Charlton Athletic match reports – Page 8

Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-1 Shrewsbury Town

March 14, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Dark clouds gathered over The Valley once again yesterday – delivering hailstones and a disappointing draw. KEVIN NOLAN returned to the press box for The Charlton Champion.

A dreadful game that frankly set teeth on edge ended in a draw which kept Charlton at least technically in the hunt for promotion. The point was probably of more use to Shrewsbury in their fight to avoid relegation. They were entitled to feel pleased with themselves.

Not so Charlton, who continue to squander the chances offered them by the indifferent form of their rivals. The race for the last two playoff positions is currently as riveting as an evening spent with Michael McIntyre: well-intended but best given a miss by people in need of a laugh.

Still hovering in seventh position, the Addicks show no sign of mounting a serious bid to break into the play-off places. Two gilt-edged chances to redeem a performance of depressing drabness were spurned, the second of them a dog’s dinner by Chuks Aneke which seemed easier to convert than miss.

From almost under the crossbar, he contrived to blast Conor Washington’s crisp low cross against the woodwork. There are misses and even worse misses. This one belonged in a category of its own. You have to be there to miss ’em, though, it’s only fair to say.

Mention of Washington presents an opportunity to recognise the Northern Ireland international’s wholehearted contribution which stood out like a hitchhiker’s thumb in the dross surrounding it. Frequently overlooked are his insatiable work rate and willingness to carry out the unglamorous tasks beneath the dignity of others.

Refusing to be discouraged by Aneke’s miss, he produced a pearl of an equaliser from unlikely circumstances. Cutting in from left to right, he burrowed into the visitors’ penalty area, where tackles necessarily become more circumspect. On the turn, he finished firmly past Harry Burgoyne into the bottom left corner to save Charlton a point which might yet affect their season.

Washington was undoubtedly one of the “positives” referenced by Lee Bowyer in his post-match summation. He should start each and every game until this disappointing season disappears in the rear view mirror.

So should Andrew Shinnie, who replaced an anonymous Liam Millar, his early promise in Charlton’s colours an already-fading memory. Shinnie brings with him quality and bite; his 63rd-minute introduction changed the momentum of a game which was drifting out of the Addicks’ reach. The skilful Scot is wasted on the bench. He’s more than good enough for a place in this team.

Enlivening a gusty, hailstones-battered first half were the occasional forays made along the left flank of Ian Maatsen. Sometimes erratic but admirably persistent, the Chelsea loanee laid on two marvellous chances, the second and better of them cut back from the byline for Jayden Stockley. Falling backwards as he shot, the big striker should still have managed better than the meek effort he directed straight at a relieved Burgoyne. A similar opening was made for Albie Morgan, who forced a more awkward parry from Burgoyne.

Though far from outplayed, the visitors failed to trouble Ben Amos until the second half was under way. Growing in confidence as their hosts began to run out of steam (“we were sluggish, run off our feet” concluded Bowyer), Town ‘s 56th minute counterpunch knocked the stuffing out of the Addicks. Right back Matthew Pennington joined in a rare raid and delivered a precise cross which Sean Goss dived to head beyond Amos.

💬 "We started well, but everything slowed down in the second half."

Watch Lee Bowyer's full post-match interview with Valley Pass Live… #cafc pic.twitter.com/szlQkrbCVh

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) March 13, 2021

Delighted to score a rare away goal, the Shropshire boys’ next task was to protect their lead, something they found impossible as Charlton threw off their torpor and at last came after them. But they proved far from finished themselves as they proved by recovering from Washington’s equaliser and twice threatening to restore their advantage.

Bowyer’s “fatigued” troops offered only token opposition as substitute Daniel Odoh soloed through them from the halfway line, pursued resolutely by Jason Pearce. As Odoh prepared to finish at close range, he was caught and channelled out of harm’s way by Charlton’s no-nonsense captain. It was defending of the highest quality and was duly singled out by Bowyer in a surprisingly sunny-natured reaction to a disheartening result.

His mood might have altered had Dave Edwards made the most of the last gasp chance laid on for him by fellow substitute David Davis, who pounced on Akin Famewo’s vaguely directed backpass and set him up to finish into a gaping net from 20 yards. Least said (about Edwards’ hopelessly spooned effort) soonest mended might be the wisest advice to follow for Shrews’ deputy boss Aaron Wilbraham, standing in for Covid-stricken Steve Cotterill.

If Bowyer could maintain his poise after the mess his side served up for him, Wilbraham no doubt found words of solace and forgiveness for the hapless Edwards. A newly-upbeat Bowyer would have found the right words of consolation. To be honest, his recently acquired bonhomie is more than a little disconcerting.

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Famewo, Pearce, Maatsen, Pratley (Smith 63), Morgan (Jaiyesimi 78), Watson, Millar (Shinnie 63), Stockley (Aneke 63), Washington. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Oshilaja, Schwartz. Booked: Pratley, Maatsen.

Shrewsbury: Burgoyne, Williams, Goss (Davis 78), Vela, Ogbeta, Walker (Whalley 90), Main (Odoh 78), Daniels, Ebanks-Landell, Pennington, Chapman (Edwards 70). Not used: Sarkic, Pyke, Sears. Booked: Williams, Walker.

Referee: Declan Bourne.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-1 Northampton Town

March 10, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Stop the presses, tell your friends – Charlton won a match at The Valley. The Charlton Champion‘s KEVIN NOLAN watched a morale-boosting victory.

Midway through the second half of this monotonous game, Charlton were showing little evidence that they had either the wit or the guile to break through the spoiling tactics being shrewdly employed by relegation-haunted Northampton Town. The visitors were, in fact, comfortably making their way to the goalless draw which was clearly the extent of their ambition.

Then the defensive discipline which was standing the visitors in good stead deserted them. One momentary lapse by Jack Sowerby conceded a completely avoidable penalty and all their good work was undone. Sowerby, who conceded an own goal during Charlton’s 2-0 victory at Sixfields back in October, recklessly barrelled into Jake Forster-Caskey as they came together under a high-headed clearance inside Town’s penalty area.

It was hardly the most obvious foul you’re likely to see but referee Paul Howard was in doubt that Sowerby was its perpetrator and Forster-Caskey his victim. For the second consecutive game, the Addicks were handed a gift voucher to be redeemed from the penalty spot. Fortunately on this occasion, regular taker Conor Washington was available to efficiently drill the spotkick into the bottom right corner.

The relief inside The Valley was no doubt mirrored in more than one living room around southeast London and northwest Kent. Until Sowerby suffered his rush of blood, Charlton were struggling to find an answer to the Cobblers’ time-absorbent tactics.

There was nothing illegal in their bid to reduce a 90-minute game to one of little over an hour and in their present plight they could hardly be blamed for being in no hurry to get on with things. After Washington put them in arrears, they received a diluted dose of their own medicine as the home side subtly slowed the game down and began to coast.

With six minutes left, Lee Bowyer’s newly relaxed men stepped on the gas again and found the second goal they needed to seal the deal. A sharp exchange of passes between substitutes Andrew Shinnie and Chuks Aneke cut through the visitors’ wilting rearguard, with the latter reaching the left byline where he found himself hemmed in by a phalanx of defenders. Keeping his composure, the big striker picked out an onrushing Shinnie, whose first-time shot was parried out to Washington. From seven yards, the Northern Irishman rifled the rebound through the legs of both Fraser Horsfall and goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell. His seventh and eighth goals of the season were ideally timed to end his scoring drought.

Their significance doubled when Town, with nothing to lose, halved Charlton’s lead with officially their solitary effort on target. Former Addick Mark Marshall hustled across to take a right-wing corner, which he swung outwards on to substitute Alex Jones’ head. Ben Amos lost his third consecutive clean sheet as Jones, making his Northampton debut, looped the ball neatly over a crowded goal area and into the far top corner.

Too late to make a difference to the outcome, Jones’ consolation goal in the third of four added minutes was a reminder of what might have been had the visitors adopted a more positive approach to their task. Their hopes of avoiding the dreaded drop had received a massive boost 72 hours previously with their impressive 4-1 demolition of play-off contenders Portsmouth, but they clearly lacked the confidence to use its momentum on Tuesday evening.

Their only offensive threat, apart from Jones’ late contribution, was a fierce drive which right back Peter Kioso whistled narrowly wide in the first half. The Addicks were far from lethal themselves, with Forster-Caskey’s narrowly wide free kick and Aneke’s header nimbly tipped over the bar by Mitchell, rare threats. But Washington came through for them and their pursuit of a coveted play-off spot is back on again.

“I’m so pleased for Conor,” Bowyer practically purred in his post-match summation. “He does a lot of unselfish work and got his reward tonight. Conor does a lot of the dirty work for Jayden and Chuks. It’s disappointing we didn’t have the clean sheet but the back four looked solid. Darren Pratley stepped up [in Akin Famewo’s absence] and did well.”

The second in Charlton’s critical three-game home stand sees Shrewsbury Town, on the back of an excellent 2-0 victory at Rochdale, visit The Valley on Saturday. They are followed next Tuesday by Bristol Rovers, under the cerebral leadership of new boss Joey Barton. The Gas demolished promotion outsiders Accrington Stanley 4-1 last night and Barton will arrive looking for revenge over Charlton – and Bowyer – after presiding over Fleetwood Town’s narrow 3-2 defeat in early November. You just know Joey’s the type to hold a grudge.

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Pearce, Pratley, Maatsen, Watson, Forster-Caskey (Shinnie 76), Morgan (Smith 82), Stockley (Aneke 70), Washington (Schwartz 87), Millar. Not used: Harness, Oshilaja, Jaiyesimi. Booked: Morgan, Watson, Aneke.

Northampton: Mitchell, Kioso, Lloyd Jones, Horsfall, Harriman, McWilliams (Rose 73), Sowerby, Watson, Miller, Hoskins (Marshall 73), Edmondson (Alex Jones 88). Not used: Arnold, Korboa, Morris, Bolger. Booked: Kioso, Edmondson, Horsfall.

Referee: Paul Howard.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-3 Blackpool

February 28, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Charlton fans had to endure another embarrassing capitulation on Saturday – KEVIN NOLAN watched the latest Valley debacle through his hands.

There was much more than a comprehensive thumping by far superior Blackpool going on at The Valley on Saturday. Much more alarming was the total breakdown of morale and discipline which destroyed Lee Bowyer’s side and made this defeat a deeply damaging experience. Owner Thomas Sandgaard, as a Dane, is better qualified than most to explain what appears to be “something rotten in the state of Charlton.”

Strip away all the kneejerk controversy surrounding two penalties, two dismissals and a disallowed goal and what’s left are the bare bones of one of the most embarrassing surrenders in Charlton’s recent history. The Seasiders won as they pleased once they realised they had nothing to beat. And in this bedraggled, acquiescent aggregation of Addicks, there was certainly nothing to beat.

It’s become an almost tongue-in-cheek joke, during Charlton’s steady deterioration, that it was just as well they already had enough points to keep them out of relegation trouble. Right now they’re stuck on 44 points, with 45 points still to play for. Piece of cake, you would reasonably conclude and under normal circumstances, your confidence would be justified. Watch a tape of this game, however, and that confidence might be shaken.

Not that I’m predicting relegation. Even Saturday’s craven crew should be able to scrape together the necessary total to survive. It won’t be easy or pretty but League One seems a beguiling prospect when compared with the horrors and rigours of life in a bottom tier which they climbed out of in the 1930s and to which they have never returned. T.G. as my Mum would say.

Bereft of on-pitch leadership and apparently lacking motivation from the sideline, where Bowyer watched in sullen detachment, the Addicks lurched through 10 ominous minutes before their collapse began. A well-judged pass from Sully Kaikai sent Ellis Sims haring past a struggling Deji Oshilaja until the desperate centre back’s petulant reaction hauled him to the ground. The penalty award seemed straightforward and Jerry Yates made the most of it by drilling the spotkick out of Ben Amos’ reach. Charlton were off and stumbling on their way to humiliation.

Shortly after Yates’ opener came an unpleasant reminder for the beleaguered home side that the “rub of the green” was not about to bail them out of the trouble they were in. When Jayden Stockley expertly headed past Chris Maxwell, he looked as onside as offside, which is another way of stating that the evidence was subjective and inconclusive to all but one of referee Huxtable’s linesmen, who flagged in Blackpool’s favour. The put-upon Stockley was similarly victimised four days previously during the 2-1 defeat by Burton Albion. Right now, the big striker just can’t catch a break.

The price paid for Stockley’s misfortune increased on 38 minutes when the Tangerines doubled their lead. Simms fed Virtue, who made ground as the Addicks melted before him. From outside the penalty area, the midfielder launched a fierce drive which eluded Amos on its way, off an upright, into the left corner. Darren Pratley hadn’t exactly distinguished himself in his less than diligent pursuit of Virtue, turned instead to Vice, and picked up what turned out to be a costly yellow card before the break.

Re-emerging after the interval with no fewer than four substitutes, Charlton’s clearly expressed intentions to have a go were immediately undermined by Pratley’s almost instant dismissal. With the situation clearly demanding that his captain be among the replaced quartet, Bowyer’s ill-advised faith left him available to clash with defender Jordan Gabriel on the left byline. Capable of falling out with himself in an empty room, Pratley’s excesses earned him a second caution and summary dismissal.

Down to 10 men, the Addicks wasted little time in making their plight even more daunting by conceding a second penalty, this one donated by deputy captain Ben Watson, who illegally halted Yates’ progress inside the penalty area. Having artfully exploited fleeting contact, Yates brushed himself off before squeezing a less impressive second spotkick past Amos. So far, the home side had received less than exemplary service from either of their skippers.

Now 3-0 in arrears and without a hope in heaven or hell of making any inroads on them, Charlton did the next best thing and found yet another foot through which to shoot themselves. There was probably minimal malice in the arm Chuks Aneke carelessly threw into the face of centre back Dan Ballard as they disputed a high ball, but intent played no part in Huxtable’s decision to produce a straight red card. Both Aneke and Pratley were dismissed for the second time this season.

With games blending into each other as this miserable season winds down, there is little time to agonise over Saturday February 27th, a day of infamy in Charlton’s chequered history. Unplumbed depths of ineptitude were tapped but we move on – as they say – to Wigan on Tuesday evening, where the only way – as again they say – is up.

Courage, mes braves…

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Oshilaja, Famewo, Purrington (Maatsen 46), Shinnie, Jaiyesimi (Smith 46), Millar (Watson 46), Pratley, Stockley (Schwartz 82), Washington (Aneke 46). Not used: Harness, Pearce. Booked: Oshilaja, Famewo, Shinnie. Sent off: Pratley, Aneke.

Blackpool: Maxwell, Gabriel, Ballard, Thorniley, Garbutt, Stewart, Virtue, Ward (Robson 83), Kaikai (Mitchell 62), Simms (Shaw 83), Yates (Embleton 69). Not used: Moore, Turton, Dougall. Booked: Yates. Referee: F. Huxtable.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Burton Albion

February 24, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Addicks slumped to another home defeat last night, this time to bottom-of-the-table Burton Albion. KEVIN NOLAN wonders what happened to their play-off push.

It was on November 24th last year that Charlton’s bright start to the 2020-21 season began to unravel. Their unbeaten run of eight games was brought to a shattering end by bottom-of-the table Burton Albion, who ruthlessly exposed their victims’ defensive posturing and brushed them aside on their way to an emphatic 4-2 victory. The Addicks’ demoralising defeat set in motion the patchy form that has left them hanging on by their badly chewed fingernails in the promotion play-offs race.

Almost precisely three months later, the Brewers arrived at The Valley still statistically the worst side in League One and did it again. Winners only five times in 27 league games, they reduced Charlton to nerve-shredded losers, for whom the final whistle came as a huge relief. As it was to countless disenchanted Valley Pass customers, who found their team’s feckless, spiritless, ultimately pointless surrender hard to stomach. If there’s such a sound as a barrel being scraped, it was heard in SE7 on Tuesday evening. It makes an ugly noise.

For 20 exhilarating minutes, to be fair, this season-defining result seemed highly unlikely. Making a bright, vibrant start, Charlton swarmed all over their visitors. As early as the 3rd minute, Jayden Stockley climbed high to meet Deji Oshilaja’s precise cross from the left to bullet a header which was goalbound until Ben Garratt spectacularly fingertipped it on to the bar before batting the rebound to safety. Stockley’s disbelief was palpable but he hadn’t long to wait for better luck. Timing Andrew Shinnie’s outswinging corner with stylish ease, this time he gave Garratt no chance with a firm, downward header.

Recent setbacks after taking early leads have made cautious nonbelievers of their supporters but, Charlton briefly seemed capable of making easy work of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s struggling side. They came within inches of doubling their lead when Edwards fouled Liam Millar and Shinnie cannoned the resultant free kick off Garratt’s bar. A second goal might have made all the difference but you know what they say about ifs and ands making pots and pans. It can’t be done.

As it turned out, Charlton’s bolt had already been shot. As good as they’d briefly been, they quickly degenerated into a leaderless rabble, incapable of delivering the simplest of passes to its intended destination or winning the most innocuous of tackles. Their early confidence quickly dissolved into hesitancy and uncertainty, with every decision an energy-sapping effort. There’s a word that covers it all but as you probably witnessed this debacle, you might wish to use your own. In the 24th minute, Albion’s equaliser punctured their pretensions and ended their illusions though, ironically, it could have been stopped almost at source.

It was no secret that a routine throw near the tunnel was intended for Jonny Smith but Diallang Jaiyesimi reacted sluggishly and showed little appetite for the ugly but necessary elements of the game. Smith was allowed to escape to the byline and cross dangerously. Too strong for the posse of Addicks’ defenders surrounding him, Mike Fondop rose imperiously to bully a header past an indecisive Ben Amos. The writing was written clearly on the wall for Charlton and it made depressing reading.

It took the Brewers less than ten second-half minutes to complete their comeback and secure the points they desperately needed to climb off the bottom of the division. And if a slice of good fortune attended their winning goal, it also received a helping hand from the possession Adam Matthews carelessly conceded inside the home half. Substitute Danny Rowe took up the running and tried his luck speculatively from the left. His optimistic shot caught a treacherous deflection off Ben Watson’s hand, changed course and beat Amos’ frantic effort to keep it out of the top right corner.

With more than a half hour remaining, you might suppose that the visitors came under intense pressure to hang on to their lead. Well, you would suppose wrong. The Addicks came closest to equalising when Ben Purrington, their best player on a dreary, demoralising evening, turned on Stockley’s back header to shoot right-footed but was foiled by Garratt’s smart save. Millar’s pass then sent Chuks Aneke through but Edwards’ diligent tracking enabled him to whisk the ball off the big substitute’s toe.

Burton expertly dallied and dillied to the final whistle as Charlton lost their way and didn’t know where to go. Chances are they’re going nowhere; neither up nor down but in stodgy mid-table, grateful for the 44 points they already have.

Charlton: Amos, Matthews, Pearce (Schwartz 72), Pratley, Oshilaja, Purrington (Maatsen 72), Shinnie, Watson (Smith 85), Jaiyesimi (Aneke 56), Stockley, Millar. Not used: Harness, Famewo, Washington.

Burton: Garratt, Hamer, Carter, Bostwick, Gallacher (Brayford 68), Smith, Edwards, Wallace (Rowe 38), Clare, Akins, Fondop (Mancienne 75). Not used: O’Hara, Powell, Varney, Broom.

Referee: Chris Pollard.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-3 Gillingham

February 14, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Charlton’s poor run of form behind closed doors at The Valley continued with defeat to Gillingham. KEVIN NOLAN suffered on the sofa.

Three magnificent strikes, any of which would have graced the Premier League, proved one hurdle too many for Charlton, who replied twice but finished on the short end of another Valley thriller.

Needless to say, falling behind to frankly moderate opposition invites disaster but recently the Addicks have made it their business to lend a hand to any side with a hard luck story. Still in a parlous plight near League One’s relegation zone, Gillingham performed with the edge they customarily bring to the so-called “A2 derby”, a fixture they tackle with added bite, before heading back into Kent with three priceless points.

Their victory was secured by an 86th minute winner, scored against 10-men hosts who proved yet again vulnerable to the curse of the late goal, having already invented a new wrinkle by conceding an opener while the game’s time clock was still ticking off seconds rather than minutes.

There were, in fact, 45 officially elapsed seconds when Ollie Lee made space for a wonderfully-struck drive from outside Charlton’s penalty area which bent away from Ben Amos’ full length dive and found the right corner of the keeper’s net. The record shows that Lee, son of, er, Rob Lee, aka Robert Lee of this parish, was set up by John Akinde. But it was work born of his own sublime inspiration.

Some 85 minutes later, with the scores level at 2-2, Lee made a significant contribution to Gills’skipper Kyle Dempsey’s brutally struck match-winner. Charlton had been driven back into their own half by mounting pressure, made more intense by the 70th minute dismissal of Chuks Aneke, whose rat-a-tat yellow cards were deserved for careless rather than malicious transgressions. The depleted Addicks appeared to have clung on to a useful point when Lee shuddered the crossbar with a resounding drive but the rebound was recycled through a rattled defence for Dempsey to smash past Amos from a difficult angle. Impressive though Dempsey’s strike was, it qualified in the bronze medal position alongside the visitors’ first and second goals.

To their credit – and Charlton did emerge with some credit from this sickening setback – they fought back with spirit and not a little imagination.

They came agonisingly close to equalising on two occasions; first Aneke flicked Liam Millar through to round Jack Bonham but the winger’s effort from the left byline was cleared off the goalline by Jack Tucker. Then Aneke ghosted past Tucker and Robbie Cundy but crashed an acutely angled shot off the crossbar; he was unlucky to hit the woodwork again following Millar’s clever set-up. His persistence was rewarded three minutes later when Millar’s short cross reached him near the far post. A quick change of feet enabled him to finish with his less favoured left foot. Charlton were level and were good value for equality.

With Gillingham faltering, only Bonham’s splendid, sprawling save from Darren Pratley’s vicious volley kept the startled visitors on terms. Their brief wobble was summarily ended by a wonderfully volleyed goal from left back Ogilvie. His contender for Goal of the Season exploded past a comprehensively beaten Amos from 25 yards and punished several half hearted attempts to clear either Dempsey’s hopeful cross or Lee’s nudged assist.

Panic seems the default setting among a defence capable of caving in under the most modest pressure. Clearances are hurried, possession is surrendered, mistakes have become routine. It’s all a far cry from the tightly-organised rearguard which kept six consecutive clean sheets back in October. The spirit remains intact but a punishing injury list has apparently sapped confidence and resolve. Gillingham were the latest opponents who seemed capable of scoring every time they crossed the halfway line.

It’s only fair to point out that the Addicks are tasty enough going forward. In Aneke and Stockley, they have a lively pair of front runners, who were well served by Andrew Shinnie, Millar and, until his untimely departure on 26 minutes, by the constantly improving Jake Forster-Caskey. Both forwards scored, with Stockley’s fine equaliser shortly after the break inspiring hope that the initiative had been seized by Lee Bowyer’s resurgent side; hope that was extinguished by Aneke’s needless dismissal, at which point the pendulum swung decisively back to Steve Evans’ Medway men. It couldn’t have settled in less popular hands but Evans knew what to do with it.

The Addicks’ second leveller was less spectacular than any of Gills’ goals but it was thoughtfully designed and coolly executed. The creativity was supplied by Shinnie, whose tailored cross from the right practically demanded it be treated accordingly. Timing his jump expertly, Stockley headed deliberately back across Bonham into the right corner.

The Gills were now sitting ducks, with Evans a particularly plump target, oven-ready to be picked off. But thanks to Aneke and Dempsey, it all went wrong again. We should have known better…

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Oshilaja, Pearce, Purrington (Schwartz 82), Millar, Forster-Caskey (Jaiysimi 25), Pratley (Morgan 90), Shinnie, Stockley, Aneke. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Harness, Matthews, Smith, Watson. Booked: Purrington, Aneke (2).

Gillingham: Bonham, Jackson, Cundy, Tucker, Ogilvie, Dempsey, O’Keefe, (McKenzie 59), Lee, O’Connor, Oliver (McDonald 90), Akinde. Not used: Bastien, Morton, Willock, Johnson, Maghoma. Booked: Jackson, McKenzie.

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Kevin Nolan’s Locked-Down Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-3 Portsmouth

February 3, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Last night’s hastily-rearranged match against Portsmouth ended in more disappointment for the Addicks. KEVIN NOLAN took his lumps from the sofa.

Yet again defensive patsies at The Valley, Charlton were ruthlessly punished by promotion rivals Portsmouth, whose setpiece expertise overpowered them. Their own equaliser soon after the break was, ironically enough, the result of a corner but the brief hope it inspired was cruelly extinguished just three minutes later. This was a sobering experience for Lee Bowyer’s faltering side.

Having lopped the dead wood that was Omar Bogle and Marcus Maddison from his squad and having bid a fonder farewell to Jonny Williams and Paul Smyth, Bowyer made three changes from the side which scraped past Bristol Rovers a week earlier. Among them was his surprising omission of Liam Millar, who scored the winner against Rovers and was, by common consent, Charlton’s best player.

Also left out was Ben Purrington, who deputised for Ian Maatsen and performed capably enough to retain his place, at least until Maatsen recovers his early season sparkle. The three-day postponement of this fixture failed to dissuade the boss from his usual, almost compulsive rotation. He was vindicated, to some extent, by the excellent contribution made by Jayden Stockley, who was handed his first start, opened his scoring account for the Addicks and conducted a masterclass as an unselfish, aggressive target
man.

Bowyer, however, seems no closer to knowing his first XI; likewise his best formation which the visiting press corps helpfully identified as initially 4-1-2-1-2 but which presumably morphed into something equally opaque when things started going wrong. I’m all for progress but the old “W” formation still brings me a pang. We knew where we stood then…

There were few signs of the mess to come when Charlton made a bright, confident start. Stockley was an early thorn in Pompey’s side, his cleverly chested pass setting up Albie Morgan to clip the bar with a firmly-struck volley. The early promise faded as the visitors found their feet and John Marquis should have done better than fire over the bar when set up by Ellis Harrison.

The prolific striker was soon on the end of another chance after Michael Jacobs produced a defence-splitting pass to send him clear but Ben Amos left his line, narrowed the angle and diverted his shot wide. With the Addicks sorely needing half-time sanctuary, they instead conceded to an expertly-worked short corner routine, tapped infield by Charlie Daniels and picked up by Tom Naylor. With the home defence floundering, the skipper slipped a practised pass to Jacobs, who blasted unstoppably into the top left corner.

An out-of-touch Morgan’s interval replacement by Millar was a tacit admission by Bowyer that his starting selection was ill-advised. His simultaneous substitution of Darren Pratley by Ben Watson was forced on him by the belligerent captain’s early booking, with a second yellow card almost a racing certainty. The experienced Watson stepped into a personal nightmare, capped by his absent-minded contribution to Portsmouth’s third goal.

Before all that, however, came the small matter of Stockley’s milestone equaliser. The second of two left wing corners delivered by Andrew Shinnie was headed powerfully past Craig McGillivray and with over a half hour left, there was a sudden but unhappily brief spring in the Addicks’ legs. They were immediately indebted to Amos, who saved improbably from Harrison after Marquis headed Daniels’ free kick into his strike partner’s path. The keeper’s brilliance, unfortunately, inconvenienced the rampant visitors for merely the minute it took Naylor to punish the visitors’ predilection for conceding needless free kicks by bulleting home Marcus Harness’ inswinging delivery from the right.

Just six minutes later, the South Coasters put the result beyond doubt, not that any realistic doubt existed. Thirty yards from Amos’ goal, Andrew Cannon effortlessly relieved Watson of possession, closed in quickly and left the keeper helpless with a vicious drive which found the net off the right post. Charlton’s old stager was left distraught by the error, which proved his fallibility, without compromising his commitment. He won’t need reminding of it. But he will be…

So the points, along with the upward momentum, headed south with old adversaries Portsmouth. Their quirky red socks beneath blue shirts and white shorts always marked them as unique, as did those glorious, spine-tingling Pompey Chimes, which have sadly fallen into disuse. A bit like the “W” formation, it has to be said. And don’t get me started on Billy Eckstine collars.

Charlton: Amos, Matthews, Gunter, Oshilaja, Maatsen, Pratley (Watson 46), Forster-Caskey, Shinnie (Smith 77), Morgan (Millar 46), Schwartz (Aneke 61), Stockley. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Pearce, Purrington. Booked: Oshilaja, Maatsen, Pratley, Watson.

Portsmouth: McGillivray, Johnson, Bolton, Raggett, Daniels, Williams (Harness 53), Naylor, Cannon, Jacobs (White 90), Marquis (Byers 87), Harrison. Not used: Ward, Mnoga, Brown, Curtis. Booked: Naylor, Harrison.

Referee: Lee Swabey.

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

January 24, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

A careless first half led to the Addicks only getting a point from yesterday’s clash at The Valley. KEVIN NOLAN shouted at the television.

It’s time Charlton were persuaded to let go of the wrong end of the stick when the subject of charity is raised.

Let’s face it, we all know it begins at home but it’s intended for those actually AT home, not begging-bowl doorsteppers. At least that’s how it works in football. When relegation-haunted sides show up at the door, they should exit The Valley with no more than a snack and a Thermos flask to console them on the trip back home. It’s hard enough to beat the promotion contenders without extending a helping hand to the poorer classes.

One struggling side after another has been staked to a first half lead – two goals seem to be the going rate – before being outclassed by their benefactors and belatedly pegged back. Second-from-bottom Swindon were the latest mendicants to totter away from SE7 gratefully clutching a point, after being given a torrid second half going over. Behind them they left hosts wondering how they ended up with the same reward after outclassing their visitors during 45 minutes of total domination.

For the answer to the Addicks’ disappointment, look no further than the goals they carelessly conceded before the break. Both were traceable to the chronic defensive flabbiness which threatens to sentence them to at least one more season in the living hell that is League One.

Both of Swindon’s goals were the stuff of nightmares.

Receiving Scott Twine’s pass to the left of Charlton’s goal, Hallam Hope’s intention to cut inside and try his luck on his right foot was hardly a well kept secret. Without obvious cover and vulnerable to the obvious gambit, right back Adam Matthews was left standing as Hope eased past him to fire a crisp drive inside Ben Amos’ near post, with the keeper’s positional judgement coming into serious question.

Making his first start as one of four changes made by Lee Bowyer from the Peterborough defeat, Ronnie Schwartz had already been unlucky not to put Charlton ahead. Gifted a shooting chance by Conor Masterson’s disastrous back pass, the Danish marksman’s low snapshot beat Mark Travers but rebounded to safety off the far post. The linesman who flagged him offside has been provided with a discount voucher at Specsavers. If he can find his way there, that is.

After Chuks Aneke headed Jonny Williams’ excellent cross too close to Travers, the Addicks’ luck was again out as Liam Millar also hit the woodwork. After being fouled close to the edge of the visitors’ penalty area, the Liverpool loanee clipped the bar with a ferocious free kick. It was already clear that Lady Luck’s plans for the afternoon excluded a break here and there for Charlton.

With the interval looming, the Wiltshire men doubled their lead. Picked out by Diallang Jaiyesimi in congested traffic some 25 yards from goal, Matthew Palmer brushed aside a less than hearty challenge by Millar, drew a bead and beat Amos with a helpful deflection off Deji Oshilaja. Though Millar was recruited for his pace and ball skills, his lack of defensive steel shouldn’t go unremarked.

The second half, as stated, belonged to a rampant Charlton. Their shrewd change to a diamond formation from the amphibious landing craft shape which had got them nowhere made the difference and they took the game by the scruff of its neck. Darren Pratley’s close range shot, blocked by Dominic Thompson, and the header directed straight at Travers by Pratley from Jake Forster-Caskey’s cross merely delayed what had become inevitable; Town’s lead was duly halved before the hour.

A rat-a-tat exchange of passes between Millar and Pratley carved out the space the former needed to deliver a delicious first-time cross to the far post, where Aneke plunged forward to head past Travers.

Five minutes later, Aneke’s velvet touch controlled substitute Albie Morgan’s cleverly chipped centre but his thunderous volley crashed harmlessly off the bar. When newcomer Jayden Stockley headed Forster-Caskey’s corner into Travers’ hands, time was beginning to run out on the Addicks but their tourniquet-like pressure finally told in the last minute of regular time.

After swapping passes with Millar to his left, Forster-Caskey let fly optimistically from outside the area; his shot was heading down Travers’ throat until Andrew Shinnie intervened and finished coolly past the startled keeper. Having made a hash of an earlier chance, the Scottish playmaker had redeemed himself and rescued a point for the exciting but criminally culpable home side. It might have been all three but Conor Washington, after rounding Travers, ran out of room and was unable to turn his shot into a gaping net.

Not for the first time recently, the timeworn “one point gained or two points lost?” question answered itself. Charlton can’t continue to surrender two-nil leads (or “two-nought” leads as Alan Curbishley calls ’em) and get away with it. The spirit is admirably strong – the flesh is treacherously weak. It’s great entertainment but it has to stop. So, Lee, get ’em to stop!

Charlton: Amos, Matthews, Gunter, Oshilaja, Maatsen (Pearce 76), Millar, Forster-Caskey, Pratley (Morgan 60), Williams (Shinnie 46), Aneke (Stockley 76), Schwartz (Washington 76). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Harness. Gilbey.

Swindon: Travers, Freeman (Odimayo 72), Masterson, Conroy, Thompson, Palmer, Lyden, Grant (Payne 63), Twine (M. Smith 64), Hope (Pitman 82), Jaiyesimi. Not used: J. Smith, Curran. Booked: Twine, Thompson, Jaiyesimi.