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...

Charlton 0-2 Forest: Blaming the Players Achieves Nothing

An incredibly frustrating Saturday afternoon, but if you want someone to vent your fury at, spare the players who ran relentlessly all game.

A needless kick from Kermorgant, but the reaction of Halford
and the entire Forest side went unpunished

Charlton started with the same XI who put in an excellent performance at Leicester on Tuesday, which meant a 4-5-1 set-up. The only issue with this style is that success it achieves it away from home, where teams are set up in more attacking formations. But until shortly before half time, it had done its job and kept Forest at bay.

What was irritating about the first half was no necessarily our incapability of stringing passes together. We weren't playing fluently at all, but against a side with the amount of quality Forest possess, it was always going to be a tough ask, and defensively we held our own. The most frustrating part was the impatience, anger and lack of support from many in the crowd. Playing poorly is not an offence worthy of booing. With well over a half of football to play, 0-0 is a perfectly acceptable scoreline against a team of that quality.
Then came the moment that turned, and ruined, the match. A long ball towards Kermorgant on the left flank. Forest had expertly committed niggly fouls as Charlton players attempted headers, and Yann had been targeted all game. They'd been successful in their task thanks to a referee unwilling or incapable of penalising these offences. This time, again Halford blocked him off, twice pushing him dubiously close to a foul. The ball went out for a throw as Kermorgant kicked out at Halford, who went to ground and then reacted angrily to the Frenchman. Forest's players piled in on the referee, who was calming Halford down, pressuring him into punishing Kermorgant. The nearside linesman had little conclusive evidence to go on, but the linesman over by the West Stand apparently had the clearest view in the world. On the word of a man stood 80 yards away, the referee made a decision to send off Charlton's main attacking threat, simultaneously destroying the afternoon for the home side. It was an incredible decision, and the explosion of the Easy Stand should say a lot. I've heard there was a man in the block of flats behind the Jimmy Seed Stand who had an even better view of the incident...

Accuse me of being a Kermorgant-loyalist. Fine, I probably am. Kicking out at an individual and giving the referee an excuse to send you off is incredibly stupid, but so many times you see something like that given a yellow. In the end, perhaps it was the right call, but it was simply unbelievable to see the ultimate decision being made by a man in a different post code to the actual event. From that moment on, though, there was absolutely nothing Charlton could do to salvage things. Give a side of Forest's quality an extra man and of course they will dominate the game.

Half time, 0-0, but little hope as to what the second half promised. Sure enough, Forest could easily dissect the press and create chances. A well taken first goal from Majewski as he burst into the box, and a poor second from Charlton's perspective as Hamer fumbled a tame shot into the path of Lansbury, but in truth if Forest had further ambitions they could easily have scored more. Majewski blazed over when he could've added a third after an excellent counter-attack. Forest dominated, but blaming the 10 men on the pitch for that is ludicrous.

That's what made the final 30 or so minutes so infuriating. Forest had the spare men so that any press Charlton attempted could easily be undone by a square ball. Individuals in the crowd suggesting it was as woeful effort from the chasing players, "showing no passion" made me incredibly angry. What on earth do you expect when you're a man down? Character-assassinations of players left on the pitch who "aren't good enough" did my head in. The speed with which people turn on players in ridiculous. Powell threw on Haynes and Fuller, but because we were a man down, it was almost impossible to get close to scoring. Nevertheless, the referee still had time to further infuriate the crowd. A handball appeal close to the tunnel inside the box was turned down despite frenzied protests from the North/NorthWest stands. Halford scythed down Fuller when arguably he was last man, but it was only deemed worthy of a yellow. Jackson was so knackered you knee his free-kick wouldn't go in, but it wasn't far off the top left corner.

Billy Davies had decided to secure a point, which seemed odd as goal difference can be important in the playoff race. Part of that can be put down to the dogged defending from the home side. Powell switched from 4-3-2 to 4-4-1 as it became apparent all hope of drawing level was futile. Andy Reid was taken off and deservedly received warm applause from the home crowd as well as away. He was excellent in midfield, showing what quality a large amount of money can provide you with.

The game ended 0-2, and the crowd had either completely dispersed or run out of energy to vilify the officials. A few, including myself, applauded the efforts of the players, who trudged off downhearted. Stephens had a poor first half, and was rightly replaced by Fuller to provide us with a focal point in attack. Dervite struggled to pass all game, but defended solidly, and Jackson, Pritchard and Wagstaff ran themselves into the ground in an attempt to steal the ball and prevent Charlton from being cut open. Fuller didn't really have too many opportunities, and Haynes also struggled to get the better of the visiting defence. Wiggins coveted behind the back four very well, and its great to have him back playing again. Hamer made that one costly error, but on the face of it, what is criticising him going to achieve? Forest easily had the upper hand with the extra man, the result was an inevitability. In fact, what is criticising anyone going to achieve?

Ultimately, if you want to point the finger, blame Yann. He made a costly error that prevented any chance of securing a point or stealing all three, but he's been our talismanic figure this season, who's tireless efforts have gained us so many points. A moment of rash stupidity in kicking out. It remains an incredible piece of officiating, given the way the far-side linesman made the call, but ultimately the sending off ruined the game. As Billy Davies has said afterwards, Forest dominated the half before the match-defining incident. But what was the score? And how many clearcut chances had they created? Yes, Charlton were poor, but they were very much still in the game, and a half-time change could've made a positive difference. Instead, the angry brigade are out in force, accusing players of a lack of passion, despite having won at Leicester after one of the best performances this bunch have ever put in.

Comparing the wealth of the two sides, the Addicks were always going to be up against it. Powell has had his hands tied behind his back in the transfer market - there's been no money to build on last year's side. The mid-table position is a testament to the fantastic job he and the squad have done this season. The sending off ruined the afternoon, and decided the result. As a man who asked me the result at London Bridge said, "oh well, there's always the next game." I doubt too many will offer such sensible, measured views after that frustrating afternoon.

Blame Kermorgant if anyone, as ultimately the sending off ended our chances of being competitive in the game. (Or blame the ref, as I did at the time.) Having finally brought myself to see the incident, it was probably red. A lot worse happens on a pitch, but the ball was 5 yards away, and its giving the referee a reason to send you off. But in a league where we are financially inferior to most, have some sense and understand that we aren't going to outplay teams every week. Especially not with one less player.

Edit: If Powell says its a red card, then we have to accept it. I am still not convinced from the view I had, and I still take issue with the way it was dealt with by the officials. I was no closer than the linesman who had the final say, so why did the referee not make the decision initially, and play restarted with a throw, so why was there no foul given if it was a red card offence?

Second Edit: A foolish, rash kick from Kermorgant that brought to an end our chances. Its something he'll instantly have regretted, and pointless vilification of him achieves absolutely nothing. People are suggesting Powell gives him a bollocking or fines him, for "costing us three points." Are some of these supporters serious? He's cost us the chance to get three points, for sure, but missing three games is punishment enough. Both he and Powell know he's made a mistake. Compounding the misery is not the way to deal with a player who has done so well for the club since arriving. Comparisons with Cantona are growing, it seems...