Derby County 3 (Russell 18, Bamford 38, Martin 84) Charlton 0.
Kevin Nolan reports from the Quid Pro Quo Stadium.
Before this tortuous Championship campaign limps over the line and sorts out the winners from the losers on May 3rd, you can confidently expect the unexpected from time to time. Stand by for the usual coupon-busting results which, on paper at least, belong to fantasy. Charlton’s relegation rivals have already come up with one or two upsets, notable among them Millwall’s victory at this colourfully named venue earlier this month. Fat chance there was of their South London neighbours repeating the dose.
Fresh from their own mildly surprising midweek win at Nottingham Forest, Charlton seemed at pains to dispel any suggestion that Derby were in for another shock. From kick-off, they were nervous, pliant and flat, with a game plan apparently dedicated to the proposition that County should be supplied possession as often as possible without arousing suspicion that the fix was in. Their number of careless turnovers during the opening 10 minutes was staggering, the only surprise being that it took the Rams eighteen one-sided minutes to appreciate their visitors’ co-operation and open the scoring.
It wasn’t as if the Midlanders needed undue encouragement. Though lacking the quality of Leicester and Burnley, also 3-0 conquerors over the Addicks this season (Burnley turning the trick twice), they were far too good for their hopelessly disorganised victims. They could even allow them the game’s first genuine chance, from which Marvin Sordell’s improvised snapshot forced a smart save from Lee Grant, before pulling themselves themselves together to take the lead.
Inevitably a defensive error, in this instance Rhoys Wiggins’ disastrously misdirected header, was Charlton’s undoing. Pouncing on the gift, George Thorne fed Johnny Russell, who turned sharply inside the penalty area to beat Ben Hamer with a firm drive into the bottom left corner. Scorers of no more than one goal in any of eleven games since beating Brighton 3-2 on Boxing Day, Charlton were already heading downhill. A poor record of coming up with equalisers, the last of which salvaged a 1-1 draw at Ipswich on New Years Day, accelerated their slide.
Hamer’s fine save from Thorne stemmed the tide and Grant replied in kind to stop Johnnie Jackson’s crisp reply. But more disastrous defending before the break settled the issue.
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Emulating Wiggins’ waywardness, Richard Wood gave the ball away needlessly and in racing back to rescue his colleague, Jackson’s almost involuntary header, probably intended to concede a corner, presented Patrick Bamford with a close range chance he was never likely to miss. Hamer again distinguished himself with a brave one-on-one save at Andre Wisdom’s feet but with Charlton’s defiant keeper a notable exception, the impression that this daunting fixture had been approached as one to simply get out of the way was hard to shake off.
To their credit and encouraging for their survival prospects, the Addicks used half-time to re-organise and consolidate. On came a lively version of the frequently too relaxed Callum Harriott in place of Reza Ghoochannejhad, a bewildered lightweight so obviously over his head in the physicality of English league football. The three-up-front experiment was abandoned, back went Charlton to a more solid 4-4-2 and chances were created. Harriott was on the end of the best of them, his nicely struck volley bringing a full length save from Grant. The irrepressible Jordan Cousins had a shot crucially blocked, substitute Joe Pigott, on for Sordell, took Obika’s lay-off and had Grant plunging down to save again at his left post. It was stirring stuff from a previously outclassed side but County had one more shot in their locker and used it to unsympathetically quash the rally.
The Addicks were showing ominous signs of fatigue by the time substitute Connor Sammon’s left wing cross was cleared at the expense of a corner on the opposite flank. Last week’s local derby hat-trick hero Craig Bryson’s outswinger was forcefully glanced home at the near post by top scorer Chris Martin and Charlton’s latest 3-0 reverse was completed. To their relief, only more top six team (Reading) feature on their ten-game run-in. Ten more nose-to-the-grindstone ordeals
The final word belongs to Derby manager Steve McLaren, for no better reason than the excuse it gives us to marvel at his evolving hairstyle. Note how his plucky little quiff has come adrift from the rest of his thinning hair and now defiantly goes it alone at the front of his head. As an outstanding example of making the best of what you’ve got, there’s no role model like Steve. No comb-over for him. His remaining follicles are out, proud and defiantly rockabilly. All of which tonsorial talk leaves me insufficient room to discuss his final word as promised. Sorry about that. Probably riveting stuff too.
Derby: Grant, Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth, Bryson, Thorne (Eustace 71), Hendrick, Bamford (Sammon 71), Martin, Russell (Naylor 87). Not used: Legzdins, O’Brien, Whitbread, Bailey.
Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Morrison, Wood, Wiggins, Poyet, Ghoochannejhad (Harriott 46), Cousins, Jackson (Petrucci 82), Obika, Sordell (Pigott 58). Not used: Thuram, Hughes, Nego, Lennon.
Referee: Mark Haywood. Att: 24,429.