Charlton Athletic Online

Bolton Wanderers 4
Charlton Athletic 1

There's not a lot I can add to the depressing result at the Reebok yesterday - here's the official club match report.

Alan Curbishley picked what he thought was his best team, but they fell well short, if you'll excuse the pun, when trying to cope with Bolton's incessant high balls into the area. Sam Allardyce obviously got the tactics right, picking three tall forwards, knowing that they would be up against the much shorter Osei Sankofa, Chris Perry, and Chris Powell. Only Sorondo had the height to cope...

Unable to contain the airial threat posed by a tall Bolton side, Vaz Te scored the first with a ten yard header from a Nakata cross (left). Davies added a second after twenty minutes, after a goalmouth scramble where Myrhe palmed the ball away, and an offside Borgetti broke free to score the third after half an hour. With no way back, Charlton played the holding game (at last) and did not concede the fourth goal - after Myrhe dropped a cross - until near the end of the match.

At least by then Darren Bent had notched his 22nd goal of the season, albeit with a penalty (left) after sub Bothroyd was clunked on the back of the head by Jaaskelainen. This was during Charlton's best period of the game; Bothroyd and Fortune had provided the needed height as second half subs, and lightweights Ambrose and Rommedahl were sacrificed. From the radio commentary, you would not have known that either had taken the field during the first forty five minutes, so little did they contribute! The side could at least compete with two extra six footers, although it was obviously true that Bolton eased off considerably.

With Blackburn to come to The Valley next Saturday, a team that plays the game in a similar way to Bolton, the omens don't look good for Charlton to meet Curbs expectation of 50 points this season.

Probably the most interesting Charlton related thing to happen on Saturday was Kevin Lisbie's appearance on Soccer AM. Kevin told how he has one more year on his Charlton contract, but he doesn't know if he will be offered a new one or whether he will be sold. "Lis" also talked about how he doesn't go out much with "the boys"; how he may or may not join them on their end of season Miami holiday; and how he loves going bowling and may in fact buy his own bowling ball! His average strike record of five or six per game is not in any way matched by his goalscoring prowess! Sadly, "Lis" wasn't able to take part in the end of programme shooting task, which bearing in mind his scoring record and shooting accuracy, is just as well.