Addicks fans have that sinking feeling again. KEVIN NOLAN watched a desperate affair at The Valley.

In-form Charlton, well rested after triumphing at Exeter last weekend and boosted by four wins from their previous five games, were understandably confident of extending an encouraging run by defeating relegation-threatened Fleetwood Town at an expectant Valley on Saturday.

Beaten at home by lowly Burton Albion in their last league game, meanwhile, Scott Brown’s bhoys had qualified for the FA Cup fifth round by knocking out table-topping Sheffield Wednesday in a mild upset, but that hardly qualified as a reliable form guide. It was widely assumed that Wednesday had heavily prioritised their league campaign and were less than disappointed to lose last Tuesday.

Winners of only six league games this season but kept afloat by eleven draws, Town had managed only 31 goals but had shown signs of a stubborn streak by conceding just two more than that paltry total. Their 2-3 “goalfest” against Burton the previous weekend was clearly out of character for the Cod Army.

Huddled together for warmth in the Jimmy Seed Stand, 121 travelling fans gave a brave account of themselves but probably feared the worst. They haven’t exactly set League One alight on the road and their cheerful mood was a triumph of hope over experience.

As a quiet first half trudged along, with the Addicks proving no better – or indeed worse – than their Fylde Coast visitors, a splendid goal that was completely out of context withs its mundane surroundings illuminated the proceedings and sent a familiar, cold chill down local spines.

Abruptly shaken out of their cosy sense of superiority, home fans were startled but hardly surprised by the sudden turn of events.

Hurried off the bench as early as the ninth minute to replace his stricken captain Danny Andrew, defender Shaun Rooney settled down quickly, shored up the hole left by Andrew and found time to venture upfield to swell the numbers on setpieces. Stationed some 25 yards from goal as an inconclusive headed clearance reached him, the 26-year-old Scot unleashed an uninhibited half-volley which screamed into the top left corner with Ashley Maynard-Brewer airborne but hopelessly beaten by the sheer brutality of the strike.

Stung into action by the setback, Charlton sought instant reprisal. Skipper George Dobson, set up by Scott Fraser, curled a first-time effort narrowly over the bar before Fraser himself moved on to Gavin Kilkenny’s pass, shot on the run but was foiled by Carl Johnston’s heroic block.

The Addicks looked likely to take a one-goal deficit in with them at the interval until, in the last of five added minutes, a second goal which again belonged in a better game than this earnestly mediocre affair, drew them level.

Confirmed as on loan from Crystal Palace for the rest of the season, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi delights and frustrates in equal measure. His shimmering talent is undeniable but is often let down by poor choices. With a head of steam behind him, however, he’s a sight for red and white eyes, as he proved yet again while referee Carl Boyeson reached for his half-time whistle.

Picking up Sean Clare’s shrewd pass, Rak-Sakyi’s magic feet disposed of Scott Robertson’s challenge as he cut inside from the right, wrongfooted Town’s central defenders and dispatched an unstoppable drive past Jay Lynch. His wonderful, bravura goal appeared, at the time, to have set up the homeboys for a match-winning second half onslaught.

Seven minutes after the resumption, the Addicks instead found themselves trailing again. Their poor defending of setpieces, in this case Phoenix Patterson’s inswinging left-wing corner, was their all too familiar downfall. Hardly a shrimp but dwarfed by Ryan Inniss, Lucas Ness and their co-defendants, Harrison Holgate – a single, diminutive cod among several towering haddocks – leaped like a salmon and headed what turned out to be the match-winner into the centre of Maynard-Brewer’s net.

Surprisingly in front, Fleetwood produced a masterclass in the various methods of game management. The second period rapidly degenerated into an ugly series of stoppages, not all of them down to Brown’s men. As they regularly collapsed in simulated agony and pondered long and hard over such dilemmas as goal-kicks and throw-ins, they were assisted by the genuine injuries which afflicted their hosts.Lengthy treatment of injuries to Clare and Matt Penney led to their withdrawal and will present Dean Holden with selection problems for Tuesday’s trip to Forest Green Rovers.

In the shorter term, the late dismissal of Inniss sealed Charlton’s fate. Sent off for chopping down Harvey Macadam, the huge centre-back deserved his red card; no amount of Holden’s disingenuous defence that Ness was the last defender should deflect from the brutal truth that Inniss’s disciplinary record needs urgent improvement. He’s a good lad but he needs to calm down. There is still a season to complete and we’ll need all hands available to get through it.

Meanwhile, it’s on to Nailsworth to take on FGR. Should be easy… er, p’raps not.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare (Sessegnon 61), Inniss, Ness, Penney (Campbell 81), Dobson, Fraser, Blackett-Taylor, Kilkenny (Aneke 66), Rak-Sakyi, Bonne. Not used: Wollacott, Thomas, Morgan, Payne. Booked: Fraser, Penney. Sent off: Inniss.

Fleetwood: Lynch, Andrew (Rooney 9), Wiredu, Mendes Gomes (Macadam 55), Robertson, Marriott (Hayes 66), Warrington, Holgate, Patterson (Nsiala 55), Johnston, Stockley (Omochere 66). Not used: McMullan, Dolan. Booked: Wiredu, Holgate, Johnston.

Referee: Carl Boyeson. Attendance: 12,436 (121 visiting).

Buoyed by their midweek efforts against Manchester United, would the Addicks disappoint against Barnsley in the league? Not a bit, reports KEVIN NOLAN.

Charlton made it three league wins in a row with this victory over Michael Duff’s talented Barnsley side. It was achieved in front of a supportive crowd, which got behind the honest effort and total commitment on display and vocally hauled their exhausted heroes over the line. A period of rest and recovery could well be part of manager Dean Holden’s agenda before the testing trip to Peterborough next Saturday.

Handicapped immediately before kick-off when Steven Sessegnon was injured while warming up, Holden dealt with the setback by moving debutant Todd Kane to left back and summoning the dependability of Sean Clare from the bench.

In first-half added time, he lost Kane to a worrying hamstring complaint, which brought Eoghan O’Connell into the fray earlier than intended.
Both Clare and O’Connell proved solid replacements as the Addicks responded with commendable spirit to disruption. Their resistance to Barnsley’s bordered at times on epic; they rode their luck, particularly when the visitors twice hit the woodwork before the interval and were understandably grateful for the frankly comical finishing which let them off the hook in the second session.

The grip which the Tykes exerted during an awkward opening quarter-hour was ominous. Camped in Charlton’s half, they looked an odds-on bet to open the scoring, particularly when Jordan Williams’ vicious long-range drive forced a hurried, two-handed save from Ashley Maynard-Brewer. There were other narrow squeaks but, with Ryan Inniss and Lucas Ness inspiring their defiant mood, Holden’s men survived.

Better than that, they broke cover to take the lead on 19 minutes, admittedly against the run of play but impressive nonetheless. Preferred to Corey Blackett-Taylor on the left flank, Tyreece Campbell hadn’t seen much of the ball while Charlton struggled to gain a foothold. A couple of neat touches hinted at the teenager’s undoubted talent but the directness of his first meaningful contribution came as a shock, not only to the delighted locals, but to the spread-out travelling fans behind Bradley Collins’ goal.

Already in full flight as combative Jack Payne bustled his way into possession inside his own half, an uninhibited Campbell accepted his chunky teammate’s pass in his stride, showed strength to hold off Liam Kitching and let fly on the run from outside the visitors’ penalty area. Surprised at his near post by the sheer velocity of the strike, Collins was helpless to prevent it from bulging the net behind him.

Youth, it seems, is not entirely wasted on the young – not while Charlton’s vaunted academy continues to produce quality of this calibre.

At 20 years old, Ness is, by comparison with the likes of Campbell, an old stager who stood firm alongside a rock-like Inniss in keeping Barnsley at bay. Neither of them – nor the imperturbable Maynard-Brewer – could do anything to stop the 25-yard screamer from Josh Benson which struck the crossbar before bouncing precariously to safety.

Benson netted a similar effort at Oakwell back in September but mere inches were his enemy this time around. Similarly unlucky was Scottish midfielder Nicky Cadden, whose far post header in first half added time also clipped the bar and fell harmlessly in the Addicks’ favour.

Under steady pressure after the break, Charlton were in sore need of the insurance provided by a second goal. That eventuality looked unlikely until, on the hour, they surprised themselves as much as anyone by coming up with exactly what they required. And both 58th minute substitutes Macauley Bonne and Aaron Henry were heavily involved, proof if it were needed, that Holden’s decisions were sprinkled with stardust.

Henry’s battling header reached Bonne, whose instant shot on the turn struck the base of the right post. Where neither of Barnsley’s rebounded favourably, Bonne’s effort sat up kindly to present Jesurun Rak-Sakyi an unmissable tap-in. It was that kind of afternoon for the frustrated South Yorkshiremen, in whose care the proverbial barn door was safe during a profligate second half.

Fatigue became Charlton’s main adversary as the final whistle neared. Even the normally indefatigable George Dobson wilted but was shored up by the growing influence of Scott Fraser. Every homeboy contributed to their resistance, none more so than Campbell, whose never-say-die attitude was exemplified by the resourceful tackle he conjured from a prone position.

Blocks became commonplace, bodies were put selflessly on the line. This was potentially a season-changing result and might even have been more emphatic had Inniss directed a late point-blank header either side of Collins. This was no occasion for complaint, though, more a chance to celebrate a victory both heroically won and unreservedly savoured. Same again please!

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Ness, Kane (O’Connell 45), Dobson, Rak-Sakyi, Payne (Henry 58), Fraser, Campbell (Blackett-Taylor 83), Leaburn (Bonne 58). Not used: Harness, Stockley, Morgan. Booked: Clare, Inniss, Bonne.

Barnsley: Collins, Williams, Kitching, Andersen, Cadden, Kane (Norwood 64), Benson (Larkeche 39), Aitchison (Martin 64), Phillips, Cole (Watters 64), Connell (Wolfe 79). Not used: Walton, Thomas. Booked: Kitching, Kane, Phillips.

Referee: Craig Hicks. Attendance: 13,266 (1,012 visiting).

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The Addicks might be at one of their lowest ever league positions, but a gutsy performance on Wednesday night saw them squeeze past Brighton for an historic cup win. KEVIN NOLAN reports.

A performance which combined good, old-fashioned guts with superbly organised defending saw Charlton through to the fifth round of the Carabao Cup (once known as the League Cup in simpler times). A timely slice of luck or two helped their cause but they fully deserved their victory over Premier League surprise packets Brighton after surviving a chaotic penalty shoot-out.

The jubilation which greeted Sam Lavelle’s decisive spot-kick was as much in relief as joy because the Addicks had suffered during normal time. Extra time would surely have proved an unendurable burden but then again, they were clearly in no mood to surrender. Their attitude was bloody-minded and hard-nosed so who knows how they might have responded to the additional half hour? And, come to that, how would Roberto De Zerbi’s top flight parvenus have dealt with it?

Wednesday’s backs-to-the-wall resistance might well have spelled the end of all that kidding around in their own penalty area which has proved costly on so many occasions recently. It was significant that outstanding keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer waved centre backs Lavelle and Ryan Inniss upfield when they ranged alongside him as he prepared to take his early goal kicks. They needed no further encouragement to comply and, freed of the responsibility to emulate Bobby Moore, settled down to defend responsibly and at times quite brilliantly.

So too did fledglings Lucas Ness and Richard Chin against the persistent but toothless visitors, whose overwhelming advantage in possession didn’t quite translate into clear-cut chances. Albion looked likely to score as they buzzed around the home penalty area but promised far more than they delivered.

They had their moments but, in Maynard-Brewer, encountered a goalkeeper who seems ready to take over as Charlton’s No. 1; not to mention the defensive shield provided by George Dobson who, as the cliche has it, covered every blade of grass. Dobson’s was nearly the perfect performance – one that gave heart to his often beleaguered colleagues.

As hardboiled as they were soft-centred just four days previously in capitulating to Bristol Rovers, the Addicks soaked up Brighton’s steady, drip-drip pressure in the first period, retreating into their own half and unapologetically forming a human barrier outside their penalty area. Defence involved all eleven players and while the South Coasters called the tune, it was more Muzak than Mozart. There were a couple of tricky situations but Charlton coped well enough.

Handing over management to new gaffer Dean Holden before Monday’s crucial visit of Peterborough United, caretaker Anthony Hayes went out in a blaze of glory, with the strong side he named “going out swinging” as he promised. They went toe-to-toe with what was virtually De Zerbi’s first choice selection and gave them all they could handle.

But the boost they gave Holden for his daunting Boxing Day debut was tempered by the worrying injuries sustained in a far from bruising cup tie. With almost monotonous regularity, one Addick after another bit the dust, the most dramatic of them the painfully limping Chuks Aneke, who lasted little more than five minutes as a replacement of Miles Leaburn before giving way himself to Jayden Stockley.

Both Leaburn and Aneke are no doubt integral to Holden’s plans, as is midfield schemer Scott Fraser, who joined them on the sideline with a quarter hour remaining. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi also finished as walking wounded, but not before he made a hash of his shoot-out penalty.

Prospects looked bleak as the Seagulls dominated the early going, with skipper Lewis Dunk nodding Solly March’s corner wastefully wide and Adam Lallana, set up by Tariq Lamptey’s square pass, skimming the bar from 20 yards. Jack Payne drew a save from Jason Steele and Dunk was required to block Steven Sessegnon’s effort but the interval arrived as welcome respite to the South East Londoners.

The second half provided more of the same, with Maynard-Brewer spectacularly tipping Levi Colwill’s bullet header over the bar before March combined flair with folly as he danced through the home defence but prodded inexplicably wide an apparently unmissable chance at close range.

Maynard-Brewer contributed smart saves from Moises Caicedo and substitute Leandro Trossard to secure, for the Addicks, a penalty shoot-out, at which they have recently encouraging form.

Pascal Gross hit the first penalty against a post; Stockley did likewise to square the score; Trossard hit the bar with Albion’s second effort before Jake Forster-Caskey efficiently gave Charlton a 1-0 lead. That lead disappeared as Lamptey converted and Dobson’s was saved by Steele.

The visitors went ahead when Dunk netted and Rak-Sakyi’s weak attempt was easily saved by Steele but March came to the rescue by ballooning into the Jimmy Seed Stand and Corey Blackett-Taylor efficiently converted. It was hardly the most clinical of penalty shoot-outs but Sessegnon delivered and after Maynard-Brewer athletically saved from Caicedo, Lavelle smashed a no-nonsense blockbuster past the helpless Steele.

Funny thing about penalty shoot-outs. Nearly everybody agrees they are no way to settle a game of football. But when you win one of them, you’re not quite as adamant. In fact, you quite warm to them. What better way is there? Extra time? No thanks, not on Wednesday. Stands to reason.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Sessegnon, Inniss, Lavelle, Chin, Ness, Rak-Sakyi, Payne (Blackett-Taylor 63), Fraser (Forster-Caskey 75), Dobson, Leaburn (Aneke 63, Stockley 68). Not used: McGillivray, Morgan, Kirk, Campbell, Mitchell.

Brighton: Steele, Lamptey, Dunk, Colwill, March, Gross, Lallana (Trossard 62), Enciso (Mitoma 66), Undav (Ferguson 78), Caicedo, Gilmour (Estupinan 62). Not used: McGill, Sarmiento, van Hecke, Veltman, Moran.

Referee: Thomas Bramall. Attendance: 17,464 (6,264).

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Snow and ice led to a “will they, won’t they?” saga over whether Saturday’s match against Bristol Rovers would take place. In the end, they might as well have not bothered. KEVIN NOLAN watched the Addicks plumb new depths.

Gathering pace as you do when you hit the slippery slopes, Charlton’s headlong descent down the League One table left them, at teatime on Saturday, just four points above Forest Green Rovers, who currently occupy the topmost of four relegation positions.

The Addicks’ steady decline is no longer merely embarrassing. It has become a deeply worrying process, which needs to be urgently addressed before the threat of relegation becomes not so much a threat as a grim, stark reality.

It’s to be hoped that caretaker manager Anthony Hayes is shown patience by heavy metal owner Thomas Sandgaard while he’s in temporary charge of the playing side. After fulsomely welcoming Ben Garner as the visionary who would mastermind an overall renaissance, Sandgaard allowed the new man just 20 games before deciding that, er, perhaps he wasn’t the right bloke for the job after all.

The very real possibility exists that the owner himself knows diddly-squat about football, which in itself is nothing to apologise for. Except, of course, when he insists that he – and his kinfolk – know best and must be obeyed. Buying a dog and barking yourself springs to mind.

This latest reverse was nothing short of disastrous. During a first half of almost total superiority, the Addicks played some nifty stuff, made several chances but retired at the interval just one slender goal in front.

Barely one of the 11,201 home fans (yeah, right!) believed that their lead was sufficient. Bitter experience has taught them that their heroes have in them the capacity to devise new, imaginative ways to screw up. Their abject lack of confidence was, hardly for the first time, fully justified; but on this occasion, some particularly jaw-dropping ineptness reared its head.

Making a smooth, confident start, Charlton threatened to swamp their overawed visitors – to turn off the Gas, so to speak. Warmly-regarded goalkeeper James Belshaw was quickly in action, saving a point-blank header from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, then diving full-length to turn aside a low shot from the Crystal Palace loanee.

Belshaw further distinguished himself with a sprawling save to keep out Jayden Stockley’s effort, making painful contact with an upright as he clawed the ball to safety. An instinctive two-footed block kept out Jack Payne’s four-yard cert at the expense of a corner, but the defiant keeper was about to run out of luck.

Taking current responsibility for Charlton’s setpieces, Scott Fraser sent the resultant outswinger to the far post, where central defender Ryan Inniss headed back across goal through a ruck of players and found the bottom-left corner. It was a dream start to an afternoon which was to turn into the stuff of nightmares for the fatally indecisive Inniss.

Rovers had scarcely featured as an attacking force, their only contribution a swerving drive from Antony Evans, which drew a smart, diving save from Ashley Maynard-Brewer. But they had survived to fight another day and were a different proposition in the second half.

An old adversary of the Addicks was, gallingly, at the forefront of their recovery. Coming off the bench to replace Luke McCormick on 55 minutes, John Marquis was greeted with the chorus of derision he has come to expect at The Valley. His Millwall connection ensured him a hostile reception, while some sharp exchanges during the 2019 play-off semi-final encounters – during which he missed his spot-kick in a tense penalty shoot-out – no doubt still rankle.

It’s safe to say that Marquis raises his game against the Addicks and just as safe to say that the revenge he exacted on Saturday was especially sweet. He had been on the field for a little over a quarter of an hour before he had both an equaliser and a match-winner to his credit. And in each case, his stooge was Inniss.

It’s more than likely that the modern devotion to playing from the back persuaded Inniss to dwell absentmindedly in possession, when an obvious alternative entailed an old-fashioned, anywhere-will-do clearance – highly effective in moments of doubt but jarringly out of place in the “beautiful game”. While he was pondering his options, Marquis relieved him of the ball before dispatching it unstoppably into the top right corner.

Abruptly, the stricken Addicks were shorn of confidence and bereft of bounce. Their visitors, on the other hand, smelled blood and the possibility of a highly unlikely victory. And Marquis hadn’t completed his victimisation of Inniss.

Played through the middle after Paul Coutts alertly intercepted the shellshocked centre-back’s careless pass, he calmly slotted past Maynard-Brewer as Charlton’s keeper advanced desperately. It was the ultimate in sucker punches and plunged The Valley into a cocktail of anger and resignation. In a demoralised atmosphere, there was never even a thought of hitting back.

As the contenders for promotion out of the quicksand which is League One disappear over the horizon, Hayes and his disintegrating team must focus instead on the struggle to stave off relegation to the even more ghastly netherworld of League Two.

A crumb of consolation may be found not only in the useful four-point advantage they hold over the basement dwellers, but the game in hand they have over several of their nearmost rivals. Not only that, but an overwhelmingly superior goal difference gives them an additional edge.

You clutch at such straws when you feel yourself going under. Make no mistake. Charlton are – temporarily, it’s to be hoped – in over their heads.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Lavelle, Inniss, Dobson, Rak-Sakyi (Leaburn 64), Payne, Fraser (Kirk 88), Blackett-Taylor (Morgan 80), Sessegnon (Chin 80), Stockley (Aneke 64). Not used: Harness, Mitchell.

Bristol Rovers: Belshaw, Connolly (Hoole 46), Gordon, Sinclair (Whelan 82), Collins (Gibbons 90), Coutts, Gibson, Evans, McCormick (Marquis 55), Thomas, Coburn. Not used: Jaakkola, Kilgour, Saunders. Booked: Evans, Coutts.

Referee: Sam Allison. Official attendance: 12,340 (1,139 visiting).

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The Addicks’ stuttering season hit a new low last night with a 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham Town in front of a (more than) half-empty Valley. KEVIN NOLAN was among the few to see it.

Taking a break from the recent flurry of “glamorous” cup engagements, Charlton returned on Friday to the bread-and-scrape fare of League One football, where they hadn’t tasted success since they won 1-0 at Shrewsbury on October 22nd. It’s safe to say it didn’t go so well. Actually, it was a nightmare.

After losing their last league game by the same score at Port Vale two weeks ago, the Addicks subsided miserably into 14th position behind a stodgy 5-9-5 record. In a mediocre division, they are more mediocre than most. In fact, their mediocrity has come to define them as a club on the road to nowhere but deluding themselves they’re bound for glory.

There is still talk around The Valley of joining the promotion race. Their sights would more appropriately be re-focused on the relegation quicksand bubbling beneath them. It might yet drag them under.

Friday’s visitors were Cheltenham Town who arrived four places below Charlton despite having won one more league game. Nine draws saw Charlton two points ahead of the Robins but it was hardly a clash of titans. The smart money was on another draw, most likely of the scoreless variety, and that’s where it was heading until Ben Garner’s men reached down into their repertoire of ineptitude and came up with a novel way to squander a better-than-nothing scoreless stand-off and turn it into defeat by their own hand.

The circumstances of Town’s 85th minute winner were nothing short of farcical but were all too familiar to the 12,226 locals (ahem!) still around to witness them. A lofted ball down the middle was chased by veteran Alfie May, who was outnumbered but stalwart in his belief that something would turn up to improve his odds.

His optimism was justified as Craig McGillivray rashly left his line, overshot the penalty area and came up with a weak, irresolute header. Adapting alertly to this change in fortune, May kept his wits about him and directed an overhead shot into the empty goal. The sight of McGillivray joining the ball in the net, where he thrashed about briefly like a despairing fish, enhanced the embarrassment felt by one and all (340 glee-filled visitors excepted).

Late defeat was poor reward for two starting debutants in Garner’s odd-looking line-up, which operated without a recognised forward and seemed capable, as a consequence, of playing on through Saturday without scoring. Both Zach Mitchell (not 18 until January 9th) and Lucas Ness (a comparative old-timer of 20) acquitted themselves well, turned in error-free performances and emerged with credit.

It was their mentor, Ryan Inniss, whose ghastly error put his side in an unholy mess, which more by luck than judgement, they survived during the early going. Inexplicably gifted possession by Charlton’s towering defender, Dan N’Lundulu hit the bar from point-blank range and saw a follow-up effort blocked at source. The rebound reached May, whose hasty shot was cleared off the goalline by Ness.

The Addicks were still recovering from their narrow escape when Liam Sercombe squandered another gilt-edged chance to open Town’s account. In a first half totally controlled by the Gloucestershire side, their victims hardly featured and when they did, Albie Morgan’s attempt to convert Sean Clare’ sharp cutback was interrupted only by Row Z in the Jimmy Seed Stand.

Garner’s experiment in playing Jesurun Rak-Sakyi up front, with Diallang Jaiyesimi as his mobile support, was hardly a success. They tried hard enough but were withdrawn, as a pair, midway through the second half.

For once, the shock-and-awe approach of Chuks Aneke had little impact, though his fellow substitute, Charlie Kirk, did manage a neat finish which was ruled out by what was surely the tightest of offside decisions. Rak-Sakyi was also denied by what seemed a far more reliable flag.

Joining Mitchell and Ness in the plus column was their captain, George Dobson. Surrounded by shambles, his example of industry and effort never wavered. One second half error was immediately redeemed by an instant recovery tackle. When you can shine in this largely abysmal company, you’re special. And Charlton are well-served by an admirable player, who will stand up to be counted if this demoralising season hits further rocks.

There are some outstanding kids on their way, too, who deserve Garner’s trust. I’m already cheering up – not totally cheered up but getting there.

At least we didn’t have to listen to Sandgaard’s bloody awful record for a second time in the same evening. It’s not much but for small mercies…

Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Inniss, Mitchell (Forster-Caskey 90), Ness, Sessegnon (Campbell 77), Morgan (Payne 77), Rak-Sakyi (Kirk 65), Fraser, Jaiyesimi (Aneke 65), Dobson. Not used: Maynard-Brewer. Lavelle.

Cheltenham: Southwood, Long, Williams (Hutchinson 70), Freestone, Sercombe, N’Lundulu, May (Norton 86), Taylor, Bonds, Broom, Olayinka (Jackson 71). Not used: MacDonald, Raglan, Brown, Barkers. Booked: Southwood, Bonds.

Referee: Alan Young. Official attendance: 12,566 (ahem! – again) (340 visiting).

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The Addicks avoided embarrassment against seventh-tier Coalville Town yesterday – but didn’t have it all their own way. KEVIN NOLAN reports.

A victory, which was not quite as routine as the scoreline suggests, sent Charlton through to the second round of the FA Cup at the expense of Coalville Town. Until they tired, the Southern Central Premier League visitors gave a good account of themselves, before their hosts put them firmly in their place with two late goals.

After cruising through a first half and retiring for their half-time refreshments well in command, the Addicks gave the Ravens the sniff of a chance by clumsily conceding a goal which halved their lead and left them vulnerable to an admittedly unlikely equaliser. Encouraged by their faithful fanbase (including, unfortunately, a few charmless renegades along for the ride), Town beavered away without, it should be said, ever coming close to drawing level.

Earning respect and appreciation for naming a strong side to do the job, Ben Garner must have purred with satisfaction as his men produced a first half performance of skill, pace and power. Anchored by the ever-reliable George Dobson, while Jack Payne and Tyreece Campbell tore holes in the visiting defence, Charlton were clearly in no mood to make the headlines as fall guys in a Cup upset.

The only cloud on Garner’s horizon was the painful 17th-minute withdrawal of Terell Thomas, injured in the act of innocuously fouling Tom McGlinchey. There was no immediate loss of quality in the premature introduction of Zach Mitchell – not 18 until January – but Thomas now joins Eoghan O’Connell in the treatment room. Charlton’s centre-back roster begins to look threadbare, though Ryan Inniss has now completed his two-game suspension.

In the shorter term, Mitchell solved the problem on Saturday. Always willing to bring the ball out of defence, his contribution was constructive and aggressive. Charlton’s storied academy seems certain to send up another star from their talented ranks.

It was the selfless Dobson, meanwhile, who provided the invaluable conduit between defence and attack. Always available, constantly in motion, his passing was spot-on, his reading of the game flawless. Never fancied by Nigel Adkins, Charlton were in danger, at one point, of losing this inspirational performer. They came that close!

Without quite pinning down a starting place, Payne is also starting to make himself indispensable. A wide midfielder with an eye for goal, it was this pocket battleship who put Charlton in front shortly after Thomas’s regrettable departure. Drifting infield as Albie Morgan and Steven Sessegnon combined to find space for Campbell’s accurate cross from the left, the shortest player on the pitch headed firmly wide of Paul White.

It was Payne’s second headed goal of the season, which goes to show that if you’re good enough, you’re also tall enough. And Jack’s good enough.

Well on top, the Addicks stepped on the gas and Jayden Stockley clipped the bar before Charlton’s hard-grafting skipper doubled their lead in first-half added time. Stockley himself forced the left wing corner off Jake Eggleton, which Payne swung over and he glanced downward past Payne. It was all too easy -and so it seemed at the time.

Up front for Coalville, the sturdy figure of Ashley Chambers had been his side’s best hope of recovery. Before Stockley scored, he had volleyed their solitary chance into the side netting. Seven minutes after the break, he went one better by reducing Town’s deficit. Showing predatory instincts, he pounced on a weak defensive header by Sam Lavelle and, as Joe Wollacott left his line to restore order, lobbed neatly over the keeper’s head into his vacated net.

Chambers’s reply abruptly changed the narrative. While never under pressure, Charlton were also haunted by the unthinkable thought that a second Ravens’ goal would open up the most uninviting of scenarios.

With neither extra-time nor penalties an option, a replay somewhere in Leicestershire loomed, if not large, then at least, medium-sized. For almost a half hour, this Sword of Damocles hung over their heads until Payne swatted it away with his second goal of a needlessly fraught afternoon.

Accepting the excellent Sessegnon’s ball into feet, his first touch was immaculate under Chris Robertson’s touch-tight pressure. Turning on the modern version of the old sixpence, Payne whipped a crisp daisycutter neatly inside the right-hand post.

Charlton – and Garner – could breathe freely again. There was to be no inconvenient midweek trip to “plucky” Coalville, while the rest of the football world revelled in their discomfort, and mercifully no further exposure to those twerps who had attached themselves to the Town loyalists.

Ravens manager Adam Stevens and his resilient team were themselves above reproach and hardly deserved the 90th minute coup-de-grace administered by the inevitable Chuks Aneke. Having taken over from the honest-to-goodness Stockley, Aneke had made his presence felt without reward until Sessegnon’s perceptive pass provided him with room to blast home an unstoppable fourth goal.

Garner’s strong selection was vindicated by a solid, workmanlike performance, to which every player contributed. The respect he showed the FA Cup was a reproach to many of his predecessors. His attitude to the League Cup will become clear at Stevenage in midweek, but changes are inevitable.

If Mitchell, Campbell, Aaron Henry, and Richard Chin provide reliable evidence, those changes won’t appreciably weaken the quality available to him. Hungry eyes… these kids have hungry eyes.

Charlton: Wollacott, Clare (Chin 74), Thomas (Mitchell 18), Lavelle, Dobson (Henry 46), Morgan, McGrandles (Forster-Caskey 74), Payne, Campbell, Sessegnon, Stockley (Aneke 68). Not used: McGillivray, Kanu, Dench, Rylah.

Coalville: White, Dean, Putman, Eggleton, Robertson, Thanoj (Wilson 61), Shaw (Chitiza 79), Doyle-Charles, Berridge (Kee 56), Chambers, McGlinchey. Not used: Laban, Smith, Taylor, Towers.

Referee: Lewis Smith. Attendance: 4,707 (1,670 visiting).

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