Charlton Athletic Online

My, how Charlton hearts have lifted since Saturday’s home win against Yeovil! The confidence gained will hopefully see the Addicks through their next spate of games, starting at home against Brighton on Tuesday night. With Southend away the opposition on Friday, it will have been a busy week for the Charlton side, and the squad will have been stretched to the full I’m sure.

While manager Phil Parkinson would have liked to have kept an unchanged side after the weekend win, it does seem that that will not be possible, following groin injuries to ‘keeper Rob Elliot and also right back Frazer Richardson. Elliot has been a bit of a wounded soldier in recent games, picking up a back injury versus Tranmere, then a hand knock against Swindon. While those two injuries failed to keep him out of the next game (even if the dodgy back did force him from the field), this one might it seems, and Darren Randolph will be on stand-by to start, with Jimmy Binks as bench back-up. The injury to Richardson is less of a surprise, as he took time out on Saturday to put on some jogging shorts in an effort to keep his groin strain warm; whilst this was a sense of amusement to some at the game (it’s always funny when footballers take off their shorts isn’t it? Ask Terry or Cole!), this did suggest a problem which has now surfaced. Chris Solly will almost certainly step into the breach, although it is possible that Jose Semedo could play at right full back too, should Richardson miss the game.

The rest of the team looks like it may be given another run out in the hope of continuing the form shown against the Glovers; whilst it took time to gel, once it did the players looked quite comfortable and could easily have gone on to win by more. With a third game in six days to come, I would hope that Parky may rest some of the key players once sufficient lead has been won (if it can be), and that should mean game time for Semedo at some stage, plus possibly Akpo Sodje, Leon McKenzie, and/or Scott Wagstaff.

This is the side I think will start against Brighton, presuming Richardson and Elliot are unfit –

Darren Randolph
Chris Solly
Miguel Llera
Christian Dailly
Johnnie Jackson
Nicky Bailey
Therry Racon
Lloyd Sam
Kyel Reid
Dave Mooney
Deon Burton

Subs from Binks, Semedo, Clark, Mambo, Sam Sodje, Spring, Shelvey, Wagstaff, McKenzie, Akpo Sodje.

As I’m going on holiday and will not be able to post a review of the Brighton game, or a preview of the Southend or Stockport games, I thought I’d tie these matches all together in one post.

All three games are winnable, and if they are won then that should be enough to catapult Charlton right back into automatic promotion contention. All of the opposition are closer to the bottom of the table than they would comfortably like, and Brighton showed they have fight when taking a point from Leeds at the weekend that could easily have been all three. They will be without Virgo – a key player for them - who was sent off late in that match, but have dangerous forwards in Murray and Forster. Stockport won their first game in 17 matches on Saturday, and we have to hope that this is a mere blip in their awful season. Southend meanwhile went down 3-1 at the inconsistent MK Dons, and they are just a point above the relegation places now. Since we beat Stockport and Southend in December, both clubs have sold their best players, with Baker leaving County for Coventry, and Barnard joining the Pardew revolution/revolving door in Southampton. Both teams should therefore be weaker than when we played them previously.

Pedro45 will be back just prior to the Millwall game, but may not have time for a preview of that match; I will therefore include that in my predictions which are that we will win against Brighton 2-0; win against Southend 1-0; beat Stockport 3-1; and draw at the new Den 1-1. If Charlton can achieve this set of scores, then the clubs above the Addicks will really start to feel the pressure of the run-in, and that can only benefit Charlton. Of course, should Charlton slip up against any or all these three teams, then the glances back over our shoulders at the other play-off contenders will look like a nervous twitch.

I cannot really have a separate player to watch covering these games, so my one-to-watch while I am away is going to be manager Phil Parkinson. Parky may well have to juggle his squad as the games come thick and fast, starting tomorrow, and provided he continues to pick as settled a side as possible, and provided he doesn’t tinker with the tactics too much, we should be in a fine position for the last few weeks of this tough season. It has to be 4-4-2 from here on in; it has to be Bailey in central midfield; and it has to be two wingers (at the start of matches at least, in all three aspects). The only thing that can stop Charlton if we start to play better is injuries, and we do have enough squad depth to cover most positions now.

I have been on holiday in the past and Charlton have lost every game while I was away (5 matches in 1994 I think); I’ve also been on holiday and Charlton have won every time, without conceding a goal (5 games in 1998…). It would be lovely if they could win both games while I am out of the country this time, and set up a really good fixture at Millwall that could be the catalyst for promotion. We have to believe!

Come on you Reds!

Stockport County 1 Charlton Athletic 2

A win is a win, but it was a frustrating day all round for some at Edgeley Park, as Charlton really should have cake-walked this game, but were made to hang on ingloriously at the end. Goals from Sam Sodje (left) and Scott Wagstaff gave the Addicks a comfortable lead, before a fluky injury time cross went in (somehow) and the Addicks had to hang on while time was played out.

The spectacle wasn’t the best, especially as I’d forgotten my glasses for the second week running, but the trip up north went OK, bar dropping a glove at Leeds (thank you to the lovely lady who ran after me to give it back!), and 20p as I bought a programme. I should also mention the great Full English that I had for lunch in Mackenzie’s in Stockport (opposite the Town Hall) which set me up for the rest of the day.

Charlton started the game as their position near the top of the league would suggest when playing the bottom ranked team; within minutes, Dave Mooney was put through but shot too close to the ‘keeper, and then almost immediately afterwards he failed to beat the ‘keeper again first time when a poor clearance came to him. The home team hadn’t had a kick up till then, and soon they were indeed one goal behind. Grant Basey’s corner was headed in by Sam Sodje who had made a darting run to the near post. Basey was lucky to still be on the pitch, and even walking, as a very poor and late challenge from Poole caught him heavily in the groin area, and Basey was in acute pain for quite some time. Poole was rightly booked for having his boot so high, and it looked like it took Basey over twenty minutes to fully recover (though evidence of that may have had to wait till later).

Sadly, Mooney then fluffed a couple more chances, and as Charlton sat back, the home team saw more possession and started to pass the ball about well. This despite the dodgy pitch, which did not look as bad as predicted, but was very strange when compared to others played on recently. It wasn’t at all waterlogged, or very muddy, but the pitch was very soft, and the ball did hold up on it and not run true. This proved a problem for dribblers like Lloyd Sam (though not Scott Wagstaff..) and to a certain degree Jose Semedo, but actually helped Mooney whose runs behind the defence regularly saw him reach the ball before the ‘keeper had a chance to come and claim.

The home side grew in confidence as Charlton failed to extend the lead, and first Bignall missed an open goal after a break down the right exposed the Charlton centre backs, then a scramble saw a shot hit the bar and the resulting efforts blocked by Semedo and Elliot when it may have been easier to score. It could easily have been 5-2 at half time, with Mooney missing four gilt-edged chances, but the Addicks would have settled for a one-goal lead on that pitch prior to kick off I’m sure.

With Charlton kicking towards their own fans in the second half, you hoped that the team would not sit back and would put some pressure on, but the match fell into that familiar pattern. Charlton looked to hit Stockport on the break, and relied on the excellent defensive work of Christian Dailly, Sam Sodje, and Semedo to keep their lead. Annoyingly, the ball was given away far too often, usually unnecessarily too, as passes from midfield went straight to the blue shirted team and not to where they should have. Nicky Bailey, Semedo, and Basey were all culpable, and Mooney’s frustrating afternoon continued when he saw a shot saved once more after bursting through. Deon Burton had got stuck in the mud, and he was substituted for Akpo Sodje with half an hour to go.

Charlton then had their best chance of the half, as a fast break saw Mooney play in Sam, but he also failed to get the ball past the ‘keeper in a one-on-one; the rebound fell invitingly to Wagstaff, but his first time effort flew very high and wide of a gaping goal, possibly due to the pitch? Minutes later though, the lead was extended, as a first time reverse pass from Mooney found Wagstaff inside the area, and he simply passed the ball into the far corner of the net, and celebrated in the arms of travelling supporters (left). Akpo Sodje then burst through but failed to get his shot away, and the home crowd went quiet as the game trundled toward an anti-climatic end.

Four minutes injury time was signalled, and around three of those had passed when a speculative cross from the left floated over Elliot in goal and hit the post; the ball then bounced back onto the Charlton custodian and over the line before Elliot could scoop it away. Such was County’s luck this year that many thought they would be denied the goal, but eventually play stopped as the referee signalled it had gone over the line.

The referee had been good throughout, but quite lenient when compared to some we have had this year. He was soon in action again as Sam was booked for a foul after he had once more given away possession. This signalled an immediate change from the bench as Phil Parkinson looked to waste some time (just as the free kick was being taken), but Sam was tardy in answering the call as his number went up and received an ignominious push to help him on his way. This sparked a general melee and during this 18-player confrontation, County’s best player - Baker – was sent off after using what looked like an elbow on Bailey. Bailey was rolling around once more at the end of a game and once more you had to question how badly he was hurt. Semedo meanwhile was just trying to keep everyone from treading on the prone Charlton captain.

You hoped that the ref would blow for time when the free kick was finally delivered into the box (Elliot catching confidently) but he actually allowed play to go on and another Stockport attack had to be repelled before the final whistle went.

In the context of the season, this was a good victory, especially as Leeds and Norwich failed to win, but from a fans perspective it was frustrating that Charlton hadn’t gone into such a lead early on that conceding last minute goal is superfluous.

The players and management came over to offer thanks to the 500 plus travelling fans and then it was back onto the trains for my journey home. A slight error in Manchester saw my route home altered - through Sheffield to Doncaster rather than via Leeds - but it was fun watching the xmas revellers and shoppers going about their way.

Four wins on the trot is good stuff in the lead up to the seasonal games, and one more good result next Saturday will give everyone connected with Charlton a very happy Xmas!

Charlton need to maintain their winning run with a victory in the off-on league game at Stockport County on Saturday if they are to keep hanging on the tails on leaders Leeds, and ahead of chasers Norwich. It does seem like the other contenders win nearly every week, and it is very much to Charlton’s credit that we still sit in second place in the league table and that, despite the other teams consistent winning streaks, we are very much in contention for promotion. It is probably quite some time since the Addicks won four games on the bounce (discounting the excellent start to the season where six games were won), with the run probably going back to November 2007 I think. During that particular run, Charlton won at Preston, and a similar performance to that will do nicely at Edgeley Road.

The wins have come at a price though, and the injury situation is still a cause for concern especially with some players now close to suspension. Frazer Richardson and Kelly Youga are definitely out, which is a loss, and so it seems is Izale McLeod, though that is not so damaging. Luckily, Charlton have two full backs who are doing a decent job as cover for the first choice pairing, with Grant Basey back near his best – defending solidly and putting in great crosses – and Elliot Omozusi getting more match fitness on every outing and contributing accordingly. Both are better going forwards, but on tricky away games like this one, they will need to defend well too.

Luckily, the pair have solid and experienced central defenders between them, and it is terrific to see old hands like Sam Sodje – heart on sleeve for all to see – and Christian Dailly – oozing experience and calm – wearing an Addicks shirt on a regular basis.

In goal, we can expect Rob Elliot to continue after his thigh problem, with Darren Randolph once more the substitute. Elliot continued his knack of making one tremendous save per game along with one moment of ball juggling last week against Southend; luckily, his errors have contributed to far less goals than his saves have prevented, and long may that continue.

In attack, the news that Akpo Sodje has seen his loan spell extended by another month is very good news, and also that Leon McKenzie is once again back near to full fitness after a very stop start to his Charlton career. McKenzie could, if he gets himself and stays fit, be the ace in Charlton’s pack this season as he is likely to score goals with a run in the side. Luckily, those goals haven’t been needed recently due to the fantastic form that Deon Burton is in; goals in the last three matches have seen Burton into double figures for the season, and he does seem likely to score every week now, especially with a good front runner like Dave Mooney along side him. Mooney’s unselfishness should not go un-noticed, and you could see he was visibly upset at being substituted last week; he hadn’t done anything wrong, it is just that Phil Parkinson needs to manage the forwards and with Burton scoring, he is always likely to stay on the pitch when others are tried out. These four being available and in form compensate for McLeod now being injured.

The biggest area of debate around the team is who should play on the left side of midfield. When you remember that this position was a massive problem last season and that Nicky Bailey was pushed out there to fill the gap (and also to give others a chance in the middle) then we have to ask how far we have come since then. Therry Racon switched with Bailey in a couple of games, and did OK, but no more, and Jonjo Shelvey was also tried in the Bristol Rovers game but looked off the pace a little; now we have Scott Wagstaff and Lloyd Sam on the wings, with the youngster playing all game there last week after doing a half each on the left in the Brighton away game. It is difficult to think about leaving Wagstaff out as he works his socks off every match, and he did score at Brighton too. A longer run in the side in this problem position may suit him with the run of games we have up till the new year, but if it doesn’t work, then others may get either a chance (Luke Holden) or another go (Shelvey/Racon).

What is certain in midfield is that Jose Semedo will return after suspension in place of Racon, and rebuild that impressive central partnership with Bailey. Captain Bailey has looked a lot happier playing centrally since he was switched back, though it does bring him closer to the referee and he will have to watch his petulance as the season progresses and referees become more familiar with him.

This is how I expect Charlton to face up at Stockport –

Rob Elliot
Elliot Omozusi
Christian Dailly
Sam Sodje
Grant Basey
Jose Semedo
Nicky Bailey
Scott Wagstaff
Lloyd Sam
Dave Mooney
Deon Burton

Subs from Randolph, Llera, Youga, Spring, Racon, Holden, Shelvey, Sodje A, McKenzie, Tuna, McLeod.

Stockport find themselves in deep trouble – up to their knees in debt off the pitch and in mud on it! The problems are associated, as their pitch is a mess after being shared with Sale rugby union side for a couple of years and finally the bad weather has caught up with it. The last three football games and the last rugby match have all had to be cancelled, and the club therefore have no incoming revenue to rely on, but brighter weather is forecast so your correspondent is hoping not to waste his journey north tomorrow. From a playing perspective things are no brighter, as the team have slipped to the bottom of the league after a defeat at Wycombe last weekend. Their only bright spark has been the form of midfielder Carl Baker, who scored his eighth goal of the season in that game. The squad has few names of note to Charlton fans, reflecting the fact that the team is very short of cash and is made up of a motley bunch of north-west has-beens and never will be’s mostly. (This will probably inspire them to roll Charlton over now!)

Pedro45 is confident that, should the game get the go-ahead, the tie will be won 2-0, and the pressure placed firmly on others at the top of the league to match the result. When a team in second place plays the bottom side away, then we really should be looking for a victory and I believe that only the weather and pitch conditions could affect the outcome (discounting dodgy referees and Northwich like performances...).

My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Sam Sodje. The older of our two Sodje's got himself sent off at Yeovil when his commitment took him a yard too far on a very wet pitch. I doubt he will have trouble stopping in this game; starting to run may be the problem if it is as sticky as they say it might be! The epitome of solid-ness, Sodje is great in the air, and cool on the deck. When it needs to be cleared, he does so, without much finesse, but then again, how many defenders at this level have that? He also has the added inducement of trying to out-score his younger brother, who has matched his two goals for the Addicks this season in less than 90 minutes on the pitch.

I need everything to run smoothly on Saturday as I’m travelling in a circular route to Stockport, via Leeds and Manchester. Nothing less than victory will do in this game even if it also means trying something different in order to get it.

Up the Addicks!