Italian Job: Watford 1-1 Charlton Athletic

Charlton travelled to Italy hoping to steal three points, just as they had done in January after that 4-3 epic. The similarities to the classic 1969 film were stark as the game drew to a close - a group of English players turn up and attempt to get the better of the Italians, but whilst all had gone to plan initially, they were left feeling uncertain during a cliff-hanging finale...

Early Moan: 

I spent most of the afternoon muttering about the way Watford have transformed themselves into an Italian feeder club. Just Troy Deeney and Lewis McGugan in the starting line-up were English, with an almost endless stream of Italian (as well as the odd Spanish) names filling the rest of the team-sheet. Since the changes under Zola, I've always looked at it as a sort of betrayal of English football - the abandoning of the combination of signed players built around a core of local players produced by the academy. But Watford have just shipped in a shed-load of foreign stars thanks to a dubious rule change regarding foreign ownership and the loan system. This summer that ruling was changed, but all the Pozzo family did was transfer their players from one of their clubs to another, meaning the Italian influence is still incredibly strong. Of course, Zola still has done a good job to get his squad playing fluid football, but the disproportionate resources available to him compared to most manages really does make a mockery of things. This, of course, heightens the desire to win, or at least defy them on their quest to reach Serie A-- sorry, the Premier League.

The Match:

Chris Powell stuck with his 3-5-2 formation that had served him well against Leicester two weeks previous. Solly was again absent through injury, whilst Richard Wood came in to make his league debut in place of Leon Cort, who is out for around four weeks according to press reports. Kermorgant started up front with Church, ahead of the central midfield trio of Pritchard, Jackson and Stephens. 

Watford started off the better team, but to say it was one-way traffic would be unfair. Stephens was booked very early, after being caught in possession and cynically pulling back his opponent, preventing a counter-attack. Obviously Watford possess a lot of talent, and they put it to good effect with Deeney through the centre playing good passing football with the two outside forwards Forestieri and Fabbrini. A couple of times there were shots from an angle but the attempts to curl them inside the far post were unsuccessful. Charlton were doing a good job of showing the attackers wide, and preventing them from turning inside and having a shot from central areas. As the half progressed, Charlton grew. A clever free-kick saw Kermorgant loop round at the back post, heading across goal. Another header found Wood, and the ball was bundled into the net, but the offside flag was up. Kermorgant was often looking for a flick on to release Church, eventually this created a chance which saw Church bursting through 30 yards from goal, only to be scythed down outside the area. A booking resulted. From the free-kick, Jackson's effort was deflected for a corner.

Another magical piece of play from Yann came close to half time. A diagonal ball was played too him on the right hand side inside the box. He controlled, and then leapt to perform a mid-air scissor kick similar to that which he scored against Hartlepool in 2012. The ball cut back to Church who was unable to fully adjust and tamely skewed the ball to Almunia. Half time arrived, with the scores level. 

From the kick off, Charlton immediately worked the ball down the right hand side. Wilson passed inside to Kermrogant, who flicked it round the corner to Pritchard. He chipped the ball into the area where Wilson had continued his run, only for Belkalem to lunge in and catch Wilson, forcing him to ground. It was a clear foul and the linesman flagged for a penalty. 

Kermorgant immediately had the look of a man determined to take the spot-kick, and score it. He placed the ball down, took a few steps back and turned to face Almunia. Whilst he took his short run-up, his eyes were fixated on the Spanish goalkeeper, up until the moment he reached the ball. His powerful side-footed effort soared into the roof of the net, putting the Addicks one-up. It was a glorious strike. The power, accuracy and conviction in it was sublime. The perfect penalty, and joy in the away end.

Soon after the goal, Hamer was at full stretch to deny a powerful strike by Deeney. Soon after, McGugan fired wide from a great position. A couple of scares for Charlton, followed soon after by Kermorgant going down clutching his ankle. Often he goes to ground but hauls himself up (after treatment, of course) to carry on battling away, and whilst he did so again today, he was clearly struggling. After another five minutes, he went down again, which was a sign his afternoon was over. He was replaced by Pigott, who would have a tough job emulating the all-round performance that Kermorgant had produced.

The frantic half continued. Stephens had a dipping shot from distance saved by Almunia. Deeney almost scored at the other end soon after, his effort flying just wide of the far post. Anya had come on for Watford, and his pace at right-wing-back was a constant menace for Charlton to deal with. A break on that side resulted in Fabbrini forcing Hamer into another good save, but his rebound only fell as far as Pudil, who was able to slot coolly home and level the scores.

At this point, the momentum was all with Watford. For all my petty moaning about the make-up of their side, they played some very incisive, free-flowing, and menacing attacking football. Clinical passing across the box before looking to slot in one of the forwards meant that Charlton had to commit nine to defence, and the clearances were going straight back to Watford to set up another attack. We did extremely well not to concede again, as our defensive shape and commitment was severely tested by the flair and skill of Watford. Anya down the right wing was particularly frightening, using his speed to get to the by-line. Thankfully, the scores remained level.

Having bravely weathered the storm, Charlton had two threatening attacks in the final ten minutes. A cross from the left by Pigott was on its way to Church at the back post, but it was cleared for a corner by a sliding defender. Soon after, a Wiggins cross found Jackson free at the back-post, but his right footed effort was sliced well wide. It was the best, and last, chance we were going to get. 

Once again the busy defensive efforts were renewed. McGugan fired over once again, and an incredible run from Anya set up Deeney, who spurned a great chance to win the game. A desperate cry for a penalty went up, after a ricochet looked to have bounced up into the body of Dervite. Nothing given, and rightly so, given how it was impossible to react to the deflection. Charlton fans were in all sorts of pain, but it was soon over, as the referee blew for full time. A very determined effort saw the Charlton boys return home with a point. 

Watford's fans were irate with the referee, who refused to buy the attempts to win cheap fouls. He was consistent and sensible in the decisions he made throughout the game, despite heavy pressure from the home fans as well as the Watford players. You can't have things your own way all the time...

Performance Analysis:

Charlton were excellent as a team today - the formation requires a lot of energy from the central midfielders as well as the two wing backs, and although we seemed to tire substantially towards the end, it was a really determined effort from the whole side. 

Wood was a particular favourite of mine. He took a ball square in the face early on, but shrugged it off without flinching. He was as solid as his name suggests, making up for a lack of pace with good positioning and reliable tackling. Morrison and Dervite too coped well with the attacking threat of Watford.

Wilson had an excellent game, threatening well down the right and passing with conviction. Wiggins too was good, although Anya gave him real trouble late on. Pritchard ran everywhere once again, and linked well in midfield with Jackson and Stephens. The formation means the trio do not have to play as a line, so they were able to create triangles and link up going forward, further assisted by Kermorgant when he dropped back.

Yann had one of his Gallic Genius days. He won headers, dropped back to hold the ball up and spread the play, as well as show what a superb technique he has. Although Pigott showed good promise, he lacked the nous that Yann has, particularly in terms of when to use his strength. Pigott created a good chance, and held the ball up well, but Kermorgant showed all the attributes today, and rounded it off with a perfect penalty. It hit the roof of the net before the back, such was the precision with which is was struck.

Church ran tirelessly up front, and looked to have developed an understanding with Kermorgant, who was always looking to feed him the ball. Though sometimes it was out of reach, Church forced an opening in the first half but was brought down. His incident at the far end looked dubious, and if true that he swung a couple of punches at the defender who was holding him, he was lucky to escape with a yellow. That said, he looks a threat and will undoubtedly score goals with the service this side is providing. 

Hamer was very good today. His kicking was good, setting up Wilson a couple of times to attack down the right, but he also made a couple of excellent saves to deny Watford. Often he is criticised but today he really did help us on our way to earning that point. 

Final Thoughts:

A point was well-earned, and well deserved. Watford clearly feel aggrieved, but it certainly was not the case of the opposition parking the bus and stealing a point. 

Chris Powell spoke highly of his players, praising the efforts they all put in. "I felt my players, to a man, worked hard for that point. “They showed a lot of energy and quality at times and when they had to dig in when we were under pressure they came through. Watford were in the ascendancy and our players showed a lot of character, and a lot of passion and desire for each other to get something for the game." He does have this wonderful ability to motivate his side, the value of which was shown today. A dogged team effort which deserved a point, at least.

The formation we are playing at the minute is a good one with the players we have. One particular aspect which stands out is that the two wing-backs retain width at all times, meaning the midfield becomes slightly more stretched and space develops for the central trio to work in. It also means that play can be switched from one side to the other hastily, without the need for the flat lines of four to shift over. We passed the ball very well today, particularly when on the counter-attack, and retained possession much of the time too. Whilst Watford tested the central defenders, they largely stood up to the threat well. On another day, a couple of those shots might have gone in, but few teams rival Watford in terms of attacking potency. With a little more control in midfield, we would look very solid indeed. All credit to Powell for having the confidence to try out new tactics. Taking four points off Leicester and Watford is a great achievement. 

On to the next game - Huddersfield may be a struggle if Kermorgant is absent with injury. Apparently he only has bruising, but that may keep him out of Tuesday's away game. He is a vital component in this side, as he provides a key link between the midfield and Church, plus he is a great aerial threat, particularly when deployed at set-pieces. Also, we seem to have a knack of raising ourselves for the big games, so hopefully there is no hangover on Tuesday night, and we can continue to play some of the impressive, incisive football on show today. 

Our away form last season was excellent, and the signs today show that there is no reason for that to change any time soon. I'll be there at Huddersfield, getting right behind the boys and hoping for a good result.

Today, we might not have come away from Italy with a haul of gold, but a point will do just fine. 

Fantastic fighting spirit sees Addicks win thriller

On a bright New Year's Day, the Addicks travelled to Watford on the back a run of six games without a win. Anxiety had started to kick-in, and the short away trip offered a good chance to get back on track.

Powell was forced into two changes from the side that drew to Derby: the suspended Morrison replaced at the back by Dorian Dervite, and the injured Danny Haynes replaced by Ricardo Fuller, who partnered Kermorgant up front. Watford fielded at least five imports from Udinese, part of the reason for their successes this season.

The Addicks began kicking away from the travelling fans, and were certainly in the game, playing some effective football going forward. But for all their work came no reward, as it was the Hornets that struck first. Some good passing play saw the ball worked into the box from the left, and a shot was well saved by Ben Hamer, but only in the direction of Pudil on the eight, who fired home low across goal to score, and wake the home crowd.

Despite the scoreline, the Addicks grew into the game. Initially a poor touch in the build-up had scuppered any forward progress, but as the half wore on the touch became sharper. For all their attractive passing, Watford could not penetrate into the box and create another clear-cut chance. Forestieri challenged Hamer for a bouncing ball on the edge of the box, was out-jumped but led with his hand, tipping the ball past the goalkeeper. Referee - Trevor Kettle of Oldham fame - booked him for a cynical act. If you asked me whether Watford's Italian influence had brought with it that gamesmanship element, then I couldn't possibly comment.

A good move instigated by a long ball to trouble the Hornet's defence culminated in Jackson running on to a bouncing ball in the box. He controlled it and skirted it home across goal, but the linesman had flagged, suggesting Jackson had handled the ball in positioning it for his shot. From 100 yards away, with the player's body in the way, I had no idea whether it was the correct decision, but naturally you feel hard done by.

Soon after, Charlton won a corner. The ball was flicked on at the front post before it ricocheted into the back of the net. The travelling support erupted, the building sense of injustice released. The loose balls from the ensuing kick-off fell Charlton's way, and they were urged on by a rejuvenated support. Three minutes after the equaliser, Evina burst down the left, dragging two defenders towards the by-line before cutting inside onto his right foot. He slid a ball into the box for Pritchard, who stood a brilliant cross up to the back post. One player jumped for it but could not stretch, and with the goal gaping, Kermorgant was able to launch himself onto it and power his header into the back of the net to put the Addicks ahead. The travelling support exploded this time, a quick-fire double, which many would feel was deserved, on the back of such a dry run in terms of results meant this was a big goal. The score remained the same at the break, with Charlton fans far happier with proceedings.

The second half did not begin well for the visitors. Hamer initially denied an equaliser with a brilliant one-on-one save to deny Forestieri, which would have capped a lovely passing move, but more tricky play from Watford's front two - both on loan from Udinese - led to a penalty. Dervite was caught on the wrong side of him, and following a tangle of legs he crashed to the ground. Kettle immediately pointed to the spot, and the penalty was coolly slotted into the bottom left-corner leaving Hamer with little chance. Scores level again. 

Three minutes after the goal, Jackson spurned a golden opportunity to bring the scores level once more. Kermorgant flicked on into the box, and the ball fell for the skipper, but he couldn't slot past Almunia, who denied him well with a solid stop. You got the impression it was a big miss, and on 68 minutes that assumption seemed correct. The hosts struck what felt like a crushing blow. Another good move saw the ball worked into the box for Geijo, who slotted home and made it 3-2. 

The Watford fans, silent all game, suddenly started chants of "you're not singing anymore", which was both untrue and unwise. With the home support still settling after their third goal, Charlton took the ball up the other end. Fuller worked the ball past two defenders on the by-line and cut into the box, his cross angled away from goal. Kermorgant stretched, his effort hammering into a defender on the line, but another ricochet saw the ball nestle in the back of the net. Ecstasy! And, somewhat gloriously, the chant was thrown right back at the home fans, who once again descended into a nervous silence. A great line following our chant of "sit down shut up" was offered by one fan, who shouted "they've been sat down and shut up most of the game." 

The travelling fans were far from quiet, though, as they urged their team on. There was a real feeling that the game was there for the taking, despite the regular threats from the tricky Udinese pairing up front. An offside flag, correctly raised, saved Charlton from going behind for the third time. 

Twelve minutes from time, the decisive blow was struck. Wilson departed for treatment, an apparent broken nose, as Stephens whipped in an out-swinging corner. Jackson ran forward, rose above the defenders and powered his header towards goal. Time seemed to slow down, before the ball crashed into the top corner of the net. Four three up! The crowd went absolutely beserk. Jackson ran towards the fans, his knee-slide stopping right on the edge of the pitch. The players flooded over, with pure joy everywhere. The perfect moment. 

Each goal had been greeted with more vigour than the last, and the culmination of that was a minute of pure delirium. It was as exhausting as it was special. The small matter of holding on to that lead remained. 

Vicarage Road was stunned. Watford took a while to recover from the sucker punch that was the fourth goal, but the rest of the game was not without its nervy moments. Two more disallowed goals for off-side - again, correct - as well as a scrambling save from Hamer as the ball threatened to loop behind him and land in the goal. The Hornets' frustration became apparent, with a number of poorly timed challenges resulting in yellow cards. Arguably one could have been red, with an appalling scissor-kick lunge from Ekstrand that scythed down an advancing Pritchard. Kettle only waved his yellow card. Leon Cort had to go off injured, so Charlton brought on Taylor to see out the remaining five minutes of stoppage time. A large proportion of that time was wasted. Cook was booked for scooping the ball into the away support, but what followed was a very entertaining minute, with the collective refusal to throw the ball back to Almunia. Instead, a bit of volleyball broke out among the superb away support. 

Full-time arrived, met by an enormous cheer. By that stage, I was so drained that the feeling was pure relief. The players skipped over to the us behind the goal where the famous winner was scored, applauding the supporters. Chants of "Chrissy Powell's Red Army" rang out, among others, as the fans gave the players a fitting send-off after their more than valiant efforts. Chris Powell was the last man left, doing his two tunnel-jump-esque waves to satisfy the crowd. His own fighting spirit was embodied in that Charlton performance. A famous win!

Trevor Kettle had a good first half, but a number of his decisions in the second were questionable. The increasingly cynical play from the hosts was not adequately punished, especially when Neuton - who deserves a special mention for his hilarious, and pathetic theatrics - was touched in the chest by Fuller, and then went down grasping his face. Not even booked, predictably given he was already on a yellow. New Year, same old moaning etc, but it really is the kind of thing that needs to be eradicated from football. The Italian influence really did see Watford exhibit a more cynical edge, with late challenges when breaks were launched, as well as the diving of Forestieri, who collapsed for the penalty once he felt contact, and the pathetic attempts to deceive the gullible Kettle. He missed some glaring fouls, but thankfully his assistant on the far side was able to raise his offside flag to rightly deny Watford on occasions.

Aside from the gamesmanship, the Hornets played some very nice football, and as much as Charlton should try to emulate the style, our more direct approach was effective given the inexperienced trio of defenders for the home side. Nobody seemed able to challenge Kermorgant or Fuller consistently, and both were excellent in winning the ball, holding on to it and releasing other players. Yann was especially good today, with some sublime touches, a goal, and a lot of fight to lead the line well. Fuller shone with moments of quality, too. Evina was bright down the left, and having a quick, pacy left-back improves Jackson's game no-end, as he was absolutely superb in leading the side today. Pritchard was once again energetic, making both decisive tackles and probing leads up front. Stephens was good at spreading the play, and he made his fair share of challenges, though a few too many breaks through the middle were allowed.

Solly and Wilson were not quite at their peak as a partnership, but the right-back was again superb, making vital challenges and overlapping runs down the wing. Dervite looked a bit unsteady at times but Cort won pretty much everything in the air before his worrying injury departure. Evina showed how much we have missed a real, pacy left-back.

Chris Powell keeps on invoking that fighting spirit into his side. Twice behind away from home to a team sat in the playoff places, but still the players kept their belief. Scoring the third so quickly after going behind again was one of the great displays of that belief, and provided a wonderful moment for the supporters to mock the suddenly silent Hornet fans. Not since Carlisle has a goal been celebrated to such an extent, but the winner today capped an unbelievable performance from a group of players who just will not admit defeat. A proud day to be an Addick.