League One Revisited: Stevenage 2-1 Brentford

There are a vast number of reasons that I'd rather Charlton were in the Championship as opposed to League One, but there is one particular drawback we have to endure.

The Preamble:

International weekends have always been difficult to cope with. Not only are fans of the top two leagues deprived of their three o'clock kick offs, but there's no Super Sunday to watch either. League One downwards does not suffer this inconvenience, and as a result, the flow of the season is not disrupted.

Waking up this morning I realised that I had an entire day of boredom at uni awaiting. No sport to watch, or play, and not even international fixtures to watch given the recent change which has moved games to Friday evenings. I decided to trawl through the BBC fixture list and find the closest game to Cambridge that I could find. The U's were away to Chester, so a trip to the Abbey had already been ruled out. There was little else given the second FA Cup qualifying round was taking place, but the Stevenage v Brentford fixture stood out. It was on the way to London, so not too far to travel. Entry to the ground was also quite reasonably priced. And so it was decided. Broadhall Way beckoned.

It's quite an interesting experience to plunge yourself into a completely different footballing environment for an afternoon. Non-league games at Bromley do have that element of familiarity to them, despite my rare attendances. Stevenage, however, was completely new.

It had only ever been a town that had flashed by whilst on the train back to London, as well as the place that Charlton lost their first game in the 2011/12 promotion season. Now I felt like I ought to develop some sort of attachment to its football club. That proved a tricky task, given the functional, long-ball nature of Graham Westley's side, but I decided to stand on the home terrace nonetheless. (Price was the determining factor...)

Not even the monumental shambles that First Capital Connect had managed to create could stop me making the journey. The somewhat irrational desire to watch whatever football I could find had taken hold. The train south was delayed by a calamitous signal failure at Finsbury Park, and everyone was packed in like sardines. But I was going to watch some football, so I didn't really care.

It's quite hard to explain why you have such an attachment to a sport. On the surface at least, football appears to be an incredibly simple game, yet there's something about how it manages to become such an important factor in people's lives. The loyalty, the highs and lows, the friendship and the banter all seem to play a part in creating an atmosphere. It's easy to pick teams you like by watching them on the tele, but by investing time into a side you discover far more. Behind the simple desire to watch a game of football and avoid a dull afternoon was a wish to experience a whole new footballing environment. Looking back, I'm glad I went. 

A moody backdrop as a fan tries to read the word 'Stevenage'

After a fairly lengthy walk from the station, Broadhall Way came into view, though it's called the Lamex Stadium these days. Quite a small and compact ground, it was fairly modern and smart. After a quick visit to the shop to buy a programme and a pin, I chose the East Terrace as my stand of choice. I took up a position close to the edge of the penalty area and waited for the start.

A quick glance at the programme revealed some interesting phraseology used by Graham Westley. He was apparently very pleased with his side's "attacking display of both football and defending." Attacking defending is one of his more interesting concepts.

The Match:

Stevenage were struggling at the foot of the table, with just one win all season and one point from five home games. François Zoko had been snapped up by Borough following his release by Notts County in August, and an impressive display in midweek had the terrace murmuring with slight optimism. Brentford, meanwhile, were stuttering in mid-table, hoping for a win to reinvigorate their playoff push. They had former Addick David Button in goal, as well as the one and only Alan McCormack, who somehow has managed to become captain. They also had former Birmingham defender Martin Taylor at the back - still a towering presence - in an attempt to disrupt Stevenage's long-ball style. 

Home fans await the start of the game, as Brentford warm-up

Brentford started brightly, whilst the home side were struggling badly. Within two minutes Donaldson had been played in by a simple through ball, wrong footing the entire back four, but a good save from Day denied him. The rebound eventually fell to McCormack who shot tamely at the keeper.

Another half chance for the Bees was soon followed by a deserved opening goal. A simple through ball caught out the left back, and Douglas chipped niftily over the keeper towards the far post, where Donaldson bundled the ball home into an empty net.

Stevenage looked bereft of incision, with Burrow up front struggling to lay the ball off for Zoko. But out of nowhere the home side were level. A number of the crowd, including myself, had allowed their attention to drift from the ball, given it was with Button in the Brentford goal. The keeper realised he was under pressure, and tried to trick past the advancing Zoko. He tackled the keeper, with the ball going straight into the back of the net. Everyone was stunned! Just the eight goal that Stevenage have scored this season, and comfortably the strangest.

Westley's side grew into the game, hassling Brentford much more effectively, which broke up their passing game and forced them to aim down field for Donaldson. Soon came a third goal. A Stevenage corner was partially cleared, but the ensuing cross was poorly dealt with, and after a scuffed shot was saved, the ball fell again to Zoko, who hit his shot down into the turf so that it bounced up into the top of the net. Joy for Borough!

A Brentford set-piece

The mood on the terrace was a happy one, but that didn't halt the cries of many aimed at the linesman. His lack of offside decisions led many to turn on him, such that he was informed his next game would be in the Sunday league. Encouragement for the home side continued to be dealt out.

Tempers flared as half time approached, with what appeared to be a strong body check by Douglas going unpunished, a cynical challenge by Diagouraga receiving yellow. Donaldson had another chance from an angle after a through ball released him, but Day dived superbly to tip the effort past the far post.

The second half is not one that will go down in history for its quality. It quickly became evident that Westley would defend his side's lead, and sparingly commit players forward on the counter. Jones and Ashton at the heart of the Borough defence were immense, winning everything in the air. The intense pressure that the Stevenage midfield put Brentford under when they had the ball forced them to look for the long ball, with limited success.

A couple of times Stevenage felt it necessary to commit fouls to break up Brentford's attacks. Amidst the loud mutterings of discontent after the ref awarded one of these free kicks came a loud shout of "DON'T PANIC" from further down the terrace. A glorious line. As with most of the away side's efforts, the cross came to nothing.

One ball forward did find its way to Donaldson in a threatening area. He managed to round the keeper but the resulting angle was too acute, and the effort crashed into the side netting.

Donaldson had gone ground too easily on a couple of occasions earlier in the game. When back defending in front of our section of terrace, one inspired shout came from the stand - "Why are you still on your feet Donaldson! I can't do justice to the frequency and quality of the heckling, but I doubt I've witnessed a finer terrace display before. 

McCormack challenged

My personal highlight of the half came when a good shooting chance fell to Alan McCormack. He got under the ball and cleared the stadium's roof. It was one of eight balls lost during the game, and led to some amusingly rude chants aimed in his direction. I rather enjoyed that.

Westley's men closed out the game successfully. The result seemed fairly inevitable, but clearly that's not the case when you consider their home form this season. That said, Stevenage were imperious when dealing with the long ball, and also time-wasted relentlessly. Whilst I can never really accept this practice, it was clear why Westley felt it useful.

The crowd erupted when the final whistle went - the referee never really got to grips with the time-wasting, and the frustration of the away fans had turned to apathy, with many filing out before the end. A first home win of the season for Westley's men, who came over to the core support of the East Terrace to show there appreciation. It was a big mutual love-in, with Westley looking pumped up and overjoyed. He might come across as a bit of a clown, but it was evident that he had built a very good team spirit. He creates a siege mentality which has found success at Borough. The players did a warm-down, which appeared to be a lap of honour, but the crowd were heading home happy by that stage.

Stevenage applaud the home support after the full-time whistle

Uwe Rosler spoke afterwards of individual errors costing Brentford dearly, and he was right. They had the chances to win the game, and without the alarming error from Button at 0-1, they would have been good value for a draw. He is said to have locked his side in the dressing room for an hour and a half post-match to undergo a frank review of where they are at as a team. Understandable, given the way the game went for them. But as a few years in League One demonstrated to me, its not about what you deserve, but what you achieve. Its a physical league where results have to be ground out, however ugly. This was what Charlton did so well towards the back end of their promotion season, when teams were less willing to attack them. Broadhall Way is a very tough place to get a result, given the way Stevenage play their football, and it proved especially frustrating for Brentford today, who instead of taking three points home with them, had to endure long-ball tactics and time-wasting before eventually falling to defeat. 

The Summary:

The addiction to football may seem tragic from a distance, but my trip into the unknown today was one I would thoroughly recommend. Stevenage is by no means the nicest town you'll ever see, but its more the unearthing of a new footballing environment that provides the value. You find yourself far less cynical than you would watching your own side, as you aren't as consumed by the desire for victory. You also discover a new set of players, as well as legends of the terraces.

Most importantly, though, you get your fix of football for the weekend. It might not be the most high-quality 90 minutes you'll witness all season, but the whole package is one that most would find enjoyable. Even with the style of play employed by Stevenage, I'd happily return for more. But not instead of seeing the Addicks, of course...

Revitalised Addicks Desperately Close to a Deserved Win

Charlton Athletic 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Following a difficult start to the season, and particular hardship in the last two games, Charlton rallied to produce a sensational performance which fell agonisingly short of victory. 

Forced into more changes to his team, the initial feeling was one of worry. It was going to take a spirited effort to get a result against what looked like a strong visiting Forest side. Bradley Pritchard was out following concussion on Saturday. Kermorgant wasn't deemed fit enough to make the squad, and neither was Jackson. With Cort and Solly still absent, Powell was once again forced to experiment tactically with the players available. Hamer remained in goal, whilst Richard Wood was preferred to Dorian Dervite at the heart of defence. Powell went with a central midfield trio of Cousins, Stephens and Gower, with Callum Harriott deployed behind the strike pairing of Church and Sordell.

The Match

The atmosphere built superbly, with a chorus of 'Chrissy Powell's Red Army' ringing around the ground. But the game got off to the worst possible start. Cousins was deemed to have made a very soft foul wide on the right, level with the 18 yard line. Andy Reid swung the kick in towards the far post, lobbing Hamer, kissing the post and landing in the back of the net. It was typical of our lack of fortune of late.

Ben Hamer stares aghast as Reid's free-kick goes in off the post

Despite the setback, the home crowd remained positive and noisy, continuing to back the team and refuse to give in to the negative minority that has been vocal recently. And despite the goal, the Addicks looked hungry, their spirit unwavering. They created a number of chances, many of which could (and probably should) have been taken: Wiggins crossed for Church, a deflection making the flight of the ball more favourable, but his header was weak and the ball cleared. Similarly, Sordell was on the end of a Harriott cross but couldn't score. Then followed an agonising quadruple-chance: Stephens shot from range but the keeper could only parry. A couple of scuffed Sordell efforts were blocked before the ball fell perfectly to Stephens at an angle about 10 yards out. He went for power but blazed the shot well over the bar.

Forest were clinging on, but almost doubled their lead following some very fortunate ricochets that almost took the ball into the net. Wood headed clear but only to Mackie, who stumbled into the box and had his low shot well saved. The ball bounced up into Wilson's chest and was heading in, but he managed to chase it and avert the danger with a clinical left footed clearance.

Half-time arrived, with the Addicks applauded off the field. The home side had been by far the superior team, but when you're struggling for points things don't always fall your way. The early goal could well have punctured the spirit and belief of Charlton, but they had admirably fought back, and were unlucky not to have at least been level.

Little changed after half time, with Charlton still creating chances and the home crowd continuing to be very vocal in their support.

After some clever interplay, Harriott was released into the area with a chance to shoot. The defender just got a boot to it, forcing the ball across the face of goal. Sordell slid but couldn't reach it. The ball ran towards Wilson in acres of space near the byline. Sordell was quick to his feet and free. Wilson swept in a low cross, and the striker turned the ball into the net with a clinical and powerful side footed strike.

GET IN THERE!

The goal had been a very long time coming, and was nothing less than the home side deserved. Sordell was joyous, running over towards a leaping Wilson and sliding toward the North-East corner. The crowd had erupted - each chance had built the pressure and it was finally released in one explosion of ecstasy. For five full minutes the Covered End was so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think. The spirit of Cardiff rekindled.

Spurred on by the phenomenal home support, Charlton almost stole a second. Church applied the pressure out wide left, forcing a hasty clearance which bounced off Mark Gower into the path of Sordell in the area. Stephens was making the perfect run into the 18 yard box to be fed the ball, but Sordell - now brimming with confidence - turned and shot with his left foot, but couldn't beat the keeper.

Billy Davies was forced into a double change, and ordered his side to calm the game down, as they had been startled by the tempo and noise in the early stages of the second half. He succeeded to an extent, as Andy Reid had an opening but stabbed his shot over.

The home crowd began to waver, suddenly filled with nerves. But still Charlton created chances. A Harriott cross was almost turned in at the back post by Richard Wood, who stretched but couldn't reach the ball. Forest hit back, with Mackie's back heeled effort at the other end soon after was well saved by Ben Hamer.

Sordell was clearly on a high following his goal, as he turned to fire a 30-yard strike just wide of goal. Powell made his first change fairly late in the game, with Andy Hughes replacing Gower in midfield.

Charlton once again came agonisingly close to winning it. The ball was bouncing around in the Forest area, until Cousins flicked it goalwards with a technical left footed effort. It curved and crashed into the bar, and the ensuing scramble saw two more half chances blocked and cleared.

A Wiggins free kick was angled towards the far post, where Andy Hughes was in space. He scuffed his cross, which was chested back by Morrison at the front post towards Harriott, who fired his shot gloriously over the bar and into the upper tier.

For all the enterprise of Stephens, and the industry of Hughes, it was Jordan Cousins who continued to star; the ball broke loose in the Charlton box and it looked like Forest might have stolen a winner, but Cousins flung himself to ground and made a spectacular, vital block.

Despite a nervy string of corners for Forest, the game finished all square.

The Addicks were applauded from the pitch, and deservedly so. It had been a fantastic performance, one which would have seen us score about four or five goals if on a good run of form. But whenever things look bleak, Chris Powell manages to motivate his side to produce performances like that. He was cheered as he left the pitch. The way the game had gone, especially following the past two weeks, it felt like a victory. Powell showed huge appreciation to the Valley faithful, whose support had been flawless all night.

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Player Performances

Few Addicks fans were able to agree on a man of the match, simply because so many had played out of their skins. For me, two players deserve particular praise, given what they were tasked with and what they produced.

Jordan Cousins: After impressing during his home debut in that infamous abandoned game, Cousins again showed his class with a clinical, all-round performance. He was strong in the tackle, precise in his passing and positive going forward. His block was crucial and he was ultimately unfortunate not to score. Not only was he technically very good, but also he was composed on and off the ball. A 90-minute showing that promises a lot to come from him in future.

Richard Wood: One of the less heralded signings, but definitely one of the most shrewd. Wood won everything in the air, timing his leaps to perfection. He was strong in the air, composed on the ball, and robust in the tackle. He even stretched to try and score at the far post. Before the game, you wondered why Dervite had been dropped, but Wood showed why Powell had put his faith in the former Coventry skipper. A classic centre-half performance.

It wasn't just the two above who deserved praise. Wiggins and Wilson were magnificent, especially given the absence of wide midfielders to work with. They always looked to burst forward on the counter, with Wilson creating the equaliser. Wiggins, criticised recently for his performances, emphatically proved his worth. Morrison was again steady at the heart of defence, leading the side well.

Stephens benefitted from the formation Powell had chosen, as it meant he had options open to him in the middle of the pitch. A few times he was able to instigate incisive fast-flowing passing moves, with the help of Mark Gower. He also played well, passing and hassling with energy.

Harriott was once again a live-wire, able to provide the link between the midfield and the forwards. Whilst he's someone that doesn't always offer an end product, the fact that be is constantly looking to create chances is a real positive, and with time he can become a quality attacking threat. 

Simon Church will probably be wondering how he didn't score tonight, but he put in a valiant and important effort up front. He was industrious, and was rewarded in his regular chasing down of the Forest defence by forcing the error that almost allowed Sordell to score. Church was forced off due to a leg injury, his absence allowing Forest more time at the back.

Sordell had a game of two halves. The first largely passed him by, as frustratingly he didn't quite appear to be on the same wavelength as the midfielders looking to play him the ball. But after his superbly taken goal, he was a man transformed. His confidence rocketed, which is what you want from a striker. He kept looking for goal, although he may have been better off looking for Stephens on the occasion that he was better positioned. However, his renewed self belief will give the whole squad a boost, as at last he's given them a reason to be confident in him.

Andy Hughes came on and orchestrated the midfield. He made one exceptional interception that enabled a counter attack, and was often seen motivating his team-mates. Whenever he takes to the field, he always proves his worth both as a footballer and a leader.

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A word on Andy Reid. Forest as a side struggled to produce the quality they are capable of, but Reid definitely stood out as a professional tonight. His technique is superb, and he looked in better shape than ever. Whilst his goal was probably a fluke, he was unlucky not to score another in the second half. One of the few players who warrants applause on return to the Valley, and deservedly so.

Forest manager Billy Davies was full of praise for the Addicks, recognising that his side had been lucky to pick up a point. His assertion that Forest scored too early, however, was one of the weirder excuses I've heard from opposition managers. It was a fortunate goal, which meant that the Addicks had to rebound quickly and not let their heads drop. They did so magnificently.

Chris Powell is such a hero. Once again he's lifted his squad when morale hit rock bottom, to the extent that even though depleted by injury, his side made one of the promotion candidates look the weaker team. The performance was a testament to his continued belief in his players, and hard work on the training ground shaping them into a strong side.

You'd be a fool to want this club to be rid of Chris Powell. He has taken plenty of stick for recent results, and whilst some of it is justified, we are far stronger as a club with him at the helm than we would be without him.

Hopefully a similarly inspiring performance will be produced on Saturday for the visit of Blackpool. If we can maintain that level of quality, with the addition of players like Kermorgant returning from injury, then we have every reason to be confident of producing results.

Tonight, the passion was most definitely there, both on and off the pitch. It renewed the faith of many, and rekindled the spirit of others. If only we'd grabbed all three points...