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

kevinnolan

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.

LIKE KEVIN’S REPORTS? SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

– We’re looking forward to publishing Kevin Nolan’s reports again. You can help us by becoming a supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– You can also support us via Patreon
– Can your company sponsor these match reports? Get in touch

Lead thieves causing more damage to Charlton’s listed buildings

The Charlton Champion
Charlton Summer House
The Summer House, with St Luke’s to the left

During the summer, we reported on lead thieves causing damage at St Luke’s Church in Charlton Village. Now two other listed buildings in the village – the Summer House and the Assembly Rooms – have been vandalised by ham-fisted thieves who have caused thousands of pounds of damage while trying to get hold of lead, some of it degraded.

It remains unclear whether they will be able to cover the damage on insurance – a major setback to efforts to restore the buildings. Thieves have also targeted St Richard’s church hall in Swallowfield Road.

The Charlton Society‘s RODEN RICHARDSON looks at why each building is important – and explains the damage done.

The Summer House
With its uniquely classical proportions, this 17th century Grade I protected gem of a building is part of the Charlton House Estate and hence in the care of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, which has recently been carrying out much-needed repair and restoration work. The spectacular curvilinear roof is covered in fine, graded slate tiles, with lead flashing along its 4 curved ridges. After storms in January 2018 and tree damage to the roof, the existing and unsatisfactory asbestos felt flashing was replaced with conservation-standard lead.

However, it wasn’t long before this was torn from all four ridges by thieves in a single operation. It was all replaced in early September this year at a cost running into five figures – a sum vastly greater than the stolen lead. But then, at 2am a few days later, the thieves attacked again. No doubt expecting another easy haul, this time they didn’t reckon with an alarm that had by now been installed and they only got as far as partially lifting a short section of the flashing on a single roof ridge, which the Trust was able to repair by the following evening.

Charlton Assembly Rooms
The damage done to the Assembly Rooms

Assembly Rooms
Completed in 1881 in red, handsomely decorative brick and terracotta, the Assembly Rooms were a gift to the local community from the Maryon Wilson family, the former owners and last occupants of Charlton House. Recently Grade II listed, and now the responsibility of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, the Assembly Rooms remain a great community asset which might have been lost if that same community hadn’t saved them from demolition in the 1970s. A highly ambitious restoration project at the time, one of the key tasks was to replace the domed, multi-facetted roof cupola. This highly skilled work was undertaken at a local college by students specialising in the traditional materials and techniques required. The cupola’s dome is covered in lead, and this has now become the Village’s most recent target for attack by lead thieves.

As the picture shows, they managed to prise some of the lead away until they were either caught in the act or because it was more difficult to remove than anticipated. Once again, the value of the lead is minimal when compared to the cost of restoration and repair work, which also involves the base of the cupola structure, the fine tiled roof that the thieves scaled to reach their objective and serious rainwater damage to the parquet flooring inside the Rooms, which, like Charlton House, have been closed since the onset of Covid-19.

Edward Schofield, visitor and operations manager at the trust, says that the attack comes at a time when the charity is working towards ways of safely and reliably reopening the trust’s buildings to the community. “This criminal damage goes beyond the basic theft of materials – apart from the disruption, the overall repair and replacement costs, not least for the extensive scaffolding required, will be considerable.”

St Luke’s
Built in 1630 – a little before Christopher Wren’s Royal Observatory a couple of miles or so away on the same escarpment – historic St Luke’s is one of London’s most compelling and attractive parish churches. Not immediately visible to the eye from the outside, the roof has two ridges forming a valley and it is from here and the gulley at the side that thieves ripped out lead coverings, causing extensive damage in the process, including to the interior fabric of the building. Churchwarden Rick Newman confirms that the amount stolen was minimal but that the cost of repair will run into the tens of thousands of pounds, considerably more than the limits imposed on claims for what is being deemed as “metal theft”. St Luke’s has ambitious plans for the repair and upkeep of the building – important and essential work on the unique castellated tower has already been completed – but with other works required, this theft and vandalism is a major setback.

It has just been discovered that lead has now also been torn from above the main porch and side door to St Richard’s Church Centre at the corner of Swallowfield and Sundorne Roads. Rick Newman describes the crime as “a frustrating addendum to the current epidemic of lead thefts in Charlton”.

For more information on The Charlton Society, visit charltonsociety.org.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– NEW! Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

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

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment
The Valley
Charlton fans now have something to celebrate

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.”

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”.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– NEW! Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Advertise your business with us from just £9.80/per week
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

White Swan: Plans for beer garden house on hold so councillors can visit pub

Darryl Chamberlain
Mendoza render of new White Swan home
How Mendoza says the new home would look from Torrance Close, behind the pub: it would largely be hidden from view by a wall

Greenwich councillors deferred a decision whether or not a house should be built at the back of the White Swan pub so they can take a closer look at the site themselves.

Members of the Woolwich and Thamesmead planning committee voted to have a site visit before deciding on the proposal from Mendoza Ltd, the owner of the pub.

Council officers are recommending councillors approve a three-bedroom bungalow on land behind the beer garden – taking a strip off the beer garden to build an access path so council bin lorries can take away its rubbish from the front of the pub.

It is the company’s fourth attempt to build on the land since it bought the freehold from Punch Taverns in March 2015 – past attempts have been refused by the council and a planning inspector. The pub itself has been closed since March, but the company has said it will look for a new tenant.

After a discussion about the removal of trees in the beer garden (from 57 minutes in the video above), Thamesmead Moorings Labour councillor Averil Lekau said she was unfamiliar with the site and would prefer to see it for herself. “Would it not be possible to have a visit to get some clarity on what we’re deciding on?,” she said.

She was supported by Nigel Fletcher, a Conservative councillor for Eltham South, who called it an unusual application. “I know the pub but I don’t think I’ve ever been in the beer garden,” he said. “I’m having quite a bit of difficulty visualising the site and it’s quite a sensitive one; a lot of what we’re being asked to consider are the narrow grounds between this and previously refused schemes.”

There were nine objections, including from the Charlton Society. Planning officers are recommending an acoustic fence is put up to shield the house from the pub’s noise, while a tree in the beer garden should be replaced.

The scheme will return to the committee once councillors have visited the pub to see the location for themselves.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– NEW! Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Advertise your business with us from just £9.80/per week
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

What do you value by the river? Tell the council your views on Charlton’s riverside

Darryl Chamberlain
Cory boatyard, Charlton
The Cory boatyard is an important part of the area’s heritage

What do you like down by the river? Greenwich Council is asking people for their views on what they value about the two new conservation areas on the Charlton riverside – helping protect the area’s heritage as developers eye up the industrial land for thousands of new homes.

Two conservation areas – Charlton Riverside, and Thames Barrier and Bowater Road – were created two years ago as part of plans to make sure the area’s history wasn’t completely wiped out when the construction companies moved in, as has happened in other riverside areas of London.

Now Greenwich is consulting on the details – area appraisals – to work out what is of value to the area and what isn’t.

Places like the old Cory barge works and the modern homes at Vaizey’s Wharf are cited as having a positive impact on the area – but the old Watercoombe House office block on Anchor and Hope Lane and the McDonald’s on Woolwich Church Street are seen as negatives.

The council has prepared two detailed documents which are worth a look if you’re interested in the area – even if you don’t want to respond to the consultation – as they are full of details about the history of the buildings and their uses.

After the consultation, proposals will go to councillors on planning committees before being considered by the council’s ruling cabinet.

To see the documents and take part in the consultation, visit the Greenwich Council website.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– NEW! Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Advertise your business with us from just £9.80/per week
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

Summer hours to stay at Charlton Lido as autumn draws in

Darryl Chamberlain

Charlton Lido pool
Autumn has arrived at Charlton Lido. Photo © Neil Clasper.

Autumn may be making its presence felt, but for the first time since it reopened with a heated pool, Charlton Lido is to keep its summer hours as the nights draw in and the temperature drops.

The pool timetable will stay the same during October, although will be reviewed as the months go on.

In previous years, the winter hours have seen the pool closed at lunchtimes and on a couple of weekdays, but for now the pool remains open from 6.30am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm at weekends.

What’s more, we hear that new pool covers are being installed this week so the water should be warmer, particularly in the mornings.

There is still no walk-up entry – you’ll need to book online or via the Better app to swim.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– NEW! Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Advertise your business with us from just £9.80/per week
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

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

kevinnolan

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.

LIKE KEVIN’S REPORTS? SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

– We’re looking forward to publishing Kevin Nolan’s reports again. You can help us by becoming a supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– You can also support us via Patreon
– Can your company sponsor these match reports? Get in touch