Charlton A-A Doncaster: Floodgates Open In More Ways Than One

Where on earth do you start?

One of the most eventful afternoons at the Valley in years, yet it all ends without a result. 

Weather: A rain soaked pitch was set to make the game interesting following a significant amount of rain that had fallen. Heavy showers circled overhead, ready to drench the pitch and create scenes very similar to those seen against Hull last August.

Team Selection: Jordan Cousins earned a starting position after his impressive second half performance at Barnsley, whilst Leon Cort came in for Dervite who had been off colour in the same game. This meant a chance for the home crowd to see how Kermorgant and Church coped up front, as well as how Cousins and Gower got on centrally.

The first half of the first half: 

Almost immediately Charlton found themselves a goal down. Doncaster won a throw on the right, but Charlton weren't happy with the roll of the ball on a clearly wet surface. Wiggins and Morrison protested, but the throw was quickly taken, crossed into the box unchallenged and Keegan rose to head home. Not your ideal start.

Charlton looked very encouraging going forward. Harriott used his trickery to set up a shooting chance. Kermorgant was excellent with the ball at his feet, holding it up, passing back into the midfield to allow the ball to be spread wide. Pritchard could easily have levelled things up. A ball to the back post was volleyed to the near post but was denied by a fine Turnbull save. 

After some more panicked defending from Charlton, the ball ended up rolling across the goalmouth. It stopped rolling very quickly. Morrison panicked despite Hamer calling for it, poised to throw himself to the ground. The hacked clearance fell to Doncaster, and after a pass over the top to what looked like an offside player, a squared cross from the byline was tapped in by Brown. 

Back to the other end, where Kermorgant played a sumptuous, skillful left footed ball on the turn that bisected the defence and allowed Harriott a shot. Again, the near post effort was well saved.

Soon after, the third. More set piece problems defensively and a goal line clearance was required. The volley landed square in the face of Brown six yards from goal, and ricocheted straight into the net. You'd be harsh to blame anyone for that as it was a freak goal. 

By this stage much was being made of the increasingly waterlogged surface, with cries of rage from the crowd whenever a ball was stopping in a puddle. The East Stand side of the pitch was particularly unpredictable, with firm passes stopping dead and bounces proving impossible to predict. A heavy shower after about 15 minutes had soaked the surface, and the Charlton players continued their protestations. Naturally, the home fans were delighted following the decision of the referee to suspend the match with 27 minutes gone. It was more like water polo than football, such was the amount of water on the pitch. Players had been kicking up huge volumes of water as they ran, tried to turn and all sorts. It was probably the right decision, as the game had become so unpredictable. Despite that, Doncaster were obviously aggrieved, with the scoreline as it was. 

The first half interval:

For about half an hour, the groundstaff heroically attempted to shift water from the pitch with one super-sopper, a few brooms and some pitchforks. It was never going to be enough, but they tried nonetheless. Soon after the players had been ordered off, Paul Dickov sent his side back out on to the field, presumably to pressure the officials into restarting the game. They stood around for a while before running over to the corner and picking up some tools of their own. 

The main areas of concern was the penalty area. When Charlton's substitutes emerged to muck around, Nick Pope made a point of hurling the ball up in the air and letting it land on the floor. Twice it did not bounce off the ground at all. The goalmouth itself was incredibly boggy, even with the soaking device run over it a number of times. The amount of water on the East Stand side was hardly reduced, and there was no sun to dry the pitch out. It was still raining.

But the referee announced the match would restart. A quite bizarre decision, given the lack of a change in conditions. This was particularly clear when play did resume...

The second half of the first half:

Play resumed in identical conditions. The ball continued to be slowed and halted by huge amounts of standing water on the East Stand side. But the referee was seemingly uninterested in making consistent decisions, and allowed the final 18 minutes of the first half to take place. 

Charlton continued to look good going forward. Kermrogant was skillful in the middle, beating a couple of players as well as the puddle that tried to steal the ball from him. A superb cross-field move saw the ball transferred through the midfield and out left to Harriott, who won a corner. Encouraging signs. As half time approached, Charlton pulled a goal back. Some good interplay looked to release the lively Simon Church, who broke the line and slotted past Turnbull into the right corner of the net. The crowd sensed the result was not a formality, and urged their side on.

Things got even better. Kermorgant used his skill once again to beat Keegan, who hauled him down having realised a far superior player had just made him look silly. He had already been booked for kicking the ball away in the first half of the first half, and was thus sent from the field. With 10 against 11, and at 1-3 down, suddenly it looked as if Charlton had a real chance to win the game. 

Doncaster worked another clever set piece, and the ball was fired into the net, but the player responsible had been offside, and this time it was spotted by the linesman.

So at quarter past four, it was half time.

Half Time / Full Time:

The players left the field with all sorts of noises coming from the crowd. Some cheered. Some booed the players. Others directed fury at the ref. Many, including myself, stood silent, wondering what on earth we'd just witnessed. 

Charlton's substitutes again emerged to muck about. This time it seemed to be a game of 'how far can you get the ball towards the goalmouth before it stops in a puddle'. It was clearly very wet. 

What made the decision to restart an odd one was that it was still just as waterlogged as it had been before the stoppage. The protestations of the crowd died down as the game settled, and Charlton were resurgent, but the point still stood - if the referee had taken them off in these conditions, surely he should be consistent and do the same.

No announcement was made, and Doncaster's players returned just after 4:30. Oddly, they approached the opposite end of the field and started to applaud their supporters. At this point it was clear that a decision had been made to abandon the game. An announcement soon followed, along with Charlton themselves emerging. Doncaster's players graciously threw their shirts in to the away end, as a sort of apology for the lack of a completed match. Charlton were applauded but I sense many will still use today's showing to direct much vitriol at the players. 

The game was abandoned, and as far as I can tell, none of the goals stand for anything. The radio has just said that all of the cards from today's game stand. Seems a little odd... 

The abandonment was a shame, in a way, because I felt that the situation as it was suited Charlton. 10 v 11, with a point to prove, attacking the home end. It felt like we'd be able to press for a draw, or even a victory. To look at it from the other angle, we've been handed a 'get out of jail free' card, given the really poor start to the game we had defensively. So I suppose we can't complain.

One of the most eventful afternoons the Valley has seen for many years, with no result at the end of it!

Analysis: Defensive errors take focus away from impressive attacking play.

Whilst the game counted for nothing, obviously much will be said about Charlton's performances. There were definitely some negatives, but sadly I fear a lot of the positives will be lost, or ignored, as frustratingly we have a vocal minority of dissatisfied supporters.

Firstly, the negatives, which do need pointing out. We still appear to be making basic defensive errors. Doncaster attacked very well down the flanks, passing to eliminate the full backs, but this does not account for the goals. Both Wiggins and Morrison switched off from what they should've been doing defensively, and instead started complaining about the throw in, or the state of the pitch. Whatever the issue, they allowed the quick throw to be taken, a cross sent in unchallenged, leaving Solly at the back post out-jumped by Keegan, who scored a good header, but should not have been allowed the space to do so. Hamer is at fault for this as well - the fact that we seem to have too many individuals that moan at the officials instead of focus on what they should be doing themselves. It was certainly at fault for the first goal, and it is fairly embarrassing when it keeps on happening. 

The second and third goals were less down to glaring errors, and more down to a combination of chaotic organisation and bad luck. The second was offside, from where I was sat. Before Doncaster got into that position, however, Charlton had to deal with the ball stopping dead in the goalmouth. Hamer called but Morrison cleared in panicked fashion, which allowed Doncaster to attack once again. The resulting attack produced a goal, but it was partly down to the pitch conditions that it came about. That said, Morrison struggled to organise a defence that still looks far less solid than it has been in the past. 

The third goal was unlucky. Another set piece caused problems, but when you clear the ball off the line you can't legislate for it flying into the face of an opponent. 

The positives. Yes, there were plenty! I thought Jordan Cousins worked exceptionally well in midfield with Mark Gower. Cousins looked controlled on the ball, and despite a couple of difficulties with the pitch, tackled and distributed very well indeed. The same goes for Gower, who looked confident with such a composed partner. Harriott was very lively, and could well have scored. He is definitely worth his starting position as he has that spark that often makes something happen. The ball played to him by Yann (who was also very good in my view) was exquisite, and he was unlucky not to score. Simon Church again made bursting runs into space looking for the ball, and took his goal very well, although sadly it won't be recorded as his second league goal. Solly was good down the right, and Pritchard was solid if unspectacular. 

The attacking play itself was very encouraging. I was impressed by the use of the ball to Yann's feet. It allowed him to draw in the defence, re-distribute the ball back to midfield and then spread the play. As always, he was searching for that canny, clever, killer pass to set up a goalscoring chance, and in Church we may just have found a player on his wavelength. Harriott benefited from this improved distribution from the midfield, as he was released in space down the left a couple of times.

Going forward, we looked very lively, and I am sure we'd have scored more had the game continued. Defensively, we left a lot to be desired. I don't like calling for players to be dropped, as I'm not that sort of reactionary fan, but Morrison did look to be more of a liability than ever today. Whether the midfield is at fault for allowing the opposition to attack our back for too much I'm not sure, but organisationally we were a little chaotic. 

As a team, we could certainly benefit from a bit more individual focus, and less remonstrating with officials. It was not solely the cause of being 3-0 down, but it does make an impact when the opposition is looking to make quick attacks. 

The season ahead: Plenty still to be done, but I'm not too worried. We need a lot of work to be done defensively, but we definitely have the coaches and the players to improve. What really was encouraging was how we attacked, as well as how Cousins looked completely at home playing Championship football. Perhaps some changes are needed at the back, but the front 6 definitely look like a settled, exciting, productive group. 

Leicester next weekend may be a tricky fixture, but we have the ability and the motivation to bounce back and win plenty of games this season. We might have to wait a while, but the results should come. With Chris Powell at the helm, we have a man who can and will motivate this group to produce. It just needs a bit more time.

A crazy day, all for nothing, but we will learn from the mistakes, and take heart from the positives.

Charlton 4-1 Bristol City: Match Gallery

A great day at the Valley, with the Addicks rounding off a superb 2012/13 season. Here are some of the photos I took before, during and after the game. Do enjoy them, as well as the video of Chris Powell's speech. 

Click here for my match report.

Otherwise, enjoy the photos, and Up The Addicks!

Pre-match

Pritchard and Jackson wave

Yann scores another free-kick

Yann gives some instructions

Wiggins down injured

Wiggins lost due to injury

Dervite heads forward

Kermorgant plays it down the line

Yann scoops the ball forward

Button takes a free-kick

Teams back out for the second half

Kick-off

Yann and Calum after that wonder-volley (copyright Keith Gillard)

Jackson prepares to take a corner

Jackson celebrates the fourth (copyright Keith Gillard)

Full time imminent

The East Stand celebrate

Players embark on their lap of honour

Our squad of 2012/13

The East Stand applaud

Obika

Jackson

Yann bows before us

Yann applauds

CP shares a joke with Alex Dyer

Great Man

Heroic Man

CP shares a joke with MW about not wanting to break his
superstition by walking into the penalty area

Pritchard runs over to hand his shirt to a friend

Said friend lends me said shirt for photograph

Yann's Stunning Strike Rounds Off Brilliant Season

What a superb season this has been for our football club.

Travelling to the Valley today didn't carry with it the pressure of a big game, given that Championship statist had been secured, and the playoffs were out of reach. It was replaced by a happy optimism, not too dissimilar to that of the Hartlepool game at the end of last season. Also, a certain Yann Kermorgant has said he usually gets one stunning goal every season, meaning there were murmurings at the possibility of a wonder-strike to come...

An injury to Ben Hamer meant that David Button came in to the side, and Obika started instead of Ricardo Fuller, also presumably carrying a knock. Johnnie Jackson was fit to return in central midfield, pairing up with Mark Gower, and the Addicks were otherwise unchanged.

The first half came, and went. Nothing of note happened. Well, apart from a superb full-stretch challenge by Jackson on the edge of the box, and a nifty backheel best his own area from Kermorgant, before he played a 50 yard pass to open up a counter-attack. Rhoys Wiggins was unfortunately forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury after 10 minutes. Neither keeper was tested. Jackson hit a right-footed volley over towards the corner flag. As I said, nothing of note happened, so I'll move on.

The second half was infinitely better than the first. Around five minutes in, Obika was released by a through ball, and he waited patiently before giving the ball to the overlapping Mark Gower. He struck a flat cross towards the edge of the area, where Kermorgant had raced into the box...

Bang. Goal.

Kermorgant had hit it first time on the volley, and the ball thundered into the net. It was struck with sublime sweetness, brutal power and deadly accuracy. Technical perfection. What. A. Goal.

There was Yann's wondergoal for the season, and in all honesty, he was unlucky not to score another.
Soon after though, the Addicks doubled their lead. Some excellent play down the left resulted in a left-footed Chris Solly cross from the by-line. It was struck with the perfect weight, the trajectory taking it towards the back post, begging for someone to head it in. Pritchard scrambled but it cleared his head, before Kermorgant made a towering leap at the back post, rising to head the ball powerfully into the net. Glorious. Arms spread wide in celebration, he was thrilled, and so were we! Jackson ran over to him to have a go for catching up with him as top scorer! Later the skipper would make amends.

2-0. Yann was nailed on for a hat-trick. Surely?

As the hour mark approached Bristol City (who were the opposition, by the way...) were handed a way back into the game. A series of calamitous passes between Morrison and Wilson ended with a failed backpass, freeing the attacker one-on-one with Button. A lovely lob nestled in the back of the net. Button's despairing dive eventually forced him off injured, as it looked like he landed very awkwardly on his shoulder.
Bristol had a few more attacking forays into the Charlton half, and there was a risk that for all their excellent play since the half began, they would concede again as they had done at Middlesbrough a week earlier. Thankfully, that was not to be the case.

Kermorgant found himself in space towards the right hand side of penalty area, well outside. He took a touch wide, looked up at goal fleetingly, and chipped the ball into the box. It was an absolutely outrageous attempt on goal. The keeper scrambled backwards, failing to get a hand to it. Time slowed. The ball crashed into the crossbar - Yann was cruelly denied. The ball bounced out towards the six-yard box where Obika was waiting, and he coolly headed the ball into the goal to make it 3-1. Most of the players celebrated with Obika, who has deserved his goals after the effort he has put in with the club, but a couple went over to Kermorgant. He sported a wry smile, knowing that he had just been inches away from a quite outstanding hat-trick. After that, it was clear the footballing gods were not on his side, as that third proved agonisingly elusive to him.

A fourth followed after 80 minutes. An excellent th rough ball released Pritchard into acres of space left open by an absent-minded left-back. He galloped forward, reaching the box. Jackson was free running towards the far post, whilst Kermorgant was busting a gut to get in position for his third. Pritchard chose the back post option, where Jackson stretched to turn in a fourth. Happy days! Yann is apparently still fuming with Bradley for his choice of pass...

One last effort for that hat-trick. The ball bounced clear from the box after a corner, and Yann attempted a left-footed scissor-kick in mid-air. It looped harmlessly wide, but to even get something like that vaguely close to the goal is beyond most mere mortals.

As the end approached, the Covered End began to sing a song. This caught on, and quickly the whole crowd had risen as one. "Stand up, for Chrissy Powell". Such adoration couldn't be ignored, and CP waved to acknowledge this. A man who deserves so much credit for the work he has done and continues to do for our football club.

Full time came, and a wave of appreciation greeted the players. 8 games unbeaten - a fitting way to end what has been a season that exceeded the expectations of everyone. Almost everyone...

Man of the Match: Who do you think? Yann Kermorgant was at his skilful, outrageous best today. When he wasn't scoring, hitting the bar or attempting logic-defying acrobatic efforts on goal, he was creating chances for others. He terrorised the Bristol backline in the air, and deserved a hat-trick despite being cruelly denied by the bar (and Pritchard...) It was great to see mini-Yann out on the pitch at the end again. He'll grow up to discover just how good his dad was at football.

The players did their lap of honour, met with the expected adulation from the crowd. Chris Powell looked absolutely delighted, hanging towards the back where he could rightly receive appreciation for his own efforts. He came round to the Covered End and jokingly stopped on the edge of the area, not willing to break the superstition of remaining outside of the box. But in he went. And the crowd continued to applaud. At the end of the lap, he gave a speech. He sounded genuinely overcome with emotion after the support everyone had shown, and spoke of his desire to keep moving this football club forward. Every second, every word of that speech proved why the man is loved by everyone at the club. Chris Powell, we salute you.

A League One squad, prevented from having any significant additions due to financial constraints, have punched well and truly above their weight to achieve a total of 65 points in our first season back in the Championship. If that doesn't make you proud of our club, I don't know what will. For all the absences of quality in some areas, these players have more than made up for it in fight, spirit and desire. Though not quite as good as the promotion season last year, 2012/13 has been a brilliant season. Some lows, yes, but they made the highs higher. And that's why supporting a club like Charlton is infinitely better than one of the big four. The fact we have a brilliant bunch of players who engage with the fans makes it all the more special.
Here's to a great year next season. Who knows what Chris Powell can achieve with the right financial backing.

How will we cope without football... Enjoy the summer, and Up the Addicks!

Incredible finale rewards superb Addicks performance

Charlton Athletic    2-1    Leeds United
Jackson (47)                      Varney (81)
Obika (90+5)

Jonathan Obika's stoppage time header won the game for the Addicks, sending both the fans and Chris Powell absolutely mad with joy. A competitive game in which Charlton held their own, competed throughout, and deserved their victory.

The same XI that beat Bolton lined up for Charlton against a Leeds side struggling for points, and finally rid of everyone's favourite Colin, Neil Warnock. The game was a vital one for both sides, given they were poised 4 and 5 points above the dreaded drop zone before kick off. Despite the prospect of a cagey affair, Charlton played some of their most fluent football of the season. Leeds, given Warnock had drilled the outfit, were very physical, often pushing off opponents when going for headers. But the home side stood up to the test and created a number of chances throughout.

Leeds started the better side, with a cute backheel opening up the back four, but the shot came to nothing. Further pressure caused pockets of restlessness among the crowd, but the general tone of encouragement could be heard, and fortunes picked up for the home side. The chief outlet of opportunity for Charlton was Yann Kermorgant, so often the talismanic fighter leading the line, fighting for the ball. He won so many headers, but the most impressive aspect was his technical ability in controlling the ball in the air and laying it off. He threatened to release Fuller and Harriott with his sublime play, and although things didn't quite click, the free-flowing nature of Charlton's play once he'd won the ball was a joy to watch. On one occasion, he won the ball, escaped from the challenge, and skilled up a midfielder with a quick left right double tap. On another, he brought down a cross and attempted a mid-air left footed scissor-kick from the edge of the box, which wasn't quite powerful enough and was saved. Quite simply, I bloody love the man.

Two attacks stood out as the best chances hat fell to the home side. From a melee in the box from a set piece, Dervite hit a 12-yard left footed volley low towards the bottom left corner, which was seemingly well saved onto the post, and Michael Morrison spurned a glorious chance, blazing his close range left footer effort over the bar. The other chance was Harriott's, whose attacking skill worked himself some space before he drilled a fearsome shot, which at first, given I was sat directly in line with it, looked like it was flying into the top corner. But the ball swerved late and presumably decapitated an unfortunate Leeds supporter.

Half time was greeted with a welcoming, warm applause for the home side, who had impressed without being rewarded. Fuller was working well up front with Kermorgant, who continually won the ball to kick-start attacks.

Shortly after the break came a decisive moment in the game. Charlton worked the ball down the right, but it was defended, cleared as far as Hughes, 30-yards out. He lined up a shot, hitting it hard and low towards the left corner. It was a great effort, but the ball was blocked. Yet the ball looped to a totally unmarked Jackson, who controlled it, sized up his shot, checked if he was offside, sized the shot up again, and finally fired the ball gloriously home, over Paddy Kenny. The net bulged. Happiness.

I will admit, I thought he was offside. Whether he was from the moment of Hughes' shot, which matters, remains to be seen, but the linesman had an age to raise his flag, but didn't. Jackson seized his opportunity, scoring his 10th goal of the season. His finishing this season has been excellent.

Somewhat understandably, from the 50-odd-th minute when that goal went in, Charlton invested less players in attack, defending with more miners to preserve the lead. Few chances came at the Covered End, but a huge let-off came when Dervite completely missed his kick, allowing Steve Morison clean through on goal. Fortunately his rasping effort clipped the outside of the post and went wide.

The free-flowing attacking play of the first half was shelved as time progressed, replaced by the frantic defending we have grown so familiar with. I meet hasten to criticise Powell, but it did seem too early to call off the assault on the Leeds goal, given how many chances had been created. The change on 75 minutes seemed worse than it actually was. Kerkar was introduced in place of Ricardo Fuller, back to his troublesome best up front, but clearly tiring. You thought immediately that Powell had decided on 4-5-1, but actually Harriott had been sent up front to play ahead of Kermorgant. Still, shortly after the substitution, Leeds scored a somewhat predictable goal. The ball pinged around the box, and with the Addicks unable to decisively clear the ball, substitute Luke Varney shot, which dipped below the bar having taken a deflection off Andy Hughes of all people, landing in the far corner of the net. To be fair to him, he celebrated initially but ceased quickly, respecting the home crowd that had welcomed him on (largely) positively. But 1-1 with little time left in the game. Nerves returned, badly.

Harriott was quickly withdrawn and replaced by Jonathan Obika, who'd had a frustrating time since joining on loan from Spurs. Inexplicably, and somewhat ironically, a small pocket of 'supporters' behind booed him. Sensible.

Charlton reignited their attacking desire, suddenly creating fresh chances. Leeds seemed to have accepted the point, bringing Michael Brown on to kick people in midfield. He was booked inside 30 seconds for a dreadful lunge on Kermorgant. Chances came: Kermorgant headed a Kerkar cross wide. Another cross saw Yann hauled to the ground, as defenders resort to doing given his aerial prowess, with the ball eventually finding its was to Chris Solly, who fired a shot from the edge of the box agonisingly across goal, and wide. Not long after, he had another shot from a similar area, this time slightly closer to the goal, which he really should have scored. It was agony. Obika had worked well down the right and got into a position on the byline to cut the ball back, but the defence cleared up and defied the home side again.

4 additional minutes were declared, but this coincided with an injury to Lee Peltier, and an ensuing substitution, delaying the start of the injury time by about 2 minutes. All hope seemed lost, but Charlton didn't give up. They worked the ball into the left hand corner of the pitch, winning a throw-in. Wiggins flicked the ball to Kerker from the throw, who immediately gave the ball back. Wiggins looked up at his options in the box, before looking down again and swinging across a powerful but perfectly weighted right footed cross. Obika rose to meet the ball, which flicked his head when at maximum height, before slamming into the back of the net, top right corner. A late winner! WHAT A GOAL! 

Pandemonium. 

The whole Valley went absolutely bezerk. Utter joy, everywhere. I haven't celebrated a goal like that for a long time, a solid half-minute of going bonkers. Charlton rarely score late goals, which was why that frustrated feeling of an opportunity lost had crept in come stoppage time. But, as they have done all season, Charlton did not stop fighting, and the result was a testament to the desire to play for the shirt that has typified this season. 

Full time arrived soon after, with a tidal wave of relief and joy spreading across the Valley. You cannot beat late winners. Sublime.

Andy Hughes, being the gentleman and legend that he is, went to the Leeds fans to show his appreciation of them, given his cult hero status at the club. And yet he was still cheering with the Addicks fine, a broad grin on his face. Obika offered a worship gesture to the fans. Hamer came over and did his usual pumped-up celebration. The whole squad were celebrating. The moment lasted a good while as the players gradually made their way off the pitch. 

Last of all to leave, of course, was Chris Powell. I absolutely love the man. He tactically shakes hands with everyone before making sure he's the last off. He applauded the crowd in response to the adulation he was receiving. It was incredible how all the doubts about going defensive had ceased, to be replaced with such a pure feeling of happiness. You could see how much the result meant to him. Previously, his tunnel jump has been reserved, but today, it was sublime. He charged out, leapt into the air, to the roar of the crowd, and stayed out clapping them, as a gloriously noisy chant of "Chrissy Powell's Red Army" rung around the ground. He eventually went back down the tunnel, only to reappear once again. Special moments shared with a great man. His man-management above anything was demonstrated today. Motivating Obika to come on and play well after a frustrating time is a true testament to the greatness of our manager. 

Individual Performances:

Hamer was solid if unspectacular. His goalkick to the opposite side of the field for Wiggins, who set up Harriott's fierce shot, was excellent, and he collected everything that he needed to. Very solid.

Solly probably should've been the man we are all praising for scoring the winner late on, but he was still at his belligerent best, fighting for the ball and often coming out on top. Nothing typified his efforts more than him charging down the goalkeeper in the Leeds penalty area after running 80-yards to try and force a mistake. 

Wiggins was also solid, he struggled to get into the game, but was good in releasing the talented Harriott. But that cross at the end was absolutely sublime. I really like him at left-back.

Morrison was excellent in the air, dealing with pretty much all that was thrown at him. As was Dervite, who was far better than he was in the first half against Bolton, although he was fortunate to get away with that one glaring error that almost allowed Leeds to score.

Pritchard was at his energetic best, although I reckon he gets too excited when in the opposition penalty box, hence the lack of end product. He won headers and put in some good balls, despite at times struggling for control. His work rate is just fantastic.

Harriott was also superb, creating chances  and causing problems for the Leeds defence. His first-half shot was spectacular, but inaccurate. He fully deserves to carry on playing left-midfield for the season as he's learning every game.

Andy Hughes is a legend. He didn't have his best game today as a few clearances were sliced and he - unfortunately - deflected Varney's shot over Hamer and in. But would I have wanted somebody else playing instead? No. His brilliance was demonstrated by his diving header, under pressure, to get the ball back to Hamer. Even the Leeds fans sung "Hughesy" after he shepherded the ball off for a goal kick late on. He motivates, leads by example, and tidies up the play extremely well in the middle. A great asset for our club. As is Johnnie Jackson, who took his goal incredibly well, and despite his poor challenge that brought the yellow card, he worked really well with Hughes centrally once again. After a shaky start in the Championship he has become one of our better players, and he is a superb leader. Love the central duo, they were great today.

Fuller worked very well today, threatening to create chances throughout, and getting onto knockdowns from Kermorgant superbly. He was unlucky not to get a chance on goal, but with him playing like that, we look a constant threat in attack.

Lastly of the starters, we come to Yann Kermorgant. Quite simply, he is a brilliant footballer. He won so many headers, and as I mentioned earlier, his technique in playing the ball from awkward positions is sublime. He was unlucky not to score, with a header saved and another denied by a blatant foul, but as the man who created so many opportunities today, he was great. I know I'm biased because I love the man, but I think he deserves Man of the Match for his efforts today. Heroic. 

Of the substitutes, Obika made the greatest impression, with an excellent run to create a chance, and of course that perfect injury time headed winner. Powell's ability to keep the morale of players up is one of the reasons he is indispensable as a manager. Kerkar came on and you can also see why Powell is once again considering him for the first team. Involved in the goal, but worked hard and kept the play going. Both show the value of maintaining a good squad, and crucially, keeping morale high. 

A brief point, which is that Stuart Attwell was terrible. He missed countless handballs and refused to give free-kicks for pushing and pulling when players challenged for headers. Yet he gave a foul for Kermorgant's attempted challenge which led to the Leeds goal. An incompetent performance, which thankfully didn't prove costly for us.

The tactics between the Charlton goal and the Leeds equaliser were a tad suspect, but I don't think that should reflect badly on Chris Powell. He went defensive too early, but still inspired his side to a second home victory in as many game - quite frankly a miraculous achievement the way this season has gone. He continues to bring the best out of his players, and in motivating the whole squad to keep at it, his side are deservedly moving away from the relegation places. 12th place is a fine effort, even if the season is not yet over, and safety not mathematically secured. Results favoured Charlton today, and whilst that is to be cheered, there is still work to do. Have I got faith in Powell and the team to win more games though? Of course. 

A great afternoon at the Valley, despite the gloom when the game was seemingly headed for a draw. You don't need to look further than Chris Powell's post-match celebrations to work out how much the result means for our football club. I felt earlier that 54 points would be enough for safety, and whilst that is obviously by no means a factual statement, the team is well positioned to keep picking up points and move away from the drop zone.

A famous victory in SE7. Up the Addicks.

The Championship Relegation Battle begins in earnest

In modern day sport, it is increasingly common that tense occasions are over-hyped. Take for instance the Premier League Darts on Thursday evening. The massively exciting prospect of "Judgement Night", where four players faced elimination from the competition, essentially boiled down to those four players all losing, and the two players with the least points going into the night went home anyway. That's not really drama. What's often more intriguing is something that goes unnoticed for a great length of time, before gradually culminating in a very exciting finish. Like a good Test match. For that, you need to look no further than the Championship.

The league table at this stage, with the majority of teams having six games remaining, is one that either excites, or horrifies. 11th placed Birmingham, on 52 points, are only 5 places above the relegation zone. Teams such as Barnsley and Peterborough keep churning out results to keep their survival hopes alive, and crucially, prolong the battle for safety that the rest of the division faces. Charlton have had a great season in many respects. Few additions to a League One squad, some brilliant results along the way (the 5-4 win at home to Cardiff, and 4-3 at Watford especially), and yet the total of 51 points - good enough for 14th position - leaves the side only 4 points above the drop. It really is an incredible table.

I would argue that today is the first Significant Day in this crazy relegation dogfight. Forget the ludicrous clamour for coverage of Di Canio's political history, or the mad frenzy surrounding England's supposed failure out in Montenegro (it was a good point, honest), the Championship is really where there should be great intrigue. Yet, as the 'big clubs' are supposedly where the media feel they ought to devote their coverage, there is a risk that this superb battle for safety won't be covered anywhere near as much as it deserves. 

Significant Day, no. 1 then. There are some huge fixtures in the Championship, and not just at the bottom. Cardiff travel to Watford for the evening kick-off, with the visitors struggling to cross the line required to reach the 'promised land', with its high-quality football and incessant media coverage. Leicester also travel to Brighton, in the fight for one of the coveted play-off spots. Naturally, the games between the lower-placed sides won't be given as much notice, and you could argue that's fair - people want to know which teams will be playing Premier League football next season more than they want to know who will be playing in League One. And yet that's a cheap way of arguing that we should just ignore the battle because the stakes aren't high enough. But they are. The Championship, evidently, is such a competitive league that teams lower in the table this season can suddenly leap forward and challenge for the Premier League. Look at Crystal Palace, seemingly perennial relegation candidates, yet they are up there challenging for promotion. As Charlton found out, League One is an equally competitive league, and it takes time for teams to readjust to it before they manage to clamber back out of it. Hence, this fight matters.

Today sees the following crunch games:
Huddersfield (47pts, 22nd) vs Peterborough (46, 23rd)
Sheffield Wednesday (47, 21st) vs Blackburn (47, 19th)
Whilst these are the most significant given the proximity of the teams to the relegation zone, others are not safe. Charlton v Leeds is a big game, as there is a risk that the loser slides closer to the drop. Its about time the Sky people stopped talking about how far off the playoffs Leeds are, and instead focus on how far above the drop. Both should be safe, with 51 and 52 points respectively. Yet with the chaos this season has served up, who knows where safety will prove to be. Burnley also host Bristol City, in a game that could compound the misery of the visitors, who are already 7 points off safety, and see the hosts climb clear of trouble. Blackpool travel to Forest, Ipswich travel to Derby, and Barnsley - the form team, really - visit Palace. Two games where points could prove a real boost given wins are not expected. Wolves also travel to Bolton, and with three victories on the spin, the team spirit should give them hope of stealing something from the game.

So, a big day in the Championship. Typically, we won't be much closer to finding out which teams will eventually go down after today, as there are still clashes to come between bottom-half sides. But despite that, the cluster of teams at risk of being dragged down is large enough for today to mean a great deal to many teams. A few can claw their way towards relative safety, while others could find themselves drifting towards the impending doom of Carlisle away. (Its a distance thing.) 

Completely randomly, I think 54 points will mark 21st position come the end of the season, and hence mark safety. With 13 teams not yet reaching that mark, and lots of matches still to be played, nobody can afford to relax. 

Watch this relegation battle, because its going to be exciting. And if you're involved, good luck, it feels horrible for us as well.

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My match report from the subsequent 2-1 victory over Leeds can be found here. 

Addicks collect three vital points from lively Bolton encounter

Alarming home form this season and a couple of bad results has seen the Addicks slide towards that frightening relegation scrap, and though the three points were well deserved and incredibly welcome, more wins for lower clubs means there is still no justification in relaxing - and Chris Powell will certainly know that. Whilst the scrap is a frantic one, the game today highlights the spirit, hunger, desire and determination that the squad possess should mean safety isn't too far away.

Hamer returned in goal, whilst Dervite filled in for the presumably injured Matt Taylor at centre back. Pritchard played right midfield with Jackson accompanied in the middle by Andy Hughes, after a lengthy injury absence. Harriott continued on the left whilst Kermorgant and Fuller started up front. Bolton fielded a strong team, including David Ngog, who scored twice in the reverse fixture, and Jay Spearing, in on loan from Liverpool. 

Charlton got off to a terrible start, with Bolton's inter-linking play between midfield and the forward line cut the Addicks apart. Hamer was forced to make an excellent early save to his left, but a goal was coming. Sordell was free in space near the edge of the area - Dervite leaving too much room for him - and the striker took the ball, beat his man with ease and fired home. 0-1 inside four minutes. 

Charlton improved after initial lifelessness, but Kamara wasn't closed down on the edge of the box, and his shot curled into the bottom corner, in off the post. Hamer scrambled but couldn't save it. A good shot, probably too easy for him to hit it. 0-2, with some pockets of booing heard above the cheers of the travelling Bolton fans. 

The two goals had thankfully shocked the hone side into life, with the greatest threat being posed down the left. Harriott was a livewire, and Wiggins arrived on the overlap. A number of crosses and shots came from that side, until the half hour mark arrived. Jackson made a darting run through the centre, and Fuller managed to avoid obstructing his progress and instead laid the ball off nicely for the skipper who fired a left-footed shot across goal into the bottom right corner. 1-2, the crowd roaring encouragement.

The sides traded blows until half time, with the Addicks seeing a couple of shots deflected behind, and a frantic mis-punch from Lonergan almost presenting a chance from one resulting corner, but the sides went in at the break with the score 1-2. The home side were applauded off after their positive efforts to get back into the game, drowning out any who thought booing would be a good idea. The game was well poised, and almost irrationally I still felt Charlton could win it, despite the dreadful home form. 

Charlton threatened, and continued to trouble down the left. Harriott enjoyed perhaps a few too many shots, but he was the most creative player, and his performance was a real plus. 

It could be argued that just before the hour mark was the game's real turning point. A long ball towards Fuller saw Knight and Ricketts close towards him. The Charlton striker won the header and was brought down immediately after by Ricketts in attempting to play the ball. A free-kick was given 30 yards out, and somewhat to the displeasure of Dougie Freedman, the defender was given a second yellow card. It definitely looked like a yellow card offence, given Fuller had nodded the ball towards goal and was looking good to get on the end of it, although all three had made an honest attempt to get the ball, so perhaps you could argue it was a tad harsh. Immediately Sordell was brought off and Butterfield sent on. It presented the Addicks with a golden opportunity to steal the three points.

Jackson and Kermorgant were both poised, ready to strike the free kick. The whistle went. Yann stepped forward and curled his typically sublime effort towards the bottom left corner of the goal. Lonergan sprawled. The ball clattered the post. Players flung themselves towards the rebound, the ball deflecting slightly off Pritchard, making Hughes attempt at a header look comical given the ball was nowhere near when he completed his dive. It travelled past them. Dervite, free in the area, rolled a first time left footed shot, resembling more of a pass, into the wide open right side of the goal. A frantic few seconds capped off by a calm finish, and another great roar from the home crowd. One man advantage, with half an hour to play. What an opportunity.

Not long after that, Fuller again won the ball in the far corner, and flicked the ball past Butterfield into the penalty area. In the process of chasing back, Pratley clipped the leg of Fuller who was forced to ground. Trevor Kettle pointed to the spot. What a chance. After the initial protestations, it became clear who was going to take the penalty, although a couple of double-takes were necessary. Yann Kermorgant was waiting by the spot. It would be his first competitive penalty since the infamous chip that was saved in the playoff semi-final - the reason Leicester gave him so much stick. He placed the ball confidently on the spot. It was the pressure of a normal penalty, heightened by the terrible home form this season, the desperation to secure three points to climb away from the dropzone, and yet the overriding feeling was that of fear, for the talismanic striker who was about to take a step into the unknown. 

The whistle went. Kermorgant charged towards the ball, side-footing a powerful effort that curved away from the diving Lonergan and crashed into the back of the net, sparking an even greater roar than before from the home supporters. Yann celebrated properly, once again illustrating his commitment to this club. The goal completed the comeback, from the depths of despair at 0-2, to the joy and ecstasy of 3-2. However, there was the small matter of defending for the next 25 minutes, which Chris Powell unfortunately seemed all too eager to do. 

Hughes was withdrawn after a fine comeback on 70 minutes, replaced by the impressively calm and clinical Mark Gower. Kermorgant dropped off Fuller and played more of a covering central midfield role. Charlton sat deep. Worryingly deep. 

The chances still came, but the intensity in attack was significantly reduced, given the desire not to give a goal away. Kermorgant had acres of space on the right and chose his target when crossing for the far post, only to see Harriott mishit the shot which went wide. Pritchard almost turned in a cross from the left but the effort was superbly blocked by a flying Wanderers defender. Towards the end of the 90 minutes, Kermorgant rose above Butterfield at the back post and his header was touched superbly over the bar by the jumping Lonergan. 

Bolton attempted to salvage something from the game, bringing on Craig Davies. It was an odd change as his sole objective throughout the short period he spent on the pitch seemed to be to just act like a complete idiot and make as many fouls as possible. He used his arms, elbows and all to try and get the ball, all to no avail. He was booked for shoving Michael Morrison, and when the ball dropped for Wiggins to hoof clear, his lunge from behind flattened the left-back, and earned him a deserved second yellow card. A quite magnificent display of incompetence and ineptitude from the former Barnsley front-man. 

The final 20 minutes weren't entirely pleasant to watch. The Addicks initially held the ball well up the field, but that soon turned to panicked clearances and brave headers as Bolton heaved the ball forward in an attempt to steal a late equaliser. Hamer collected a fierce low ball across goal, as well as a couple of tame shots, while dealing with crosses well. With a linesman being replaced injured, we knew there would be some added time to come, but we weren't prepared when the board was raised and the number 7 was staring back at us. SEVEN? I clicked my stopwatch into action and let the panic commence. A couple of nervy moments were well negotiated, and the sending off occurred too, but despite Bolton's best efforts, the Addicks defence held firm, and three points were secured. Get in.

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It was a superb team performance, one where picking a standout player proved extremely difficult. 

Hamer dealt with everything he had to, and save for one dubious moment when challenging for a high ball, he was very solid on his return to the side.

Solly was immense, yet again. He cleared up at the back when Bolton threatened to break, proved extremely difficult to beat at right back, and made one of the most heroic charging runs late on that you'd wish to see. The ball was hoofed clear, with nobody chasing, so Solly took it upon himself to sprint after it. He managed to win the ball, before being spectacularly hauled to the ground, winning a free kick. He really is f---ing quality. 

Wiggins was superb as well, defending solidly and linking up beautifully with Harriott down the left. Though his crosses didn't find the target, the main threat came down the left and he deserves credit for creating space for Harriott to exploit. 

Morrison had a tough task in dealing with Ngog all game, but he did so resolutely. There were a number of balls contested where fouls could have been given either way, but weren't, hence it was a real scrap to win. He did so more often than not. 

Dervite had a rather terrible first half. He was five yards off Sordell and was beaten too easily in the process of scoring the first goal, and threw himself into 50-50 situations where he was taking too much of a risk, many of which he came off second best. But come the second half, he had become far more solid. He took his goal calmly, and won a number of headers to keep Bolton at bay. 

Pritchard was the bundle of energy he always has been, charging up and down the right flank all game. There was some good inter-linking play when he got forward, but the combination down the left showed that an out-and-out right midfielder offers more. However, he's in the team because of his tireless efforts and defensive assistance, and as ever he gave his all. 

Jackson was once again excellent, he leads the team incredibly well. He took his goal superbly, and calmed the game down when he got the ball by spreading the play, as well as tackling when necessary. A great leader.

Hughes played a similar role. A number of first-touch passes opened the play up nicely. His strength is that he brings other players into the game, and it was clear he plays a big motivational role in the centre as well. We've missed him. A great guy to have in the middle, and at the club.

Harriott was lively for the whole game. He runs around ceaselessly like Pritchard, and had a number of efforts on goal. Only one really found the target, which was well saved, but the number of chances he created with his trickery down the left prove he really is a valuable asset to have, and a threatening attacker. Really promising performance. 

Kermorgant was superb, as ever. He made two excellent sliding tackles and managed to somehow swing round the other leg when on the ground to pass the ball. His free-kick was quality, desperately unlucky not to go in, and he showed his bravery when stepping up to take that penalty. It was an emphatic finish. He won headers to link the play up, and put himself about like he always does. Great man.

Fuller flitted in and out of the game. In the first half he did nothing until getting the wrong side of Knight and firing a shot wide. In the second half, his trickery won the penalty, and his header won the free-kick that resulted in the sending off. Apparently he popped his shoulder out again, so to fight through that pain was a truly brave effort.

Gower showed he is a composed midfielder during his 20 minute spell on the pitch, offering a lovely calming influence, similar to the role Hughes had carried out, but with a little more conviction in the final ball. Haynes came on and should probably have outpaced the defence to score, but slowed the ball down and passed the ball wider to create a chance. Wilson did his duties.

Chris Powell was prevented from doing his usual celebratory tunnel jump by a grumpy Trevor Kettle, who had been heckled by Freedman continuously on his way off as a result of the first red card he'd given. The manager deserves great credit for instilling that confidence and belief in his Charlton side. They showed superb fight to come back from 0-2 down, and though there was a red card to assist the victory, we were very much in the ascendancy before that red was given. Powell really deserves a lot of credit for his work this season.

Though ultimately the result did not alter the points difference between us and the bottom three, a performance like that illustrates that the squad has the fight to come up with another few results to make Championship status secure for next year. Hopefully we might be treated to the luxury of another home win in the process!

A vital three points, well deserved. Up the Addicks. 

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Video of Kermorgant's penalty can be seen here. (Credit to @Strayslacks for uploading it.)

An excellent article from Valley Talk on Chris Powell's position can be read here.