Charlton Have The Blues As Home Points Dropped Again

Charlton Athletic 1 - 1 Birmingham City

Charlton again were left frustrated by letting another lead slip this time at the hands of Birmingham, David Davis cancelling out Vetokele's early opener.

After having a few drinks in Blackheath headed to The Valley on Saturday still buzzing from Tuesday nights late stunning victory against the league leaders Norwich. Now we had a chance to really kick on and push us higher towards an unexpected title chase challenge.

Birmingham although low down in the table were heading to SE7 with new found confidence after already defeating a team in South London by beating Millwall 1-0 in midweek.

After signing from Brentford in the summer Clayton Donaldson would be the real danger for Birmingham up front especially after scoring in their win over Millwall. And of course in between the stick was former Charlton keeper Darren Randolph whom I've always thought looks a decent player.

The Charlton team news was that Chris Solly moved back into the team as expected & Tal Ben Haim missed the game due to religious reasons so in stepped Micheal Morrison, a big game for Morro his first league start of the season and coming into an unbeaten side can be daunting for him.

Again it was a 4-4-1-1 style of formation with Cousins and Bulot swapping places throughout like Tuesday's game against Norwich.

Teams Out

The first action of the game was oh so nearly an early goal for The Addicks, a lovely weighted ball from Cousins found Vetokele who smartly cut inside and curled a left footed shot at goal it beat Randolph but just went wide! Brilliant individual effort from Igor showing how he can create a chance by himself, so unlucky!

But Igor didn't have long to wait to get his goal, just eight minutes later a fine cross from Bulot picked out Vetokele who headed it firmly down and in the goal a brilliant finish but where was the Birmingham marking?!?! Nothing Randolph could do as Igor finished clinically and made use of the poor marking. Funny enough I had just said to my mate "Bulot has not done much so far for us he aint been good or bad" And there you go literally as I said he puts in a beautiful ball for the opener. 1-0

Celebration the early goal

But yet again Charlton did their usual thing and sat back, Buyens who was having a poor game dwelled on the ball and was dispossessed which led Donaldson through but his effort was high and wide.

Apart from a Jackson effort which failed to trouble Randolph it was Birmingham that looked the more likely to get the next goal in the game, Donaldson was on the end of a cross but again his attempt was wide of goal.

Koby Arthur who only made his debut for The Blues in midweek was really looking dangerous and he so nearly equalised for them. He received the ball in the inside of the six yard box his shot beat Henderson but Donaldson stupidly touched the ball as it was going in a yard out and whilst being in a offside position! What a big let off for The Addicks.

First Half Action

As the half reached towards it's end Gleeson and Reilly had their efforts blocked for City & Bikey had a headed effort go over the bar. At the interval we narrowly led and were a bit lucky to be due to Birmingham's disallowed goal.


The second half started and Charlton created an early chance, Vetokele managed to nick a pass through to Wilson but his effort was fired over the bar. But again came the Birmingham pressure a wonderful dipping cross to the far post found a diving Robinson whose header was saved at the far post by Henderson.

But then game a well deserved equaliser a smart corner routine from Birmingham a pass to the edge of the box where Davis was unmarked and on the turn his fine low drive went straight into the corner of Henderson's net. Really poor from the Charlton defence, Davis was unmarked on the edge of the box and no one failed to pick him up, as he fired a well placed shot in the corner Henderson could do nothing about it as it came through a crowded penalty area. 1-1

Could Charlton respond? A jinxing Chris Solly run saw him cut inside and fire a effort just wide of goal, memories of his screamer v Blackpool a few season ago were nearly relived. Tucudean & Moussa were brought on to try and ignite the Charlton team into action but the game really petered out, and a long range shot from Bulot in the 75th minute was all we could conjure.

Birmingham had a chance with 10 minutes to go when Donaldson and sub Thomas combined but Thomas's effort just went wide to the right of the goal.

Unfortunately the game was held up for a while due to a bad looking injury to Jordan Cousins as he fell awkwardly, but thankfully since then we have found out that the midfielder is recovering well and should be back after international break.

Second Half Action

The last effort of the game fell to Bulot after linking with Vetokele but his effort didn't test Radnolph and missed to the right of the goal.

A rather poor game overall and Charlton will be annoyed they let another lead slip, whereas Birmingham will be pleased with 4 points from 6 on the road this week. 1-1

Overall it was a frustrating afternoon at The Valley, but still the defence stayed strong not to lose the game but we could not find that cutting edge to win the game.
Here's a few match performance reviews.

Henderson - Could do nothing with the goal as it was a precise shot in the corner of the goal through a crowded set of players.
Solly - Was Mr Dependable at the back as usual and nearly scored from his run forward. Couldn't get forward as much as he always does.
Bikey - Solid as usual and won the hard fought battle versus Donaldson.
Morrison - My man of the match. As I said earlier would have found it hard mentally coming into an unbeaten side and trying to make a claim for a spot. But he did it well, after being so used to long balls last season he played it around neatly on the floor and an acute ball through found Wilson but he wasted it. Defended strongly as well ,great professional performance who is waiting in the wings if there may be an injury or suspension.
Wiggins - Wasn't able to get forward as much & had a hard time with two pacy wingers against him but had a decent game.
Wilson - Had a poor game a lot of times when he found himself in good positions he squandered it with his final ball & poor decision making letting him down.
Buyens - Had a poor game lost the ball a lot in the middle with poor passing and taking too much time on the ball. A shame after he has started the season so well but hopefully the break can ignite him again.
Jackson - Was having a decent game and was harshly taken off to his dismay early on in the second half where really it should have been Buyens who should have been replaced.
Cousins - Didn't really make his mark on the game and then suffered a bad looking injury late on which fortunately now does not look too bad.
Bulot - Slowly breaking into English football and had a decent game, assisted the goal with a fine cross and had a few shots late on.
Vetokele - Back on the score sheet with a well taken goal. Early on nearly scored a fine individual effort. Unfortunately after that his team mates didn't create much for him.
Moussa - Came on with half hour to go but again was frustrating to watch as he lacked his final ball.

Home Fans - A very dull and flat atmosphere at The Valley as the fans grew frustrated from the lack of chances.

Away Fans -  1,500 Blue fans travelled down from The Midlands a decent attendance and made good noise throughout.

BRUM FANS

Ref Watch - No key moments apart from the disallowed goal which seemed to be the right call was made. Did fail to let advantage be played a lot too.

We have reached another international break and we remain unbeaten and in a very respectable 6th position. Of course we are going to be frustrated at the lack of attacks on goal that we had in the second half and giving away victory again but there is still a lot to be positive about.

For one I personally never expected to be where we are now and to still be unbeaten is a real credit to what a strong and experienced defence we have this season.

Think we really needed this two week break as a few tired legs and injuries have occurred and hopefully this break will revitalise us and maybe a cheeky loan signing could strengthen our team for the upcoming months.

All in all so far it's been a really good season but be great to see us push on from such a fine start. Next game is away to Bournemouth and fortunately no Kermo has he is suspended (Thanks Yann we know you still love us ) It might see us in our new 3rd kit too! So bring your sunglasses Come on you TEQUILA SUNRISES!!!

Knee Slide Nicks It In Norfolk

Norwich City 0 - 1 Charlton Athletic

Tuesday night in East Anglia saw the welcome return of the infamous Johnnie Jackson knee slide as Charlton shocked top of the table Norwich with a real smash and grab victory.

Tuesday saw us head to Norwich in our first evening away match in the league this season. Whilst many Charlton fans drove or got the club coaches I & a few friends took advantage of being able to get a train back to London after a midweek away game as normally most are too far to train it back!

Arrived in Norwich at around half five so in good time to have a few drinks and food and we headed to a pub called The Compleat Angler quite a large pub on the river where the pub was already quite full with Charlton fans there. From there it was a short 10 minutes walk to the stadium so all in all fairly easy away ground for close proximity to pubs, station & ground.

Arrived at the ground and thinking of what were we up against tonight? Well Norwich relegated from The Premiership last season had a good transfer window and kept most of the core of their team together, of course they lost a few big names to higher clubs but got good money and used the money in buying striker Grabban from Bournemouth and Jerome on loan from Stoke both had settled in well and were banging them in so we had to be on top of game to keep them out.

The Charlton line up saw two changes from Saturday of course again Chris Solly cant play 3 games in 7 days so he was as usual replaced my Joe Gomez & due to Gudmundsson's injury on the weekend he was replaced by Wilson. Giving Charlton a 4-4-1-1 formation again.

Line up

Teams out

This was our biggest test of the season, playing top of the table a hard task in itself but away from home where we have failed to win a game yet would be a massive challenge. But Norwich would be wary of us also having gone the season so far unbeaten.

The game started and within two minutes the experienced Hoolahan slipped through Grabban but his fierce drive was saved well by Henderson forcing it behind for a corner. Now was this the sign of things to come? Well again after 5 minutes Hoolahan again slipped in Grabban but this time his effort was  shot wide to the side of the goal.

Charlton then started to come into it Vetokele up front on his own again was causing trouble and won a free kick, of course Johnnie Jackson stepped up but his effort went over the bar. A few minutes later Vetokele then managed an effort at goal a  pass from Wilson to Igor who shimmied but his shot was straight at John Ruddy.

After that the game had cooled down a bit, as Henderson's kicking hasn't be great recently and we haven't a target man to aim for we started to play the ball from the back from the goal kick but a few times nearly ran us into trouble with no options available. Norwich were keeping possession well but the Charlton back four was strong and well organised and were not giving Norwich a sniff at goal.

There then was a talking point in the first half apart from all the wild handball shouts from the home crowd, as a corner came in for Norwich Henderson rose highest & claimed it but then as a fell he dropped it and Norwich poked home into the empty net, fortunately the ref had blown straight away as Bradley Johnson had fallen into Henderson forcing him to drop the ball, looked like the correct decision was made.

As the half reached it's end Charlton would be pleased to have kept Norwich's chances to few and would be hoping for more of the same in the second half and maybe nick a goal on the break.

The second half started and a few minutes in Jerome tested Henderson which he saved well with, but the Norwich pressure had started and it continued but shots from Tettey & a wild effort from Olsson failed to get on target.

Then on the hour mark came another shout for a penalty this time it was a big shout as Jackson had slid in to block a cross the ball then rebounded and hit Bikey's arm but the referee waved away the appeals luckily enough for us as it clearly did hit his arm and I have seen them given, which then of course infuriated the Norwich fans even more.

Then a few minutes later came the best chance of the match the lively Redmond got slipped in behind the defence his shot was saved by the onrushing Henderson but in came Hoolahan who shot in a scramble in the box but Wiggins was there to clear off the line.

I've read a lot of reports and Charlton fans who were listening on the radio saying that the nerves were really kicking in, well they were but although the constant pressure Norwich never really tested the keeper, however they passed and approached well but could never find the key pass to break us down and when they did Bikey was there to block and defend well. Grabban did have a chance with five minutes to go but again was shot wide of goal.

Then came the unexpected with only ONE shot on target all game and barely got out OF OUR HALF all game Johnnie Jackson found himself with space and he ran forward and then unleashed a low hard shot at goal which took a slight deflection off Johnson's boot and into the back of Ruddy's net! Delirium in the away end as with 4 minutes to go we had taken a surprise lead, and of course Jackson celebrated in his trademark way with the infamous Knee Slide followed by a bundle from the rest of the team & Bikey dancing and punching the air! Fantastic scenes. 0-1

Could we hold out? Well we did and easily, Norwich were shell shocked by the late goal and could not force an effort on goal in the closing stages. Academy star Ahearne-Grant came on for his debut and done good winning a throw on and holding the ball up well and made the time tick down till referee Russell blew his whistle and cue the celebrations from The Addicks faithful. Final Score 0-1

Although I had to rush and get my train managed to stay to see the players come over and celebrate with the fans at the end, great scenes of emotions and real passion from the players and most noteworthy from Big Bob he was punching the air with delight, what a massive win for The Belgian and he has really made his mark in first few months at the club.

A great team performance from the lads who all dug in well and got such an impressive victory, here's my player reviews.

Henderson - Had a few poor kicks again, but had a solid game saved well from Grabban & Redmond and apart from that didn't have many saves to make down to the fantastic four in front of him. There was a time when he didn't come off his line to collect a ball when Ben Haim had shielded it to him to which Ben Haim had to boot it out for a corner which he was annoyed about. But I saw Bikey calm the situation down and was a warning to keep the communication going.
Gomez - Another quality display from the 17 year old so strong in defence & even pushed Jerome off it and one stage . A fine defensive performance but took a knock & had to be replaced with twenty mins to go.
Bikey - Another fine performance and one we just expect from him, headed any danger away and was firm in tackles and blocks.
Ben Haim - Again solid display play from Tal never really gave Jerome or Grabban a decent sight at goal.
Wiggins - Best I've seen him play in a long long while, was cool and composed with some vital interceptions and brought the ball away well under pressure.
Wilson - One of the top performers he played in three different positions during the game and finished at right back due to the injury to Gomez, he worked his socks off and dug in well for the team as always.
Buyens - Was sloppy at the start giving away possession needlessly but grew into the game and worked hard in stopping Tettey and Johnson creating anything from midfield.
Jackson - My man of the match, In recent weeks and all season in fact he has worked his socks off and Tuesday night was no exception. Missed a few golden chances v Wolves the other week and I wrote on Saturday him and Buyens need to get forward more and have a go and to that he did! A fine low drive (with a deflection) won us all three points and Johnnie was a fine leader throughout to claim them.
Cousins - Worked really hard had helped the defence out well too. In the second half he played a role behind Vetokele but didn't see enough of the ball down to the Norwich pressure.
Bulot - Worked hard and managed to bring the ball away well at times to take off the pressure so nearly scored when Vetokele crossed it in low but he didn't throw himself at it.
Vetokele - Very hard for Igor being the lone striker against an experienced defence but again he worked hard to the little supply he got.

Home Fans - Very good noise throughout from the Norwich fans to our right and in the corner and a very good attendance of 25 thousand home fans on a Tuesday night. They did claim handball a lot which caused a few laughs between both sets of fans.

Away Fans - No official number but there was around 600 Charlton fans in attendance who made a decent noise throughout hard when your team is under so much pressure too! The scenes when we scored were brilliant and the noise that followed too and of course the scenes at the end were class too great effort. Ok it would've been nice to have brought more but at £30 a ticket and on a Tuesday night it was decent.

Moment of the Match - Easy this week, after being under the cosh nearly all game what a moment to go down the other end with four minutes to go and win the game against the league leaders. Thank you Johnnie Jackson I will savour that moment for a very long time.

Moan Of The Match - Bradley Johnson just seemed like he wanted to cause trouble as always. First he knocked down Henderson for the disallowed goal. Second when Henderson kicked the ball out when Gomez went down with an injury he refused decent sportsmanship and never gave the ball back and played on to attack the Charlton goal. And thirdly as the final whistle went he's then squaring up to 17 year old Grant.

Ref Watch - Think the referee had a decent game and let the play flow well. Obviously the Norwich fans thought otherwise, booed him throughout as he refused them a few penalty shouts. One which I have seen given before where hit it Bikey off a Jackson block would have been harsh as they were so close together but he kept his head and waved away protests.

Wow what a feeling coming away from the ground a fantastic three points, a game going into it we would have been happy with a draw. There's a lot of character in this team and a lot of leaders who so passionately give it their all for the team and led so well by a fine example in Johnnie Jackson, read a few people saying they wanted to drop him for Tuesday nights game but he as usual proved the doubters wrong with a fine performance and the vital winner.

Norwich played the ball well but could not break down a hard fought Charlton defence, although their fans blamed the referee the blame really lies on their team not taking there chances in the final third. But you can tell with the squad they have they will definitely be up there and personally I think they will be champions, again for me showing what a result it was for us.

Got back to Liverpool Street at 00.15 and managed to get home at 01.30 so not bad and the journey home was an enjoyable one especially after a victory like that! We now look forward to home game against Birmingham on Saturday our last game before the international break so hopefully we can head into it on a high. We will be full of confidence after the result on Tuesday but so will Birmingham after beating Millwall(WAHAAYY) on Tuesday too. COME ON YOOOOU REDS!!