The Charlton Champion

The Addicks settled into mid-table mediocrity by drawing with Wycombe Wanderers at The Valley on Saturday. KEVIN NOLAN is already thinking of next season…

After wading through clashes with three of League One’s desperate basement dwellers, Charlton moved up the food chain to take on unfancied promotion aspirants Wycombe Wanderers at The Valley on Saturday. To nobody’s great surprise, a tetchy physical encounter ended in a 1-1 stalemate, as its predecessor had at Adams Park some seven months ago.

Obliged to complete a campaign of disappointing mid-table stodge, the result meant rather less to the Addicks than it did to the Chairboys, who arrived just four points and two places outside the play-off positions.

Their relative success serves as a reminder to the likes of Charlton what can be achieved by well-organised clubs on limited budgets. Tucked away in one of football’s sleepier alcoves, they have defied the odds and, whatever its outcome, can look back on this season as a step in the right direction.

Deprived of several first-teamers, among them stalwart veteran Garath McCleary, so often a thorn in Charlton’s side, the outsiders from Buckinghamshire papered over the cracks, weathered a rocky start and were good value for their share of the spoils. As were, to be fair, Dean Holden’s chaps, who showed every intention of seeing things through to the bitter end of a largely forgettable season.

Having made their usual desultory opening, the Addicks settled down and controlled most of the first half, from which they emerged with a deserved lead.

Albie Morgan had already squandered an opportunity when scuffing Tyreece Campbell’s sharp cutback wide before redeeming himself by setting up Miles Leaburn’s third goal in as many games. Morgan’s hard drive fortuitously rebounded to his feet but was instantly drilled low to the far post, where Leaburn tapped home simply, but efficiently.

Leaburn Jr has been a bright spark during the doldrums, a chip off an old beloved block but one destined to make a name for himself. This ninth goal of an emergent season was as easy to score as miss but was all about movement and anticipation. The same could be said about his deceptively routine strike at Cambridge, where he drifted off the shoulder of an unwary defender to convert Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s cutback.

Capable of spectacular efforts, the 18-year old prodigy promises to become a rare handful for defences, probably at a higher level. He does show a worrying susceptibility to injury, but this will be managed as he develops.
Thrown off course by the setback, meanwhile, the visitors briefly buckled and Rak-Sakyi created a good chance for Leaburn to force a smart save from Max Stryjek.

But Wanderers gradually gained a foothold and Chem Campbell’s improvised overhead effort drew a similarly impressive response from Ashley Maynard-Brewer. The young Aussie had earned the break he received when Campbell fired the rebound wide. He was just as happy to see Joe Jacobson’s free-kick skim the bar, after Michael Hector decked ex-Addick Brandan Hanlan. Skipper Jacobson’s setpiece skills would be heard from again before the end of this competitive encounter.

Clearly needing to score again – as any of their fans would confirm – Charlton came close early in the second session. Cutting in from the right in trademark style, Rak-Sakyi unleashed a vicious strike from his favoured left foot but Stryjek, at full length, tipped away brilliantly. Two further saves from the imposing Pole which denied Morgan and the irrepressible Tyreece Campbell provided the platform for Wycombe’s increasingly likely equaliser.

Midfielder David Wheeler’s volley narrowly cleared the bar as the Chairboys took over but Charlton were weakening. An exception was the outstanding Maynard-Brewer. His response to a blistering drive from substitute Nick Freeman, who turned sharply on to Lewis Wing’s pass, was exemplary. Sadly for the defiant keeper, the resultant left-wing corner was swung out by Jacobson and bulleted home unstoppably by hefty centre-back Chris Forino.

As tempers frayed, there were chances at both ends. Scott Fraser fired Charlton’s last effort wide but it was Hanlan who came closer to stealing the points so coveted by the ambitious visitors. His cleverly curled shot was heading for the bottom right corner until Maynard-Brewer made horizontal contact to his left and magnificently turned aside what had seemed to be Wycombe’s last minute match-winner.

Next up for the Addicks as they see out their obligations is next Saturday’s visit of Shrewsbury Town, who still entertain faint hopes of crashing the play-offs but, more realistically, are also destined for mid-table mediocrity.

It’s to Holden’s credit that his under-achievers are, at least, making it clear that they are no pushovers. This 13th draw of the season was bitterly earned against opponents with greater incentive and made it four games unbeaten since they pushed the self-destruct button at Plymouth in early March.

There’s pride still at stake, without which there’s little point in turning up. The 2023-24 season might be said to begin here…

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Hector, Sessegnon, Morgan, Rak-Sakyi, Dobson, Fraser, Leaburn, Campbell. Not used: Harness, Bonne, Kilkenny, Payne, Henry, Kanu, Mitchell. Booked: Clare, Morgan, Dobson, Hector, Leaburn.

Wycombe: Stryjek, Grimmer, Forino, Tafazolli, Jacobson. Wheeler, Wing, Hanlan, Campbell (Willis 90+5), Scowen, DeBarr (Freeman 67). Not used: Cartwright, Young, McCarthy, Pattenden, Ward. Booked: Grimmer, Tafazolli, Scowen.

Referee: Scott Oldham. Attendance: 15,278 (1,171 away fans).

The Addicks’ limp season stumbled on with a draw against relegation-threatened Accrington Stanley. KEVIN NOLAN was at The Valley.

Fighting for League One survival one place above the four-team drop zone, Accrington Stanley were good value for the point which keeps their hopes alive. That might, in fact, be damning them with faint praise because there were spells during this lopsided game when they looked likely to comfortably trouser all three points. Only inspired goalkeeping from Ashley Maynard-Brewer and their own faulty finishing thwarted that ambition.

A club that admirably defies predictions that see them relegated before the start of every season, Accies feature significantly in the sorry story of Charlton’s lacklustre campaign.

They were opening day opponents back on July 30, 2022 and shared a 2-2 draw which ended explosively. A healthy contingent of nearly 900 wayfarers were still raucously celebrating what seemed to an added time winner headed in by substitute Miles Leaburn when they were silenced by an almost instant equaliser from Stanley stalwart Sean McConville. As a harbinger of the disappointment in store over the next seven months, this fall from grace took some beating. On Saturday, even without the suspended McConville, John Coleman’s irreverent coupon-busters came very close to going one better.

To be honest, there was little in the opening exchanges to suggest that the visitors would be such problematic opposition. With Corey Blackett-Taylor terrorising right-back Mitch Clark along the left touchline, it promised to be a matter of time before the Addicks forged in front and the winger’s accurate cross, which a panic-stricken Mo Sangare headed against Toby Savin’s crossbar, seemed only a temporary reprieve for Stanley. Blackett-Taylor shot tamely at Savin before the tide turned and, not surprisingly, Accrington took the lead.

It was the besieged Clark who made the early running, with a perfect cross to pick out an unhindered Tommy Leigh at the far post. Leigh’s alert header back across goal left Shaun Whalley the simple task of nodding past Maynard-Brewer from six yards.

His rare goal marked his 100th appearance as an Accie but was promptly countered by an Addick, who not only scored his first ever senior goal, but made it one few onlookers would forget.

There was no logic or apparent justification behind the blockbuster unleashed by wing-back Steven Sessegnon from fully 35 yards and an unpromising angle. More than one home fan silently implored him not to shoot but the kid wasn’t having any of it. No deceptive dip or swerve but simply raw power propelled the right-footed screamer, which was still gathering pace as it ended its journey into the top right corner of Savin’s net. The keeper’s positioning might have been faulty but was also irrelevant. This one was unstoppable.

The smart money was on Charlton to draw inspiration from Sessegnon’s heroics and move out of reach in the second half. Which just shows how dense the smart money can be sometimes because Accrington were clearly unwilling to knuckle under. Leigh’s sharp overhead effort was alertly stopped by Maynard-Brewer but they were fortunate that Jack Payne’s low free kick passed untouched through the six-yard area when the slightest of touches would have restored Charlton’s lead. But the better chances began to fall to Coleman’s uninhibited, enterprising chaps.

It required a stunning double save from Maynard-Brewer, midway through the second session, to maintain parity. His full-length dive to his left kept out Whalley’s fierce drive but left him grounded as Aaron Pressley closed in on the rebound. The Scot’s follow-up effort was on its way past Maynard-Brewer until the instincts denied to us mere mortals enabled him to turn the dead cert over the bar. Given his chance by the freak injury suffered by Joe Wollacott, the young Aussie is undroppable right now.

Completely on top by now, Accrington came looking for the winner they desperately needed. Clever combination between substitutes Matt Lowe and Korede Adedoyin set up an opening which Harvey Rodgers turned past Maynard-Brewer but which was inelegantly cleared off the line by George Dobson.

The skipper’s determination not to be beaten was, as always, infectious. He was part of the defensive posse which closed around Adedoyin who, when clean through, inexplicably hesitated and disappeared under the weight of numbers.

In added time, the final chance fell to Dean Holden’s men. Sent through by Dobson’s fine pass, 62nd minute substitute Daniel Kanu failed to finish past the advancing Savin, who swatted his attempted dink aside and preserved a precious point for the battling Northerners. It had its value for Charlton also – defeat by Accrington would have furrowed brows in SE7 and made trickier next week’s trips to relegation-haunted Morecambe and Cambridge.

And that’s what this ungainly mess of a season has come down to. It makes a sound case for the benefits of amnesia.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Ness (Thomas 85), Hector, Sessegnon, Dobson, Payne (Kanu 62), Kilkenny (Morgan 62), Rak-Sakyi (Campbell 71), Leaburn (Bonne 85), Blackett-Taylor. Not used: Wollacott, Henry. Booked: Dobson, Morgan.

Accrington: Savin, Clark, Whalley (Adedoyin 78), Leigh, Longelo (Nolan 87), Sangare, Rodgers, Pressley (Lowe 78), Martin, Conneely, Tharmer. Not used: Isherwood, Nottingham, Butler-Oyedeji, Fernandes. Booked: Rodgers, Conneely, Tharme.

Referee: Darren Drysdale. Official attendance: 11,972