Charlton Athletic – Page 10 – The Charlton Champion

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

October 18, 2020June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

A new-look Charlton side took to the field on Saturday as life at The Valley settles down following the Thomas Sandgaard takeover. KEVIN NOLAN was there for another behind-closed-doors match.

With an uprecedented five players making their club debuts, this important win over fellow relegation victims Wigan laid the first building block in Lee Bowyer’s new work in progress. Awkward trips to Blackpool and Northampton will immediately test his ability to juggle his fledgling squad and his hopes of making up ground on the League One pacesetters. But this was a good start.

These evenly matched sides met at The Valley in July in the penultimate game of the nine-game post-lockdown mini-season. Their 2-2 draw briefly kept alive mutual hopes of avoiding the drop but each of them was doomed to disappointment, with gutsy Wigan unable to overcome a disastrous 12-point penalty.

Since that epic but ultimately meaningless fixture, the exodus from both clubs has been staggering if entirely predictable. Only five of the 18 Addicks on duty in July were available to Bowyer on Saturday; four survived to represent the visitors. Footballers and badgers – they’re both subject to periodic culls. Wigan went one better and divested themselves of their manager Paul Cook, a popular, capable veteran who had come within one point of saving them. Charlton showed more commonsense in keeping faith with their boss.

One of the quartet of Addicks who started the July fixture was Jake Forster-Caskey, a relative old-timer among the wave of newcomers who flooded into The Valley during a hectic transfer window. The attacking midfielder has divided opinion during his Charlton career, with an inability to score since November 2017 cited against him. He ended his drought with the goal which sank the visitors, sending them back to Lancashire grumbling about their luck and nursing a sense of injustice.

A series of free kicks which suited Forster-Caskey’s left-footed skill had seen him balloon the first into a non-existent crowd before he adjusted his sights and clipped the bar with a second effort. On 65 minutes, he was crudely chopped down from behind by Lee Evans, who was booked for his villainy and punished further as his victim converted the resultant set-piece. From 30 yards, Forster-Caskey’s low delivery beat the poorly-positioned Jamie Jones and found the net off the right post. It had been a long time coming but when it finally arrived, the scorer made it count.

Charlton hadn’t been entirely convincing but there was further encouragement for Bowyer in the contributions made by the new blood. After negotiating a hesitant start, huge centreback Ryan Inniss settled down and showed enough to suggest that one of Charlton’s centreback problems might be solved; to his right, the vastly-experienced Chris Gunter was an error-free replacement for Adam Matthews. Midfielder Andrew Shinnie was quietly effective and indefatigable forward Paul Smyth worked tirelessly alongside the outstanding Chuks Aneke.

Until he tired and was replaced on the hour by Omar Bogle, Aneke ran the Latics ragged. His deft turn on to Alfie Doughty’s pass bewildered a posse of defenders and it took Jones’s excellent block to keep him off the scoresheet; the second half solo run and subtle pass slid in to Darren Pratley was equally sublime, with Jones again rescuing his side at close range. A fully fit Aneke could be the scourge of League One.

While the recently-assembled Addicks were getting to know each other, Wigan created but wasted several chances to exploit their unfamiliarity. The first of them fell to Darnell Johnson, whose meaty header met Evans’ left wing corner but was instinctively parried by Ben Amos. The best of them was squandered by Joe Garner who cleverly chested down Viv Solomon-Atabor’s cross but hammered an unhindered 10-yard volley hopelessly off target. Before Forster-Caskey scored, Amos fumbled Solomon-Atabor’s low drive but recovered to save follow-up efforts from Kai Naismith and Will Keane. Charlton’s defiant keeper was eventually beaten by Evans’ vicious drive which crashed down off the underside of his bar and was heroically scraped off the line by Ben Purrington. There were loud but optimistic appeals for a penalty as Inniss slid in to dispossess Keane, but referee Ollie Yates was unmoved.

Had the fifth debutant Bogle not scuffed wide the late chance created by a heavily bandaged Doughty, the scoreline would have looked more healthy. As it was, seven added minutes were negotiated without undue drama, a triumph in itself for Charlton. This was all about winning – not exactly ugly but not entirely attractive. Just winning.

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Famewo, Inniss, Doughty, Pratley, Forster-Caskey, Shinnie (Purrington 73), Doughty, Smyth (Washington 87), Aneke (Bogle 63). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Williams, Morgan, Levitt. Booked: Gunter, Watson, Smyth.

Wigan: Jones, Massey, Johnson, Tilt, James, Naismith, Gardner, Lee Evans, Solomon-Atabor, Garner, Keane. Not used: Owen Evans, Crankshaw, Joseph, Merrie, Jolley, Aasgard, Long. Booked: Massey, James, Lee Evans, Keane.

Referee: Ollie Yates.

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

October 4, 2020June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Charlton Champion‘s reporter KEVIN NOLAN was at The Valley to witness the Addicks’ first league home game since Thomas Sandgaard bought the club…

Completely outplayed in the first half by Phil Parkinson’s rampant Black Cats, who racked up eight fruitless efforts on target, Charlton got away with one on Saturday. A point, that is, which is one more than looked likely at half-time.

Profligate Sunderland, it should be said, deserved no more than their struggling hosts. Their overwhelming domination of the opening 45 minutes should have seen them two or perhaps three goals in front at the break. A corresponding failure to score owed much to their poor finishing but even more to an outstanding display of goalkeeping by Ben Amos.

During the Wearsiders’ early onslaught, Amos made several fine stops, which paled almost into insignificance alongside the truly unbelievable save he produced to frustrate visiting skipper Bailey Wright at the height of Sunderland’s pressure.

Having barrelled through the Addicks’ puny resistance to meet Luke O’Nien’s outswinging left wing corner, Wright powered an unstoppable header which seemed certain to find the left corner of Charlton’s goal. Diving instinctively to his right, Amos incredibly contrived at full length to turn the ball to safety much to Wright’s astonishment. His magnificent save in a one-sided game during which his shot-shy colleagues managed two off-target attempts on goal single-handedly earned his misfiring side this useful point.

Amos’ defiance of Parkinson’s marauders included several other saves, the best of which saw him defy Danny Graham at close range after Aiden O’Brien’s far post header returned O’Nien’s accurate cross to the veteran’s feet. Later on, Graham laid off Tom Flanagan’s creative pass to O’Brien but Amos brilliantly parried the ex-Millwall winger’s point blank shot; in a hectic scramble for the rebound, Ben Watson bravely blocked Graham’s follow-up effort. Before the interval came to Charlton’s rescue, even Amos was a helpless bystander as Graham slid in to finish off Scawen’s pinpointed low cross but from four yards skied into the empty North Stand. A North Stand which in happier circumstances would have risen to their heroic keeper as he headed for the tunnel.

Though they continued on top, Sunderland’s best chances had come and gone. An improving home side began to share the run of play without suggesting they had it in them to break the deadlock. The 72nd minute introduction of Chuks Aneke added physicality and the newcomer’s lightning-quick combination with Dylan Levitt set up the burly forward to shoot narrowly over the bar. In the context of Charlton’s feeble attacking contribution, his near miss constituted a triumph of sorts. So did the headed flick which sent Conor Washington sprinting goalside of Flanagan and persuaded the outmanoeuvred defender to chop the Northern Irishman down from behind. Last seen deflecting Patrick Bauer’s late winner into his own net at Wembley, it’s safe to assume that the next time Flanagan bumps into Charlton will also, he hopes, be the last time. Enough already so soon. He’s suffered too much at their hands.

Manchester United loanee Levitt, meanwhile, promised more than he delivered. His vaunted distributive ability completely deserted him, with pass after pass delivered off target. The late free kick he sent spiralling into an empty North Stand capped a less than productive performance. Stylish and composed, the young Welshman can do better – much better. Lee Bowyer will undoubtedly persevere with him.

Fellow newcomer Akin Famewo (the ‘e’ is apparently silent) is already on his way to becoming a fans’ favourite, assuming of course, he’s still around when The Valley asserts itself again. A cool, confident operator, the former Norwich centre back makes time and space for himself, passes crisply and appears panic-proof. Squarely by his side as the North Easterners asked all the questions, Darren Pratley was his usual competitive self, the industrial language he used when late sub Marcus Maddison’s overhit set-piece soared over his head providing verbal proof of his commitment. No need to apologise for swearing, Darren, we found it colourful and, in some strange way, reassuring. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, footballers gotta eff and blind. They’re immutable laws of nature.

Having shown belated signs of finding their collective feet, the cancellation of next weekend’s trip to Ipswich is timely, if only to work out in training a shape which fits all. On Saturday, this admittedly tactical dunce gave up trying to figure how the Addicks were deployed. From the perspective of your comfortable armchairs, possibly you can shed light where there are shadows. Answers on a postcard as per usual.

Charlton: Amos, Oshilaja, Famewo, Purrington, Doughty, Pratley, Levitt (Maddison 83), Watson, Vennings (Aneke 72), Oztumer (Williams 46), Washington. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Barker, Lapslie, Morgan. Booked: Watson, Levitt.

Sunderland: Burge, Flanagan, Willis, Wright,O’Brien, Goody (Grigg 65), O’Nien, Scawen, Graham (Wyke 65), Leadbitter, Hume. Not used: Matthews,McLaughlin, Power, Xhemajli, Diamond. Booked: Scawen, Willis, O’Nien.

Referee: Andy Davies.

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Charlton Athletic saved from the brink – but Duchâtelet still owns The Valley

September 25, 2020June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Danish-American businessman Thomas Sandgaard has bought Charlton Athletic, ending months of uncertainty about the troubled club’s future – but The Valley remains in the hands of its eccentric former owner Roland Duchâtelet, whose botched sale of the side brought it to the brink of administration.

Sandgaard has bought the club from East Street Investments (ESI), which in turn purchased it from Duchâtelet nearly a year ago. However, the ESI deal unravelled in March after a public falling-out between its principals Matt Southall and Tahnoon Nimer, with the two trading insults on social media and promised investment not appearing, contributing to its relegation last season. It also emerged that, contrary to statements at the time of sale, the pair had not bought The Valley or the club’s training ground in Sparrows Lane in New Eltham.

ESI was then “sold” to Manchester businessman Paul Elliott, however, the English Football League blocked the deal and the club’s future was then dragged through the courts. Last week, an injunction prevented the sale of ESI while the ownership wrangle was resolved. The club would have run out of money within a week if the deal had not been done; in July it was effectively been warned it risked expulsion from the league.

Floyd Road graffiti - Save CAFC, our club, not yours! — Fans had left ESI in no doubt of their feelings

Sandgaard – who owns hospital equipment company Zynex Medical – emerged as a potential bidder for the club last month, and this morning dodged the injunction by buying the club itself rather than ESI.

The Valley and Sparrows Lane, however, remain with Duchâtelet. Sandgaard said he had agreed to extend the lease on them from five to 15 years. The EFL, which had put a transfer embargo on the club, has agreed the deal.

“When I started negotiating with Duchâtelet, I wanted to buy the stadium, but the conversation quickly turned into a rental agreement and it seems for now that is the best for all parties,” he told Talksport radio. “I’m renting the stadium and training ground for 15 years and have got rid of all the weird side deals so everything’s cleaned up.”

Ownership of The Valley is a sore point with Charlton fans; not having control of The Valley led to the club’s disastrous seven-year exile from SE7 in 1985.

He added: “This is one of the best days of my life, it’s up there with when my two kids were born. The support I’ve had from fans during this whole process has been unbelievable.”

📢 “I’m so happy to announce I’m now owner of Charlton!”

🙌 “This is one of the best days of my life! It’s history in the making.”

🙏 “The support from fans has been unbelievable.”

Here’s the moment Thomas Sandgaard announced on @JimWhite that he is the new owner of #CAFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/e22z1EoHXu

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 25, 2020

Sandgaard said on his own website: “With the club about to run out of funds this month, it was important that I moved quickly to complete the acquisition and put funds in to the club to ensure its survival.

“I have always had two passions – rock music and football. I was a bit of a nerd when I was 13 so decided to go out and buy a guitar because I loved music and wanted to be one of the cool kids – and become a rock musician. I ultimately ended up playing in lots of rock bands in the seventies and early eighties.

“My love of football started when I played at an amateur level in Denmark and then really fell in love with the English game when I watched the FA Cup finals on Danish television in the 1970s. In the last few years, I’ve reached a point financially where I can really do something like this. Four months ago, a friend asked, ‘Have you thought about owning an English football club?’ And I thought, wow, that could be one of the most positive things that I could ever be a part of.”

Charlton fans' protest — About 500 fans held a protest at The Valley five weeks ago

Fans held a protest against Elliott’s “ownership” last month, while a group invaded his solicitor Chris Farnell’s office in Hale, Greater Manchester.

Local MP Matt Pennycook said the takeover of the club was “outstanding news”, while Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe joked “a freedom of the borough is in order ASAP!”

Greenwich borough’s Conservative opposition leader Nigel Fletcher said the news was encouraging but wanted to “seek assurances on some key outstanding issues”.

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-3 Doncaster Rovers

September 20, 2020June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Valley welcomed its first fans of the season – just 1,000 of them – yesterday as part of a pilot for getting crowds back into football stadiums again. The Charlton Champion‘s reporter KEVIN NOLAN was also back at The Valley to see the Addicks slump to defeat…

Everything was in place. There was a socially-distanced place for everything. The green, green grass of home never looked greener or glossier. A shimmering September sun bathed The Valley in warmth and light.

It was a special day. Charlton were back where they belong and 1,000 privileged fans relaxed in pleasant anticipation of a triumphant afternoon -one which promised to stir memories of the magical December 5th, 1992. Quite a few of them no doubt were among the 8,000 crowd which saw Portsmouth beaten 1-0 by Colin Walsh’s wand-like left foot.

Making up the numbers this time were Doncaster Rovers, last seen suffering in this parish as plucky losers on penalties of a League One play-off semi-final, their heartbreak compounded by the wild in-yer-face celebrations of the local hearties. Only 18 months after that chaotic clash there were few survivors on either side but revenge is a dish that can be satisfyingly served hot or cold. Managed now by the avuncular, vastly experienced Darren Moore, Rovers arrived with a point to make.

The early exchanges suggested that the visitors would have their hands full in making that point. They were still finding their feet when Macauley Bonne wastefully headed Charlie Barker’s well flighted cross off target and came within a bootlace of falling behind as Ryan Gilbey slid in fruitlessly at the far post in a vain bid to convert Conor Washington’s hard-driven low centre from the right. In response, Jon Taylor’s crisp daisycutter forced a smart save from Ben Amos but it was against the run of play when Madger Gomes shot Donny into the lead.

Picking up a loose ball after an attack foundered outside the home penalty area, the lively young Spaniard took careful aim and found the bottom right corner with a dipping drive. Possibly unsighted, Amos’s dive was too late to make a difference.

Gomes’ goal did more than put his side in front. It also brought with it the almost instant meltdown of Lee Bowyer’s side and effectively decided the outcome of this eagerly-awaited fixture. The Addicks abruptly dissolved into the cobbled-together complement of strangers they actually were until recently.

There was, to be fair, no lack of effort but Bowyer’s task in building yet another competitive side appears thankless. Already lacking Jason Pearce and Chuks Aneke, he will already be steeling himself against Alfie Doughty’s likely departure.

Charlton’s problems were, of course, of little concern to Moore, who saw his team assume total control without adding to their lead before the break. That important detail was taken care of early in the second period with help from an unwitting foe.

Rangy midfielder Ben Whiteman was a starter in the Doncaster side which took Charlton to penalties back in 2019. After netting his spotkick, if memory serves, he tarried long enough to swap insults with the North Stand, evidence of his spirit if not his wisdom. Bursting to the right byline in front of the vacant away end, he drilled over a hard low cross which Charlie Barker inadvertently hammered left-footed into the roof of Amos’s net. During his brief career as an Addick, it’s been impossible to keep young Charlie out of the spotlight. He’s already been on the scoresheet at both ends.

Rivalling Gomes for trickery and deception, meanwhile, Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules finished Charlton off with a stunning solo goal shortly after the hour mark. From a teasing, taunting, standing start on the 18-yard line, he nutmegged Ben Purrington, shimmied into space and dispatched a brutal, rising drive past Amos.

Comprehensively beaten by a clearly better side, the Addicks gamely soldiered on. Some consolation was provided by Washington, who nodded firmly home through a crowded six-yard area after Doughty’s hooked retrieval from the left byline was scuffed on to his head. Rover’s three-goal advantage was always beyond them although Gilbey clipped the bar with a superb long range strike shortly before referee Busby’s final whistle. But their efforts earned them a stirring ovation as they headed for the dressing room where the somewhat unforgiving response of world-weary Bowyer greeted them.

“This group think they have just played bad and it’s okay because there’s another game next week,” he concluded. “You’re going nowhere if you’ve got a squad like that. I’ve just told them that.”

Nothing Churchillian or Henry V in those ominously embittered remarks. Looks like another long, hard slog ahead of us.

Charlton: Amos, Barker (Williams 60), Oshilaja, Pratley, Purrington, Forster-Caskey, Gilbey, Doughty, Morgan (Lapslie 87), Washington, Bonne. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Oztumer, Levitt, Davison, Vennings.

Doncaster: Bursik, Halliday, James (John 77), Anderson, Wright, Gomes, Tulloch (Lokilo 13), Whiteman, Taylor, Richards (Coppinger 82), John-Jules. Not used: Jones, Okenabirhie, Amos, Williams.

Referee: John Busby. Attendance: 1,000.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-2 Wigan Athletic

July 19, 2020kevinnolan

A big point for the Addicks behind closed doors at The Valley. KEVIN NOLAN watched from the sofa.

Stick the black crepe back in the cupboard. Re-start the clocks. Cancel the wake. Charlton are very much alive. At least they are until Wednesday when the last cards will be dealt. That final game at Elland Road has been an ominous dot on the cards since this tortuous campaign started with a 2-1 victory at Blackburn a year ago.

Whatever their fate, respect the never-say-die courage of Lee Bowyer’s defiant players, who took it to the wire by quarrying a priceless point from this vital game, thanks to a second equaliser deep into six minutes of added time. And give fervent thanks to scorer Macauley Bonne, who stayed admirably calm in the penalty area as rampaging substitute Chuks Aneke rose higher than Cedric Kipre to touch on Adam Matthews’ searching cross. Steadying himself sensibly, the big league rookie potshotted a deliberate low shot beyond David Marshall and neatly inside the keeper’s left hand post.

Bonne’s 11th goal of an injury-interrupted first season makes him joint top scorer alongside a more accomplished striker, whose name need not bother us here. He had missed a golden first half chance with the score 1-1 when sent clear by Naby Sarr’s gloriously flighted long pass. His point blank effort was brilliantly blocked by Marshall and public criticism of his faulty finishing was no doubt due another post-game airing by an exasperated Bowyer But he kept his head in a growing crisis and redeemed himself with a crucial equaliser.

A share of the points was no more than the Addicks deserved for a stirring performance against a super-confident side riding a wave generated by an excellent string of results, culminating in an eight-goal demolition of Hull City in midweek. Still buoyant after that devastating accomplishment, rampant Wigan required only eight minutes to take the lead.

The early goal was an avoidable disaster. Forced inside on to his weaker left foot, Matthews struggled to retain possession under pressure from Antonee Robinson. His weakly dribbled clearance fell conveniently for Kai Naismith to cross for Kieffer Moore, whose header was instinctively parried on to a post by Dillon Phillips. Beating Tom Lockyer to the rebound as it flicked upward off the unlucky keeper, Jamal Lowe nodded in the afternoon’s opening goal.

Wigan’s lead lasted three minutes, all the time it took Alfie Doughty to conjure a candidate for Charlton’s goal of the season. The visitors were sliced open by another of Sarr’s adventuresome diagonal balls to Matthews in space on the opposite flank. The right wingback’s deep cross was met by Doughty beyond the far post and exquisitely cushion-volleyed across Marshall into the far corner. No carefully choreographed celebration from this outstanding prospect -just quiet satisfaction.

Seven minutes before the break, the Addicks fell behind again to their free-scoring visitors. Overpowered by Robinson in a 50-50 duel inside the home half, Josh Cullen was left appealing for a non-existent foul as Robinson outpaced Tom Lockyer and squared hard and low across Charlton’s six-yard area. Sliding in desperately, Sarr was unable to cut out the cross, which was efficiently converted at the far post by Kieran Dowell.

Beginning the second half behind to the Championship’s in-form team was, for a side which had scored only four post-lockdown goals, a discouraging scenario.

Not since their 3-1 victory over Luton Town on February 22nd – ten games ago – had the Addicks managed more than one goal in any game. They plugged away optimistically, though, with the 55th minute introduction of Aneke for the blameless Josh Davison, making a significant difference. Muscular and belligerent, Aneke was, from Wigan’s increasingly weary defenders point of view, the substitute from hell. His superiority in the air eventually laid on Bonne’s late leveller, following which he cheerfully offered out their entire back four after they took exception to him.

And so … on to champions Leeds at Elland Road, with an eye and half an ear on developments elsewhere. Bowyer’s team selection will be of critical importance
in a fixture by no means given up as impossible. Hopefully Sarr will be retained to supply his towering personality; Davison did enough to warrant another start, with Aneke an ideal impact sub. Doughty picks himself, as does Sam Field if fit. Then pray that Charlton’s warrior captain Jason Pearce declares himself fit.

The Charlton Champion, meanwhile, has just one tactical, admittedly crude, suggestion to make to management. When the situation demands our defensive lines be cleared, personnel should be encouraged to do just that … clear your lines, chaps, without fear of criticism. Horsing around at the back is a recipe for disaster. Give it up. And, by the way, good luck and thanks.

Charlton: Phillips, Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce (McGeady 82), Sarr, Cullen, Field (Williams 46), Forster-Caskey (Morgan 46), Doughty, Bonne, Davison (Aneke 55). Not used: Amos, Purrington, Oshilaja, Green, Hemed, Booked: Morgan.

Wigan: Marshall, Robinson, Balogun, Kipre, Byrne, Williams, Morsy, Lowe (Roberts 86), Dowell (Evans 68), Naismith, Moore. Not used: Jones, Massey, Pearce, Garner, Dobre, Mlakan, Gelhardt. Booked: Williams, Morsy.

Referee: Gavin Ward.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-1 Reading

July 12, 2020July 19, 2020Darryl Chamberlain

A grim afternoon behind closed doors at The Valley. KEVIN NOLAN watched so you don’t have to, and makes a few suggestions…

A tortuous exercise in pure frustration, which featured two unfavourable penalty decisions and a first half goal contentiously ruled out for offside, prolonged Charlton’s relegation agony in Saturday’s lunchtime clash with Reading at The Valley.

Their ordeal began as early as the second minute when Deji Oshilaja needlessly cut across Andy Rinomhota, bundling him over as they disputed John Swift’s sharp pass into the penalty area. His zeal was misplaced and referee Darren Bond dutifully operated within the law to penalise him. George Puscas drilled his spotkick down the middle as Dillon Phillips gambled to his right.

Scorers themselves only three times in five post-lockdown games, the Addicks could ill afford Oshilaja’s rush of blood. They battled on doggedly but powderpuff finishing again proved their undoing. Up front, Macauley Bonne went close with a couple of half-chances but looked out of his depth while Chuks Aneke was fortunate to escape a caution for persistent fouling. It was Aneke, however, who appeared to have equalised shortly before the first drinks break when he turned home the rebound after Rafael saved Aiden McGeady’s crisp snapshot at full length. Referee Bond clearly saw nothing wrong with the “goal” but, reasonably enough, deferred to his linesman’s upraised flag. Charlton can’t catch a break at the minute; Reading’s penalty follows hard on the heels of the dubious decision which helped Brentford to overcome their stout resistance in midweek.

Much later, Bond was required to adjudicate a similar tangle between substitutes Jake Forster-Caskey and Jon Obita inside the area. Obita’s challenge, like Oshilaja’s in almost the same spot, seemed excessively physical but again the full force of the law came down on the home side. Forster-Caskey was not only denied a penalty but was unfairly booked for “simulation” while Obita escaped scot-free.

Later defeats for Middlesbrough and Hull City mitigated the damage done by this demoralising setback but Charlton would be unwise to rely on the continued ineptitude of others as they enter a critical three-game micro-season. Their current inability to score promises to be their downfall. Bonne is the only recognised striker with a goal to his credit, while a popgun-firing midfield, in which Darren Pratley has been the sole scorer, consistently fails to contribute. The four goals grudgingly conceded by the defence in six games (one of them the penalty generously awarded to Brentford), meanwhile, stands comparison with sides at the top of the division. No team has recently rolled over Charlton, as has happened to their relegation rivals and that jealously guarded goal difference may yet enter the equation.

An increasingly careworn Lee Bowyer will weigh the pluses and minuses in selecting his sides for the upcoming clashes with fellow strugglers Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic. He must surely concede that Oshilaja, a right-footed left back, is a square peg looking for a suitably square hole. His advances along the left flank invariably end in him checking infield on to his right foot before passing either square or backwards, a consequent loss of momentum not common to Alfie Doughty or, indeed, to the totally overlooked Ben Purrington.

The manager will also have been quietly pleased with the first half shift contributed by McGeady who, besides producing Charlton’s most effective shot on target, probed and passed intelligently. The Scottish playmaker’s clever cross created a near-post chance which Bonne screwed harmlessly across the face of Rafael’s goal before, as usual, he faded dramatically after the interval. McGeady should have been substituted long before his 79th-minute departure in favour of anonymous Tomer Hemed.

An interval replacement for ineffective Albie Morgan, Jonny Williams made a determined effort to establish a new personal best for free kicks earned. Another non-scoring midfielder, Williams might be encouraged to spend more time inside opponents’ penalty area, where his propensity to attract fouls could pay off. Like McGeady, he’s good for no more than 45 minute stints. Perhaps they should alternate to good effect.

And in a Charlton side beginning to present a jaded, colourless persona, should room be made for Naby Sarr, a charismatic player hard to ignore and even harder to overlook? Maybe he could even make a difference up front, where he’s been known to cause havoc. Bowyer will probably opt for caution at this late stage -and he might well be right -which will mean more bad news for the diminutive Erhun Oztumer, who seems to be surplus to the manager’s requirements. Oztumer and Sarr, the unused Little and Large pistols in Bowyer’s armoury, might well be worth a look, though. After all, when it’s broke, fix it!

Charlton: Phillips, Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Oshilaja (Doughty 46), Cullen, Pratley (Forster-Caskey 84), McGeady (Hemed 79), Morgan (Williams 46), Aneke, Bonne. Not used: Amos, Sarr, Purrington, Field, Oztumer. Booked: Doughty, Cullen, Forster-Caskey.

Reading: Rafael, Cabral, Blackett, McIntyre, Morrison, Osho (Gunter 74), Pele (Obita 46), Olise (Richards 61), Rinomhota, Swift (Moore 74), Meite, Puscas (Baldock 56). Not used: Walker, Miazga, McCleary, Boye. Booked: Blackett, Osho, Baldock.

Referee: Darren Bond.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-1 Millwall

July 4, 2020July 19, 2020kevinnolan

A south-east London derby behind closed doors ended in all-too familiar fashion for the Addicks last night. KEVIN NOLAN watched as the neighbours walked away with three points again…

Forget the law of averages. There’s no such thing. Or if there is, it gets broken every time Charlton play Millwall. Whatever the circumstances, whatever rests on the result, Charlton lose to Millwall. That’s just the way it is. The rare draws – and there was a priceless point on offer here – are exceptions which prove the rule.

In all the frustration and pain which followed yet another late defeat, let’s be be fair, the dogged determination and brave resistance, which came close to seeing the Addicks over the line to hard won parity, shouldn’t be overlooked. They swapped punch for punch in coping with a primitive if energy-sapping aerial onslaught, stood their ground gamely and had their own chances to snatch a winner.

What they didn’t have, unfortunately, is a forward capable of converting any of those rare opportunities. Two goals in four post-lockdown games, both of them scored by non-strikers, tells its own misfiring story. The pressure on a superb defence, which conceded for the first time since the season was resumed, eventually brought them to their knees.

At this point I’m tempted to mention Lyle Taylor. But I promised myself I wouldn’t go there.

The line-up which faced Millwall featured seven changes and was faithful to Lee Bowyer’s stated intention to use his entire squad during the nine-game mini-season. Results have vindicated him but Charlton simply ran out of steam against their noisome neighbours. And sad to say it was an error – no howler but an error nonetheless – by Dillon Phillips, their outstanding young goalkeeper – which disastrously ended their string of clean sheets. Covering his near post to deal with Connor Mahoney’s forceful shot, he parried to Jake Cooper, who beat a sliding Tom Lockyer to the loose ball and smashed it into the roof of the net.

A clearly distraught Phillips had previously kept his side in contention with a typically fine first half save from Millwall’s danger man Jed Wallace. Played clear by Ryan Woods’ deft pass, Wallace closed in to confront the advancing keeper but was unable to lift his shot over him. At the other end, Bartosz Bialkowski had already done his bit by narrowing the angle as Macauley Bonne seized on an opening created by Lockyer’s crunching midfield tackle and charging down the forward’s unconvincing effort.

In a game of fleeting half-chances, both saves seemed likely to feature as highlights in a keenly fought scoreless stalemate. Until the Addicks finally buckled with the finishing line in sight.

Gary Rowett’s tactics, meanwhile, were uncomplicated. They entailed getting the ball to Jed Wallace in enough space for the wideman -with 10 goals and 10 assists to his credit this season – to place one of his superbly delivered crosses on the lofty, 6’6″ head of target man Matt Smith. The plan had worked perfectly at the Den in November where Wallace’s added time corner was headed past Phillips to steal the points. This time Lockyer, Jason Pearce and Darren Pratley were equal to the task and physically denied Smith a clear sight of goal. They were doing fine until towering centreback Cooper found another way another way to break their hearts.

With five crucial games left – the first of them a daunting midweek trip to form team Brentford – in the battle for Championship survival, Bowyer will be called upon to make a little go a long way. Charlton will score few many goals and whatever they can muster must count. Bonne hasn’t found the net in 10 games, while Hemed, who hooked a pre-interval chance weakly off target, still seeks his first Charlton goal. Chuks Aneke replaced Bonne just past the hour and bustled the Lions effectively but like Bonne and Hemed, proved shot-shy.

A non-scoring midfield, in which even Josh Cullen struggled to impress, must step up and contribute. Albie Morgan drove one early effort into Cooper’s midriff, Cullen skied his only shot while Aidan McGeady pottered his way through 75 meaningless minutes, during which he scrupulously avoided physical contact and regularly supplied the Lions with possession. Bowyer clearly sees something in the ex-Celtic winger. That something remains a mystery to your reporter, who stands ready to be convinced otherwise. Alfie Doughty or Jonny Williams must surely see out the rest of the campaign.

Silver lining? It’s hard to see one right now, except to remind ourselves that we’re finished with Millwall until, hopefully, next season. That six-point handicap was already factored in pre-season. The same number of points from the eighteen still available might do the business. And let’s not forget Wigan might be in serious trouble. I’m not one for gloating but one dog eats any other dog in this ultra-competitive division.

Better them than us. And you may quote me on that.

Charlton: Phillips, Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Oshilaja (Doughty 75), Cullen, Pratley (Sarr 90), Morgan (Field 46), McGeady (Williams 75), Bonne (Aneke 64), Hemed. Not used: Amos, Purrington, Forster-Caskey, Green.

Millwall: Bialkowski, Romeo (Mitchell 75), Hutchinson, Cooper, Pearce, Murray Wallace, Leonard (Mahoney 75), Jed Wallace (Williams 85), Smith (Bradshaw 64), Woods, Molumby (Thompson 46). Not used: Steele, Pearce, Skalak, Ferguson.

Referee: Dean Whitestone.