Charlton 2 (Tucudean 29, Jackson 51) Bolton Wanderers 1 (Moxey 54).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
Charlton did it again on Tuesday evening. They entertained second-from-bottom Bolton, invited a wave of steady pressure from their struggling visitors (which included an adverse corner count of 13-2) and won 2-1. Their reactive tactics are making nervous wrecks of their fans, not to mention self-confessed heart attack candidate Bob Peeters, but somehow they continue to get the job done.
For three blissful second half minutes last night, there was even the briefly tantalising prospect of a comfortable victory to savour. Skipper Johnnie Jackson’s reliable left foot had just doubled the lead provided by George Tucudean’s wonderful opener and the customary, palpable tension eased. You hear tell of teams winning by exotic margins like 3-0 or even 4-0, with their crowds actually managing to enjoy themselves. So The Valley was still settling back for a novel experience when, wouldn’t you know it, an ex-Crystal Palace left back called Dean Moxey threaded Jay Spearing’s partially cleared corner inside the right post through a thicket of legs. With over a half hour left, that familiar old pit-of-the-stomach apprehension was back.
It was all very infuriating but there just has to be some method in Charlton’s apparent madness. As usual, they started in reverse, with Bolton’s outstanding midfield general Lee Chung-Yong forcing an unconvincing save from Stephen Henderson, then providing an opening for Jermaine Beckford to shoot tamely at the in-form keeper. Jackson’s careless loss of possession to Kevin McNaughton conceded the first of Wanderers’ spate of corners as the Addicks gave ground. The nerves were beginning to kick in when, on the half hour, the enigma that is George Tucudean lifted the siege and the mood with a quite marvellous goal.
Shadowed by Moxey as he made himself a target forYoni Buyens’ delicately flighted pass through the inside left channel, the Bulgarian’s finely feathered touch made all the space he needed to swivel outside the outmanouevred defender and shoot crisply across Andrew Lonergan into the far bottom corner. Having already irritated the home fans by making a habit of crumpling under the most innocuous of challenges, Tucudean was their new darling as he earned a booking for joining them in illegal celebration. He’s not your bustling Nat Lofthouse type but he can play a bit and his talent must be cut some slack.
No doubt stung by perceived injustice, the Trotters kept their heads admirably, stuck to their constructive guns and went looking for equality. Centre back Matt Mills headed Spearing’s corner narrowly over the bar and the former Liverpool starlet’s daisycutter tested Henderson’s alertness from distance. The visitors’ domination of possession, however, didn’t really amount to much trouble for a home defence, in which seen-it-all Andre Bikey and Tal Ben Haim were in typically obdurate form and Lawrie Wilson stepped in as a capable deputy for right back Chris Solly.
Five minutes after the interval, a second goal, as admirable in its own way as the opener, sent the stadium into temporary nirvana. Tucudean was again at the heart of it, his brisk one-two exchange with Franck Moussa carving open Bolton’s floundering defence before a shrewdly weighted pass sent Jackson clear to his left. From 15 yards, the captain coolly drilled a low shot past Lonergan; there was never any doubt that he would score, as he had on 45 previous occasions for the club.
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Bolton’s seventh corner, awkwardly conceded by Rhoys Wiggins and swung out from the right by the persistent Spearing, soon halved the two-goal advantage. Charlton’s chronic weakness in dealing with setpieces was exposed again as a scruffy sequence of weak clearances allowed Moxey to whiplash a low drive into the bottom right corner.
His side’s calm reaction to adversity was rightly pointed out by new Bolton manager Neil Lennon, a figure of boiling hate for many, a viciously maligned hero to others. He’s no better nor worse than any other bloke, really, but the myth has taken over from reality and gained unstoppable momentum by now. Anyway, his hardworking chaps certainly didn’t look like a side destined for relegation, not with the skills of Chung-Yong and ceaseless industry of Spearing driving them onwards. They beavered away gamely and were entitled to curse their luck when Wiggins popped up under his crossbar to clear Beckford’s looping header off the line following, it hardly needs saying, another of Spearing’s corners. The chunky midfielder’s late low drive zipped past Henderson’s right post as an increasingly frazzled Valley bayed for referee Hooper’s final whistle.
The sight of a completely sold-out Jordan Cousins, a player from whom all-out effort is taken for granted, slumping to the turf in exhilaration and exhaustion, spoke volumes for this determined, bloodyminded team. Resurgent Fulham might have their work cut out for them on Friday; but so will their tightrope-walking visitors from down river. Should be interesting -and anxious – again.
Charlton: Henderson, Wilson, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins, Bulot (Fox 78), Moussa (Ahearne-Grant 86), Buyens, Jackson, Cousins, Tucudea (Harriott 90). Not used: Pope, Morrison, Ansah, Munns.
Booked: Tucudean, Buyens.
Bolton: Lonergan, McNaughton, Mills, Dervite, Moxey (Ream 81), Danns, Pratley (Clayton 81), Spearing, Feeney (Mark Davies 63), Chung-Yong, Beckford. Not used: Kenny, Hall, Vela, Craig Davies.
Booked: Chung-Yong.
Referee: S. Hooper. Att: 13,433 (473 visiting).