGillivray to pounce on Conor Coventry’s pinpoint pass over the top, were comfortable defensively.

At the other end, Matthews’ hard, low cross proceeded untouched through a crowded goal area before being blasted over the bar by George Dobson; then Lavelle’s sprawling header sent Albie Morgan’s right wing corner spinning wide, with Jamie Cumming a concerned spectator When Akin Famewo’s last-ditch tackle foiled Scott Twine’s attempt to exploit a precise through ball from Harry Darling, Charlton seemed to have emerged unscathed from a low-key first half.

Dressing-room sanctuary was but four minutes away when the visitors struck. A quickfire raid through the middle featured another fine ball from Coventry, which left wingback Tennai Watson slipped deftly into the bottom left corner. The first goal is important in any game. Given Charlton’s chronic lack of firepower, it loomed even larger in this context.

Relaxed and expertly organised, Milton Keynes showed little anxiety in seeking a second goal to settle the issue. Twine’s 20-yard free kick beat the wall but missed its target by mere inches; and McGillivray produced a marvellous save to keep out Conor Wickham’s header from Josh McEachran’s corner.

MK’s understandable complacency should have been punished by an unmarked Burstow, who made an awkward hash of driving Morgan’s perfect cross into the ground and harmlessly over Cumming’s bar. It was a bad miss and was promptly punished by an overdue coup-de-grace.

McGillivray’s brilliance seemed to have got his side off the hook when his instinctive save kept out Wickham’s vicious low drive. He was still grounded as Kaine Kesler-Hayden reacted first to convert the rebound. With half an hour still remaining, this result was already guaranteed.

And it leaves Charlton still nervously aware of the relegation battle bubbling beneath them. This isn’t the way it was meant to be. But it is, as they say, what it is. It ain’t over yet.

Charlton: McGillivray, Gunter, Lavelle, Famewo, Dobson (Campbell 88), Morgan, Gilbey, Matthews, Leko (Jaiyesimi 64), Castillo, Burstow (Lee 71). Not used: Harness, Purrington, Pearce, Kanu. Booked: Gilbey.

Milton Keynes: Cumming, Watson, Lewington, O’Hora, Darling, Twine (Corbeanu 80), Coventry, McEachran (Kasumu 80), Wickham (Eisa 64), Parrott, Kesler-Hayden. Not used: Ravizzoli, Smith, Kemp, Boateng.

Referee: Sam Purkiss. Att: 8,807 (605 visiting).

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