Birmingham City 0 Charlton 1 (Jackson 61).
After the Lord Mayor’s Show there followed…another Lord Mayor’s Show. Not a dustcart in sight yet. And Birmingham City suffered the same fate as Sheffield Wednesday a fortnight ago, beaten by a revitalised Charlton side bearing no resemblance to the tattered outfit that surrendered so meekly at home to the ordinary likes of Preston and Brentford, then even more shamefully to mediocre MK Dons in the football wasteland of Milton Keynes.
You hardly need telling that the hero yet again was Johnnie Jackson, Charlton’s captain courageous and scorer of nothing but vital goals. His 50th strike for the club was timed perfectly to knock the stuffing out of City, who mustered 21 attempts on goal, 8 of them on target, but managed nothing quite so lethal as Jackson’s unstoppable 61st minute header.
The skipper’s matchwinner was created for him by two bright young things at opposite ends of their career spectrums, deputy right back Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, in only his second start, colluding with full debutant Ademola Lookman (18) in ripping the home defence to shreds. Lookman’s cute pass was delayed long enough for Holmes-Dennis to burst past outmanouevred left back Jonathan Grounds into a vacated right flank. The 20 year-old’s glorious cross, delivered with his supposedly weaker right foot, was attacked by Jackson, who arrived in the penalty area, as so often he does, in precise synchronicity with his supplier. Helpless goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak’s only part in the process was to fish the powerful downward header out of his net. His destroyed defensive colleagues were reduced to gape-jawed disarray.
The superlatives available to describe Jackson are beginning to run out. Had Guy Luzon trusted him, he might still be hanging on to his job; if Karel Fraeye achieves nothing else, his reinstatement of the veteran who, after all, is only 33 years-old, deserves mention. Unlike Luzon, Fraeye hasn’t bought into that nonsense about “knackered legs” or “lack of pace”. With the irrepressible Holmes-Dennis and Lookman whippet-fast and the indefatigable Jordan Cousins, no slouch himself, undertaking the nuts-and-bolts work alongside him, Jackson sat and waited like a predatory cat among complacent pigeons. For him, it’s about marrying timing with strike power. His numerous headed goals are proof that he gets the blend right.
One year Jackson’s senior, meanwhile, much-decorated Frenchman Alou Diarra also seems a long way from hanging them up. At St.Andrews, his contribution was immense in front of the excellent Patrick Bauer and improving Naby Sarr. Destroying and creating with equal efficiency, he chewed up Gary Rowett’s men and spat them out. There’s a wealth of know-how in those apparently ageing limbs. A masterful signing.
Doing his bit at the back was Stephen Henderson, who began a busy afternoon with a smart save from Jacques Maghoma, reacted brilliantly to keep out Jon Toral’s point-blank certainty and outsmarted Nicolai Brock-Madsen in their one-on-one confrontation after Birmingham’s Danish debutant was put through by David Davis’ defence-splitting pass. From Henderson’s dependability to Lookman’s effervescence up front, there was a bright buoyancy about the Addicks, who richly deserved this success.
After Maghoma’s effort, the early exchanges were even. Momentary hesitation allowed Toral a chance, which was blasted wastefully over the bar before Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s free kick warmed Kuszczak’s hands. With the Addicks briefly on top, an opening carved out by Simon Makienok was blasted into the sidenet by Lookman, then the quick feet of Holmes-Dennis carried him past three struggling defenders to shoot low for the bottom right corner but Kuszczak’s fine save denied him. Morgan Fox’s brave block foiled the persistent Demerai Gray before the tricky wide man’s mazy dribble set up Toral who, from eight yards, couldn’t beat the electric reflexes of Henderson. The big Dubliner followed with his outfielder’s tackle on Brock-Madsen, then Lookman ended the first half by shooting narrowly too high.
Brum’s best hopes lay with Gray, who was handing Fox a torrid examination. Skipping past the left back, he drew a magnificent save from Henderson, who was unquestionably relieved to wave fellow-Irishman Stephen Gleeson’s piledriver on its way narrowly off target. By the time Maghoma curled a clever drive only just wide, Charlton were coming under the cosh. At which critical stage, Jackson stepped up to the mark. As he regularly tends to do.
Shaken by the reverse, City wavered. Makienok headed Gudmundsson’s centre over the bar prior to another surging run by Holmes-Dennis which saw substitute Ricardo Vaz Te fail by inches to make contact with the cross. Prompted by Bauer, Gudmundsson’s crisp drive tested Kuszczak before the Addicks survived their biggest scare of an encouraging trip to the Second City. With Grounds poised to nod a drifting cross past Henderson from no more than three yards, up popped the unquenchable Holmes-Dennis to smuggle the ball behind for a fruitless left wing corner. They say that “youth and age will never agree”. Holmes-Dennis and Jackson provide the lie to that old chestnut. They’re getting along just fine.
Birmingham: Kuszczak, Caddis, Morrison, Spector, Grounds, Gray, Maghoma (Brown 72), Davis (Solomon-Otabor 72), Gleeson, Toral, Brock-Madsen. Not used: Legzdins, Earley, Kieftenbeld, Shinnie, Lowry.
Charlton: Henderson. Holmes-Dennis, Bauer, Sarr, Fox, Gudmundsson (Ghoochannejhad 90), Cousins, Diarra, Jackson, Makienok (Ahearne-Grant 90), Lookman (Vaz Te 62). Not used: Pope, Bergdich, Charles-Cook, Lennon.
Referee: Darren Drysdale.
Att: 16,514 (650 Charlton).