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Burnley 0 Charlton 1. (Haynes 69).

Kevin Nolan reports from Turf Moor.

Continuing their irresistible form on the road, Charlton chalked up their third win a row to move comfortably clear of the Championship’s relegation strugglers, with the hard work they made of beating 10-man Burnley quickly forgotten in the euphoria of victory. A second successive clean sheet laid the foundations and was decorated by Danny Haynes’ superb winner.

Deprived yet again of a key player when playmaking midfielder Dale Stephens fell ill, Chris Powell plugged the gap by handing Icelandic loanee Egert Johnsson a surprise debut. With Jonsson clearly off the pace ,the move wasn’t an unqualified success but the Addicks dug in around the newcomer with their usual spirit. This band of battlers relish a challenge.

The formula is painfully simple. Away from The Valley, the Addicks set out a solid, pragmatic, disciplined stall. Although far from negative, they defend in numbers and are dangerous counterpunchers. It’s hardly a barrel of fun for home teams and their frustrated fans but the ends justify the means. On foreign fields, Charlton engage their enemy as Roundheads.

Two recent, riproaring home games, during which they conceded eight goals, showed the other side of the coin. There’s nothing wrong with entertaining, particularly since the car crash encounter with Cardiff City was thrillingly edged by the odd goal in nine, but too much of a good thing will surely see Powell develop a facial tic to match Clouseau’s tormented Inspector Dreyfus. It’s all very cavalier, of course, and Cavaliers have all the fun, what with all those curly wigs, dashing hats and flashy swordplay. Truth is, though, that it was the Roundheads who always knew how to grind out a result.

This far from easy win hinged largely on the outcome of a 15th minute flashpoint, which saw Clarets right back Kieran Trippier concede a penalty for deliberate handball on the goalline and get sent off for his crime. In bewildering sequence, Chris Solly combined cleverly with Bradley Pritchard before cutting in to shoot firmly with his less favoured left foot.

Trippier blocked the shot, with his hand as it turned out, then also blocked Johnnie Jackson’s follow-up. By the time Haynes headed a third effort on to the bar, referee Robert Madley had seen enough, decided that sufficient advantage had been allowed and that the law demanded its due. A penalty was awarded and despite the customary bellyaching, Trippier was correctly dismissed. Unnerved by a wilfully engineered delay, Jackson’s indifferent spotkick was capably saved by Lee Grant; Charlton had squandered an opportunity which, it seemed at the time, they might regret later.

A game of few clearcut chances trundled on, with Burnley giving at least as good as they got. The best effort of an even first half was Brian Stock’s thunderous 30-yard rocket, fingertipped brilliantly over the bar by Ben Hamer, while referee Madley’s decision that Leon Cort’s awkward interception in the away penalty area was innocently ball-to-hand established his credentials as anything but a homer. At the other end, Haynes’s sharpness in turning on Salim Kerkar’s perceptive pass enabled him to shoot viciously from an acute angle but Grant, at full stretch, turned the ball around his left post.

Seven minutes into the second half, the force of nature that is 20-goal striker Charlie Austin finally clocked in for work. Tightly shackled by man-of-the match Michael Morrison, with Cort constantly on hand in support, Austin dispossessed an absentminded Johnsson, then moved into range for a carefully curled effort narrowly wide of Hamer’s left post. Duly warned, Powell promptly replaced the out-of-practice Jonsson with Ricardo Fuller in a clear statement of attacking intent. Though Austin headed Dean Marney’s cross wide in Burnley’s last serious flourish, it was the well organised Londoners who made the important breakthrough.

Making another quietly effective contribution, left back Danny Seaborne linked up with Kerkar to provide space for an unhindered Jackson to measure a deep cross for Rob Hulse at the far post. Easily outjumping Danny Lafferty, Hulse directed his header across goal, where Haynes generated surprising power in looping a difficult header back over Grant into the opposite corner.

Having won the battle, Powell’s durable Roundheads battened down the hatches to win the war. Making light of the injuries and illnesses which have regularly bedevilled their season, they rallied behind skipper Jackson to see out the remains of a satisfying afternoon in scenic East Lancashire. Job done with chilling efficiency. Get down The Valley on Saturday to see them take on Huddersfield Town. They might well go barmy again. Could even have their boss working on his tic again.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Lafferty (Edgar 78), Stanislas (Ings 73), McCann, Marney, Stock, Paterson (Vokes 83), Austin. Not used: Jensen, Mills, Bartley, Stewart. Sent off: Trippier.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Seaborne, Haynes (Dervite 86), Johnsson (Fuller 53), Pritchard, Jackson, Kerkar, Hulse (Taylor 90). Not used: Button, Wright-Phillips, Wagstaff, Green.

Referee; Robert Madley. Att: 11,405.

Bristol City 0 Charlton 2 (Haynes 20, Morrison 57).

Kevin Nolan reports from Ashton Gate.

Managing two successive wins for the first time this season, Charlton began the process of placing clear water between themselves and the relegation maelstrom below them with this coldly efficient win in the West Country. No doubt to manager Chris Powell’s profound relief, Bristol City were put in their place at the bottom of the division with a minimum of fuss.

Following Tuesday evening’s chaotic victory over league leaders Cardiff City, Powell had made his rubber-legged way along the touchline like one of those Specsavers pensioners who settle down for a quiet cheese sandwich but find themselves whisked aloft on a death-defying, face-contorting fairground ride. What kind of game was that, he was entitled to enquire. It was certainly not conducive to his mental well-being and robbed him of the energy for his usual fist-pumping eruptions from the dug-out.

This important win made no such demands on his emotions. A steady tape-to-tape performance, featuring a well-timed goal early in each half, provided evidence that the Addicks are finding their feet at this higher level, as well as further proof that Powell’s handling of his ongoing injury crisis has been masterly. For this game, Danny Seaborne had been loaned from Southampton to cover the problem spot at left back, fitted in seamlessly and did everything his new boss asked of him. Elsewhere, Rob Hulse and Danny Haynes have manfully picked up the scoring slack with two goals apiece so far while the return to form of Dale Stephens has galvanised midfield. Those furrows on the boss’s brow are softening visibly. Sack Chris Powell! You surely jest!

Down at drafty Ashton Gate, a 2nd minute incident demonstrated Charlton’s resolve. Closing in on Albert Adomah’s clever pullback from the right byline, Martyn Woolford drew a bead on goal and made meaty contact on a 10-yard shot. Before the ball had travelled a few feet, a flying block by Chris Solly sent it caroming back into the midfielder’s body. The battlelines had been clearly drawn.

At the other end, Haynes embarked on a sinuous solo run, which set up skilful left midfielder Salim Kerkar for a crisp daisycutter, which Tom Heaton nimbly turned round his left post. Kerkar’s deceptive cross then drifted narrowly over the bar but the Addicks were not kept waiting long for their opening goal.
Slick passing between Seaborne and Kerkar was carried on by Hulse, who shovelled a pass back to the supporting Stephens. A raking, low drive beat Heaton, hitting both posts before Haynes calmly converted the rebound at close range. Taking the lead was a novel experience for the visitors but, even at this early stage, they suggested they were capable of building on their advantage.

Haynes did his best to double his tally but scuffed awkwardly wide after Bradley Pritchard headed Kerkar’s accurate cross down to him. City, meanwhile, had their moments with Ben Hamer required to save bravely at Adomah’s feet and Sam Baldock making a tame mess of topping Ryan Taylor’s centre into Hamer’s waiting hands. Further chances eluded Haynes and Hulse before the interval rescued the Robins.

Haynes’ pace continued to trouble the West Countrymen but his finishing failed to match his enthusiasm as he chased down Kerkar’s lofted delivery but shot wildly off target shortly after resumption.

Another typical block by Solly frustrated Neil Kilkenny before a moment of inspiration from Stephens, who took over from Pritchard to shoot first-time from 30 yards, was foiled by Heaton’s athletic tip-over the bar. From Johnnie Jackson’s resultant corner, the visitors put the issue beyond reasonable doubt with a second goal from an unexpected source. Turning sharply in the penalty area as Jackson’s inswinging delivery caused confusion, centre back Michael Morrison was given clear sight of goal by Marvin Elliott’s error and made the most of it by applying a striker’s finish into the bottom left corner.

With over a half hour remaining, there were, needless to say, motions to be gone through but this important result was already secured. The closing stages brought further good news for Powell with the welcome return from injury of experienced old sweat Ricardo Fuller. And this time, the travelling fans were saluted with his customary gusto. Then, who knows, maybe he was off for a cheese sandwich.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Bristol City: Heaton, Foster, Fontaine, Wilson, Briggs, Adomah, Elliott, Kilkenny (Pearson 70), Woolford, Baldock (Davies 57), Taylor (Stead 57). Not used: Gerken, Carey, Anderson, Bryan.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Seaborne, Stephens, Pritchard, Kerkar (Taylor 90), Jackson, Haynes (Dervite 78), Hulse (Fuller 86). Not used: Button, Green, Wright-Phillips, Hollands.

Referee: Philip Gibbs. Att: 13,009.

Charlton 5 (Jackson 40,45, Stephens 54, Haynes 60, Hulse 65) Cardiff City 4 (Helguson 4, Mason 24, Noone 90, Gunarrsson 90).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Urged on by a fanatically loyal crowd, Charlton destroyed league leaders Cardiff City with a five-goal salvo within 25 irresistible minutes straddling half-time, reacted negatively to six baffling minutes of added time and ended up clinging, like eleven shipwrecked survivors, to a single lifebelt. The tension was unbearable as City’s Peter Whittingham lined up a last gasp free kick but a defensive boot directed the ball in the general direction of Woolwich and a famous victory was secured. To his credit, careworn Chris Powell managed an impressive line in feigned nonchalance as he made his way down the touchline in search of sanctuary. The rest of us looked forward to a nice lie-down in a darkened room.

Following Saturday’s caning by Middlesbrough, it was hardly recommended that the Addicks should fall behind as early as the fourth minute. Again their vulnerability to setpieces was their undoing as Heidar Helguson lost his marker (Johnnie Jackson might have been the culprit) at the near post to glance Peter Whittingham’s inswinging corner beyond Ben Hamer’s reach.

With almost eerie defiance, the North Stand increased their volume of support, wavering only slightly when City, playing in unfamiliar blue shirts, doubled their lead. Another Whittingham corner from the left was flicked on by Mark Hudson, looped against the bar by Ben Turner, clawed clear by Hamer but drilled home from 10 yards by Joe Mason. The Bluebirds or Red Dragons, as their tradition-ignorant owners now call them, were doing as they pleased and, briefly, they showed why they topped the league. Their Achilles heel is, of course, an away record which is inferior to Charlton’s; 21 of their 28 points to date have been collected in seven perfect home games. They soon demonstrated why.

Five minutes before the break, Charlton were back in the hunt. An enthusiastic up-and-under from emergency right back Michael Morrison was dropped by David Marshall under scrupulously fair pressure from Rob Hulse. The loose ball was toed back to Jackson by Salim Kerkar and, from 15 yards, the skipper belted a no-nonsense drive into the top right corner.

Relieved no doubt to be factoring a vital goal into his half-time Henry V oration, Powell could scarcely contain his glee as Jackson doubled his- and Charlton’s- tally during stoppage time. The visitors seemed to have escaped unscathed with Turner clearing off the line after Hulse rounded Marshall but the Welshmen’s own vulnerability to dead ball deliveries was cruelly exposed. Jackson met Kerkar’s left wing corner with a firm header inside the left post. The din behind the far goal was deafening.

Hitting a freewheeling stride, the Addicks made mincemeat of Malky Mackay’s men after the break, though their third goal was attended by the kind of luck which has conspicuously eluded them this season. Matthew Connolly’s crude foul on Chris Solly near the left touchline set up a freekick, which the outstanding Stephens dispatched over a desperately backpedalling Marshall on its unerring way into the far top corner. The back-in-form Stephens disappeared under a man- mountain of delirious teammates.

The best-and belatedly worst- was still to come. Having troubled the visitors with his pace, Danny Haynes celebrated his return from injury with an important goal. The speedster was stumbling as Bradley Pritchard’s clipped cross from the right byline arrived but contrived to cleverly head the ball back across Marshall and in off the keeper’s flailing left hand.

The Red Dragons’ fire was all but out as Hulse added a fifth five minutes later. Moving unmolested on to Kerkar’s teasing centre from the left touchline, the hardworking striker crowned an selfless contribution by heading easily past the shellshocked Marshall. It seemed all over, of course, an impression clearly shared by more than a few furtive deserters from the away end. They never learn. On this occasion they missed the unlikely sting in the Dragons’ tail which almost produced a storybook ending.

Deflated and wearied by the mysterious addition of six minutes, Charlton wilted visibly. There were still five of those minutes available when left-footed wide right midfielder Craig Noone, mostly subdued and driven infield by the consistent Solly, slipped through the middle, eluded Hamer, crossed the goalline with the ball, then fished it out of the net en route to an undelayed kick-off.

Going down like ninepins with cramp by this time, the increasingly beleaguered homeboys were now all over the place and it was no surprise that fresh substitute Aron Gunnarsson sorted out a penalty area mess by drilling the ninth goal of a riotous evening through a mass of struggling bodies. And it was just as inevitable that Charlton would be required to resist the last gasp free kick, conceded by Pritchard’s punchdrunk foul on Whittingham. Rarely was a final whistle greeted with such undisguised relief. The significance of a result gained by a depleted, injury riddled group of players in such stirring circumstances could be profound. In its immediate aftermath, they could be proud of themselves. Their marvellously hoarse fans made it clear that they were.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Charlton: Hamer, Morrison, Cort, Dervite, Solly, Haynes (Wright-Phillips 66), Pritchard, Stephens (Hollands 90), Jackson. Kerkar, Hulse. Not used: Button, Taylor, Green, Fox, Azeez. Booked: Morrison, Pritchard, Stepehens, Solly, Hulse.

Cardiff: Marshall, Connolly, Turner, Hudson, Taylor, Noone, Cowie (Gunnarsson 68), Whittingham, Frei (Bo-Kyung 68), Mason, Helguson (Gestede 73). Not used: Lewis, McNaughton, Kiss, Conway. Booked: Taylor, Turner, Connolly.

Referee: K. Stroud. Att: 15,764.

Charlton 1 (Hulse 12) Middlesbrough 4 (Woodgate 27, McDonald 54, Ledesma 64, Smallwood 90).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

A second half capitulation to in-form Middlesbrough continued the miserable home form which leaves injury-riddled Charlton two precarious points above the Championship’s Plimsoll line. One point from their last five Valley fixtures leaves them dangerously close to sinking under disappointment overload.

It’s freely conceded that the Addicks were fairly and squarely beaten by the better side. There’s no disgrace in that, of course, but even this early in the season, the dismal question must be whether there are three inferior teams in the division. Just a few weeks ago, Peterborough were written off as no-hopers but pulled themselves together and now sit just two points behind Charlton. On Saturday, hopeless Ipswich, under new manager Mick McCarthy, provided another of the shocks which have studded the season so far by beating Birmingham City 1-0 at St. Andrews and closed to gap on Charlton to four manageable points. Mind you, the Tractor Boys’ surprise win keeps Birmingham only two points above Charlton. This relegation business makes accountants of us all.

Another excellent crowd saw Charlton give as good as they got from Tony Mowbray’s promotion hopefuls in an entertaining first half. Had they accepted even one of two golden headed chances either side of Rob Hulse’s first goal for the club, the outcome might have different. But you can hardly bemoan your fate if you waste such opportunities.

There was barely three minutes on the clock when Bradley Pritchard sent Bradley Wright-Phillips clear down the left flank, intelligently continuing his run into the penalty area. The striker’s accurate cross missed Hulse but picked out Pritchard who directed a free header haplessly over the bar.

The miss seemed a little less important nine minutes later as Hulse fired his latest employers in front. The early running was made by Dorian Dervite’s alert midfield interception and pass to Pritchard, who used Wright-Phillips’ decoy run to his left to feed Hulse on his right. Gaining quick ground, the QPR loanee beat Jason Steele with a faintly deflected drive inside the right post.

At that point, Boro hardly looked fearsome. But they merely were biding their time and were level before the half hour. Dervite’s foul on Grant Leadbitter was promptly punished by the victim’s lethal free kick and Jonathan Woodgate’s emphatic header past a helpless Ben Hamer. Ignore the puzzling buzz word doing the rounds because there was nothing “soft” about the goal; both delivery and finish were rehearsed. Short of nailing Woodgate’s feet to the ground, there wasn’t much Charlton could do to prevent it. It’s no secret that about half of the goals scored these days are the result of setpieces. The trick is to claim your share of them. Oh yeah, and don’t give away free kicks needlessly. These blokes thrive on them.
Before the interval, Hulse should have restored the lead. Chris Solly’s quick throw caught out dawdling left back George Friend, allowing Lawrie Wilson to place a measured first-time cross on the big forward’s brow. At the near post, Hulse reprised his dreadful miss at Molineux by heading harmlessly over the bar.

A clearly rattled Friend retaliated by picking up a caution for violently scything down Wilson, breathing a sigh of relief when Johnnie Jackson’s inswinging free kick was headed down and narrowly wide by Michael Morrison at the far post. Infected by the sudden panic, Woodgate joined him in the book for deliberate handball, with Jackson skimming the bar from the promising setpiece. It was spirited stuff from the Addicks but it failed to dispel the nagging feeling that the best of Boro was still to come.

Nine minutes after resumption, the visitors duly began the process of dismantling their hosts. Pouncing on Morrison’s error, Josh McEachran fed Scott Mcdonald, who extended his red hot scoring streak by blasting a ferocious angled drive past Hamer. The tireless Aussie then turned provider with a neat flick sending Emmanuel Ledesma through to skilfully lob over the shellshocked keeper.

With twenty minutes left, Boro could relax and enjoy their obvious superiority. Running riot through a demoralised defence, McDonald forced two fine saves from Hamer, meanwhile setting up substitutes Lukas Jutkiewicz and Justin Hoyte to both miss when it seemed easier to score. In added time, Lutkiewicz tried again with a low crosshot which was going wide until fellow sub Richard Smallwood intervened to tap home the Northeasterners’ fourth goal at the far post. By then, only goal difference was relevant.

Still, there’s always another game coming up tomorrow – or Tuesday, to be precise. Er, that’s when table-topping Cardiff City arrive in S.E.7. It makes you realise that this division is light years removed from the puny league, through which Charlton strolled last season. But it’s the place to be and it’s worth fighting ferociously to stay there. The Addicks have a manager who will accept nothing less.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort (Haynes 76), Morrison, Kerkar, Wilson (Stephens 46), Dervite, Pritchard, Jackson, Wright-Phillips (Cook 76), Hulse. Not used: Button, Taylor, Green, Hollands. Booked: Pritchard.

Boro: Steele, Parnaby, Woodgate, Bikey, Friend, Haroun (Hoyte 90), Bailey, Leadbitter, McEachran (Smallwood 90), Ledesma (Lutkiewicz 67), McDonald. Not used: Leutwiler, Zemmama, Halliday, Reach. Booked: Friend, Woodgate.

Referee: G. Scott. Att: 17,736.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Wolves 1 (Sako 13) Charlton 1 (Wilson 57).

Kevin Nolan reports from Molineux.

A second one-all draw within four days, on both occasions coming from behind on the road, says much for the unquenchable spirit that sustains Chris Powell’s battling side. With their feet now firmly under the Championship table, an improvement in home form must be the next urgent item on the agenda.

Satisfaction at this encouraging result will be tempered by regret that the Addicks came away with only one of the three points they just about deserved. Two misses by an otherwise hardworking Rob Hulse, the more glaring of which would surely have been an 88th matchwinner, spared Wolves an unexpected defeat.

Hulse had soldiered on gamely with threadbare support up front when the excellent Chris Solly made space to stand up a tailored cross, which practically begged to be converted. Instead, Hulse headed firmly but inexplicably wide of the right post as he had done earlier when set up by Bradley Pritchard’s perfect delivery from the right byline. They had chances of their own, of course, but Wolves were undoubtedly more relieved to hear the final whistle.

There were uncanny similarities to Tuesday evening’s game at Elland Road. The Addicks were again given an early chasing before settling down but it was no surprise that they reached half-time a goal down. On this occasion, they succumbed on 13 minutes and there was much, admittedly, to admire in the goal’s construction and execution.

Pace and precision were combined both in Jermaine Pennant’s measured pass to overlapping Kevin Foley and the right back’s cleverly angled ball laid back across the six-yard area. Meeting the pass on the run, Bakary Sako gave Ben Hamer no chance with a searing right-footed volley inside the right post.

Well on the top at the time, Wolves might have moved out of sight had they managed to double their lead. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was a toe-end away from touching in Sako’s dipping centre, while Lawrie Wilson heroically blocked Stephen Ward’s goalbound drive.. Before the break, however, there were signs, most notably when Salim Kerkar turned sharply to shave a post, that the same stranglehold which wore down Leeds was beginning to sap the suddenly faltering Midlanders. It wasn’t pretty but it worked.

Charlton’s growing confidence might have been seriously dented immediately following the re-start but, for once, their luck was in. In bewildering sequence, Kevin Doyle headed back Pennant’s cross for Tongo Doumbia to apparently smash home routinely from close range. Having followed through on to the goalline, Doyle was perfectly to block Doumbia’s sure thing and was ruled offside to complete his embarrassment. Two minutes later, the visitors not unexpectedly equalised.

A bundle of energy as usual, Pritchard sent Cedric Evina clear behind Ward to pull an accurate cross away from keeper Carl Ikeme at his near post. Nipping in alertly, Hulse hit both keeper and woodwork but the rebound rolled kindly to Wilson, who scored easily. With Wolves still reeling from the setback, Hulse promptly missed his first golden chance from Pritchard’s fine cross. The out-of-luck striker did better when sent through by Pritchard but his fierce angled shot was parried by Ikeme.

Comfortably in control, the Addicks were all but undone by Hamer’s absentmindedness in hanging on to the ball too long, his offence duly flagged by a jobsworth linesman; after an eternity of tension, the errant keeper redeemed himself by competently saving Sako’s low free kick. The burly midfielder had a last chance to nick the points but blazed over the bar.

So with two defiant away performances on which to build, Powell’s pressing priority must be to address his side’s vulnerability at The Valley. He might start by sticking, temporarily at least, to the same game plan which has served them so well on their travels to several daunting venues. With his current dearth of strikers, keep the same defensive formation, play patiently on the break and don’t worry about any need to entertain. In other words, if you can’t win, make damn sure you don’t lose- an attitude which might have served them well against Watford and Barnsley recently. A point’s a point and with his brief to keep Charlton in this division, needs must as relegation drives. That’s the theory, anyway. It’s open for debate.

Wolves: Ikeme, Foley, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Pennant (Forde 82), Doumbia, Henry (Edwards 82), Sako, Ebanks-Blake (Sigurdarson 46), Doyle. Not used: Stearman, Batth, Davis, De Vries.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Evina, Wilson, Pritchard (Hollands 90), Dervite, Kerkar (Cook 84) Jackson, Hulse. Not used: Button, Green, Wright-Phillips, Razak, Taylor. Booked: Hulse.

Referee: C. Pawson. Att: 22,198.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Leeds United 1 (Norris 37) Charlton 1 (Dervite 50).

Kevin Nolan reports from Elland Road.

The best cure for insomnia, according to that old curmudgeon W.C. Fields, is to get plenty of sleep. Stands to reason. And the best way to deal with disappointment, he might have added, is to get over it. Again, stands to reason.

It’s not known how Chris Powell slept on Saturday night after watching his side humiliated by Barnsley at The Valley. Not too well, probably, and his mood was hardly lightened by the immediate prospect of a tricky trip to Leeds, not the most pleasant of venues on his Championship agenda. But whether or not he slept between Saturday and Tuesday, his side’s battling attitude at Elland Road certainly helped him forget the bitter disappointment, not to mention disillusionment, of losing in front of a bumper crowd at the weekend. Having got over it, this result will help him nod off.

Elland Road itself reeks of past glories, though successive, unloved sides have struggled to combine success with popularity. On hand in the press facilities from Don Revie’s great 70s team were Norman Hunter and Eddie Gray, who represented the steel hand inside a silk glove that Leeds’ opponents came to recognise and fear all too well.

These days, Revie’s successor is the peripatetic Neil Warnock, all affability when he wins, a glowering whiner when he doesn’t. For Hunter, read Michael Brown, a 35-year old veteran coming to the end of a career largely spent at odds with almost everyone including himself. Gray’s magical wing skills, meanwhile, are supposedly covered by the odious El Hadji Diouf, once described by Warnock as a “sewer rat” but these days rehabilitated as bosom buddies with the gaffer. Overseeing the operation we have Ken Bates, offshore chairman (for reasons of tax, you understand) but persistent dispenser of unwanted philosophy nonetheless. Hardly in W.C. Fields’ class. It’s safe to say that none of the current crew adequately match their predecessors.

Already beset by injuries to key players this season, Powell was handed a further blow when midfield playmaker Dale Stephens withdrew shortly before kick-off with a hamstring twinge. Having lost experienced striker Ricardo Fuller during the Barnsley debacle, it seemed Stephens’ mishap was some kind of last straw. Rising boldly to the occasion, however, the beleaguered boss re-jigged his formation, handed three players full league debuts and was rewarded by a splendid team performance that deserved better than a draw

Powell’s master stroke was to deploy central defender Dorian Dervite as a defensive shield in front of his back four, where he stood out. Key interceptions, firm tackling and intelligent distribution helped the Addicks win the midfield battle. And when it mattered most, the powerfully built Frenchman also scored.

Other adjustments saw Chris Solly returned to right back, Lawrie Wilson pushed forward to replace Danny Green in right midfield, Cedric Evina somewhat belatedly trusted to solve the left back problem and willing grafter Rob Hulse making his first start up front. The effect was deeply impressive, though it didn’t prevent United taking an undeserved first half lead through a goal with a whiff of illegality about it.

Artful striker Luciano Becchio played his part, an unseen nudge on Leon Cort causing the outstanding centre back to miscue his headed clearance of Diouf’s free kick. Pouncing on the loose ball, David Norris drilled it beyond Ben Hamer’s left hand. The heroic Cort’s earlier block on Norris had preserved an equality which Johnnie Jackson might have restored immediately; the skipper drove Bradley Pritchard’s low centre wastefully wide of his target. As it turned out, the Whites led for less than a half hour, including the interval

Wilson, with Solly providing security behind him, was clearly enjoying himself further upfield. His carefully angled cutback five minutes after resumption was met on the run by Dervite, who skimmed a low 20-yard drive neatly inside the left post. It was no more than these spirited Addicks deserved.

When Hulse, wearied by his selfless running , was replaced by Bradley Wright-Phillips, the visitors came desperately close to netting all three points. Chances arrived thick and fast during a hectic last five minutes, the best of them created by Pritchard’s tireless industry for Wright-Phillips to unleash a ferocious volley which was netbound until Paddy Kenny conjured a spine twisting save. More disappointment for Powell, of course, but hopefully not enough to disturb his sleep. He needs his energy to plan next Saturdays’s daunting trip to Molineux.

Leeds: Kenny, Drury, Pearce, Lees, Green (White 64), Diouf, Brown, Norris, Byram, Varney (Tonge 64), Becchio (Gray 77). Not used: Ashdown, Kisnorbo, Pugh, Hall.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Evina, Dervite, Wilson, Pritchard, Kerkar, Jackson, Hulse (Wright-Phillips 85). Not used: Button, Green, Cook, Hollands, Razak, Harriott.

Referee: N. Miller. Att: 17,484.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Charlton 0 Barnsley 1 (Cywka 64).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Nursing many a nasty withdrawal symptom, a bumper crowd welcomed football back to The Valley following the international break. Warts and all, it’s still the people’s game and the heartwarming response to Charlton’s latest football-for-a-fiver initiative proved again that a groundswell of local affection, if not recession-squeezed wallets, exists behind the club. Pity about this result but there’s something to be said for fans who can accept defeat with reasonable grace, swallow their disappointment and keep a stiff upper lip. Their restraint was admirable as the Addicks were comfortably beaten by visitors Barnsley, who turned in a textbook away performance. More about that in a minute but let’s digress first.

In its self-destructive way, football seems determined to squander the goodwill it enjoys at grass roots level. But before bringing grapes to its sickbed, take a look at rugby, so often held up as the model of self-discipline to which its implied social inferior should aspire. Bloody cheek. A glance at Paul Rees’ round-up column in the Guardian (15-10-12) might convince you that its author reported, not from a touchline, but from an embedded war zone.

In matter-of-fact terms, and with no hint of disapproval, Rees begins with a fist-and-knee assault on a grounded player by an opponent enraged by no fewer than three attempts to eye-gouge him (it’s all the go, apparently), as evidence of which his club offered post-game photographs. He continues with details of citations for biting (!) and stamping, before wrapping up his catalogue of villainy with a casual mention of a “dangerous tackle” which, in this context, seems positively Corinthian. Unless, of course, you were its unfortunate victim.

So while warring footballers swat away unconvincingly at each other like demented field mice, rugby’s bouncers get straight down to the maim event, then mitigate it by proudly pointing out that its perpetrators scrupulously help the referees to gather dental impressions, measure bootprints and take DNA swabs. While not disputing so much as one of their decisions. You have to admire their respect for authority.

Having said all that, though, the vast majority of yesterday’s magnificent attendance might willingly have swapped places with the gilded few enjoying rugby’s usual mayhem in the shires outside London. All but 1,227 hardheaded Yorkshiremen, who know a bargain at five nicker when they see one, suffered as the Addicks were handled with consummate ease by Keith Hill’s scandalously underrated side.

For this was no smash-and-grab raid. The Tykes were picture-perfect visitors, who kept their shape, passed crisply and intelligently, restricted their opposition to no more than a couple of half-chances, efficiently took one of their own and enjoyed a handy slice of luck, when referee Russell, though ideally positioned, sanctioned Chris Dagnall’s trip on Chris Solly inside the penalty area. They won virtually every second ball, kept on the right side of the law while running the clock down and left The Valley with three richly deserved points.

Ninety five minutes of largely ineffectual effort provided Charlton with no more than occasional scraps on which to feed. The first half fled by with only free kicks from Dale Stephens and Abdul Razak troubling Ben Alnwick. Stephens’ effort was pawed away with difficulty, while Razak forced a spectacular save from the flying keeper.

Barnsley were themselves only sporadically dangerous, with Ben Hamer stopping Craig Davies’ low drive, then awkwardly smothering Dagnall, as the forward made a mess of Davies’ dangerous cross. Fine blocks by Solly and Leon Cort, both on Davies, at least served notice that Charlton’s customary defensive defiance was intact. Their attacking options, meanwhile, seemed enhanced by the interval substitutions of Bradley Wright-Phillips (for Razak) and skipper Johnnie Jackson (for Danny Hollands).

Beaten four times previously this season, each time by a single goal, the Addicks survived until the 64th minute before succumbing. There seemed only minimal danger until Danny Green’s miserable failure to cut out Scott Golbourne’s pass allowed Polish midfielder Tomasz Cywka to cut in along the left byline before curling a superb shot across Ben Hamer into the top right corner. Some goal to settle a humdrum game.

Shortly after Cwyka made his dramatic intervention, Charlton’s best chance for equality disappeared in the instant that Russell decided that the typical forward’s challenge made by Dagnall, from behind on a flying Solly, was legal. It seemed an open-and-shut case for a spotkick to everyone else, including a mortified Dagnall, but Russell critically disagreed. Apart from a wild goalline scrimmage, during which Jackson almost bundled Lawrie Wilson’s cross past Alnwick, the struggling home side offered little, though substitute Bradley Pritchard’s snapshot brought an alert save from Alnwick.

A late booking issued to Wilson for diving and the potentially long-term injury sustained by Ricardo Fuller, after all three subs had been used, crowned a wretched afternoon for baffled boss Chris Powell. And, no doubt, persuaded many of those attracted back by the fiver deal that they’d been overcharged.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green ( Pritchard 68), Hollands (Jackson 46), Stephens, Razak (Wright-Phillips 46), Kerkar, Fuller. Not used: Button, Evina, Hulse, Dervite. Booked: Stephens, Solly, Wilson.

Barnsley: Alnwick, Stones, Wiseman, Foster, Golbourne, Mellis Etuhu 89), Perkins, Cwyka (Hassell 90), Dawson, Dagnall, Davies (Harewood 90). Not used: Steele, Done, Rose, Kennedy. Booked: Golbourne, Dawson.

Referee: M. Russell. Att: 26,185.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Blackpool 0 Charlton 2 (Cort 49, Solly 73).

Kevin Nolan reports from Bloomfield Road.

The timing, not to mention the importance, of this unexpected but no less welcome win on the road is impossible to overestimate. It improved Charlton’s record to an encouraging 12 points from 10 games and it’s generally accepted that ten is the minimum number of games on which any sensible prediction should be based concerning a team’s long term prospects.

Some overweight bloke in a pub somewhere said so and now it’s part of football folklore. Mind you, he probably has a point. Following the demoralising midweek loss to 10-man Watford, Charlton’s magnificent result can be added to the frequent shocks already reverberating through the early weeks of this most democratic of Championships. But though it was unpredictable, make no mistake, Charlton fully deserved to win. The parting shot of one disgruntled Blackpool supporter summed it up succinctly. “We were bloody second best everywhere it mattered”, he muttered to nobody in particular and it was hard to disagree. In fact, it made your reporter fairly blush with pleasure.

Though the Addicks’ success was based on sound, sturdy defending, this was no smash-and-grab raid. It’s just that the entire back four was outstanding and that from their ranks there emerged a heartwarming man of the match.

As Charlton have struggled to find their feet at a higher level, often unfair criticism has been levelled at new boy Lawrie Wilson since he stepped up to deputise for long term injury victim Rhoys Wiggins. At sunlit Bloomfield Road, with the winds off the Irish Sea at rest for once, Wilson answered his detractors with a display of class and courage.

When Blackpool manager Ian Holloway responded to falling behind to Carl Cort’s header shortly after the interval by rushing hot shot Thomas Ince into the fray, Wilson really came into his own. A previously subdued home crowd greeted their young star rapturously in the expectation that his pace and power would turn the tide. With six goals and as many assists in only seven games, Ince’s return from a brief injury absence was a problem that Charlton -and in particular their new right back – could have done without. But they -and he- coped admirably.

With a steady first half behind him, Wilson coolly popped the dangerous winger into his hip pocket and got on with the job of supporting substitute Bradley Pritchard up and down the touchline. In desperation, Ince tried his luck on the opposite flank, where he found the pickings just as paltry against the remarkable Chris Solly. Redoubtable defenders Cort and Solly even found time to visit the other end and score Charlton’s goals.

During an even first period, breakneck blocks from Solly and Michael Morrison denied first the dangerous Matt Phillips, then Neil Eardley as the overrated Seasiders passed their way forward ponderously but predictably. It’s not for us to advise Holloway but his side appears to be handicapped by a severe lack of pace. They threatened again when Gary Fletcher-Taylor’s enterprising 40-yard lob caught Ben Hamer off his line but grazed the crossbar; just before the break, Phillips cut inside Solly to force Hamer into a low, diving save at his left post. It was Charlton, though, who came closest to retiring with a lead.

A brief cameo of Ricardo Fuller’s repertoire saw the savvy old pro win a right wing corner off Stephen Crainey. Meeting Salim Kerkar’s inswinging delivery ahead of his marker at the near post, his powerful header beat Matt Gilks but rebounded to safety off the underside of the bar. It seemed at the time that the visitors were out of luck again.

Four minutes into the second half, however, the Addicks were deservedly in front. From a left wing corner won by Kerkar off Eardley and taken by Dale Stephens, Cort outjumped Alex Baptiste and headed downward on one bounce into the roof of the net.

Ince made his first meaningful contribution with a cleverly volleyed snapshot but Hamer beat it clear with two firm hands. Paul’s talented kid threatened again but Solly typically blocked his close range effort almost at source.

Idolised by Charlton fans for his polished defending, Solly scores, it’s fair to say, irregularly. A close range strike at Leyton Orient a couple of years ago was a personal milestone but remains his first and only goal for the club. The rising drive which returned Stephens’ blocked shot, then curved in flight before nestling neatly under the angle of bar and right post, was totally different gravy. It not only sealed the Addicks’ vital victory but sent a sizeable contingent of travelling fans into rhapsodic salute. Something about him being only five foot three but better than John Terr-ee. And, er, a reference to his blankety blank quality. You couldn’t make it up. Except they did.

Blackpool: Gilks, Earley, Evatt, Baptiste, Crainey, Osbourne (Dicko 67), Gomes (Ince 53), Ferguson, Taylor-Fletcher, Matt Phillips, Delfouneso (Kevin Phillips 62). Not used: Sylvestre, Cathcart, Halstead, Angel.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green (Pritchard 20), Hollands, Stephens, Razak (Dervite 80), Kerkar, Fuller (Hulse 84). Not used: Evina, Wright-Phillips, Wagstaff, Button.

Referee: Geoff Eltringham. Att: 13,482.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Charlton 1 (Fuller 35) Watford 2 (Hoban 29, Abdi 70).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

The loss of a game surely targeted as winnable was a bitter pill for Charlton to swallow last night. And their mood won’t be lightened when they face the uncomfortable reality that a potentially decisive advantage was contentiously handed them by Premier League referee Mike Dean shortly before the interval.

A fairly even first half was winding down when U-21 Italian international Fernando Forestieri turned sharply infield from the the right byline under the watchful eye of Salim Kerkar, before losing his footing and measuring his length perhaps a little too enthusiastically. From this observer’s admittedly distant vantage point, neither dive nor foul was obvious, but, much closer to the action, Dean had no such doubt. Already booked for encroaching on a Kerkar free kick, Udinese loanee Forestieri was issued his marching orders for simulation. So often out of luck this season, Charlton had been handed a massive break which, unhappily, they subsequently spurned.

Nothing in a relatively routine first period had set the scene for such added time drama. Not much worth noting, in fact, had happened before Michael Morrison was rightly penalised for manhandling Forestieri, his excessive physicality providing the opportunity for 17-year old Chelsea loan prodigy Nathaniel Chalobah to hoist a free kick into a congested penalty area. An almost imperceptible brush off Kerkar’s hip, again correctly spotted by eagle-eyed Dean, conceded the visitors a right wing corner, which Chalobah swung outward and Tommie Hoban headed home with the help of a deflection.

Boosted by their success, Gianfranco Zola’s curious combination of talented foreign strangers had been hitting an impressive stride. Dismissed a couple of years ago by deeply unpleasant West Ham owner David Sullivan for being “too nice” – hardly an accusation levelled at Sullivan himself – Zola’s perceived “softness” is exaggerated, though it’s hard to recall the diminutive genius ever resorting to anything underhand. He will certainly be remembered with affection long after Sullivan has disappeared back into Daily Sport’s woodwork. They say you only miss what you’ve got when it’s gone. An exception will be made in his case.

From the away dug-out, Zola was ideally positioned to appreciate, if not applaud, the beauty of Charlton’s somewhat unexpected equaliser. From left to right, Dale Stephens’ geometrically calculated diagonal pass demolished Watford’s central defence, leaving an alert Ricardo Fuller to compose himself before slotting past an oncoming Manuel Almunia. Both metronomic assist and appropriately cool finish would have left Zola purring under different circumstances.

Using their numerical advantage, the Addicks set about their depleted visitors after the break. Fuller’s typical persistence created an opening, through which Bradley Wright-Phillips burst to sting Almunia’s palms, then Fuller turned sharply again to thread his strike partner through but Wright-Phillips, under pressure from the ominously named Brazilian Neuton, scooped his shot over the bar. A stream of one-way traffic ended with Fuller forcing another smart save from Almunia at the keeper’s near post.

Forestieri’s controversial departure had clearly inconvenienced the Hornets but they kept their heads and remained dangerous on the break. With 20 minutes remaining, they lifted the siege and regained the lead.

Irritating though it was to home fans, Dean was actually spot-on with most of his decisions. He called it right again when ruling that Leon Cort’s muscular challenge on Troy Deeney was illegal. From the resultant free kick, conceded some 20 yards to the left of Ben Hamer’s goal, Swiss midfielder Almen Abi, yet another of in-the-know Zola’s shrewd loan acquisitions from Udinese, curled a sumptuous shot into the top left corner.

The Addicks were stunned but gamely battled away. There wouldn’t be many Bob Dylan fans among them but it might interest them to hear the peerless old trouper maintaining that “the only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin’ on”, then putting his money where his mouth is by continuing to tour regularly in the autumn of an unforgettable career. Still forever young after 50 years in the big league.

In the short term at The Valley, Chris Solly crossed, Cort headed down but Stephens blasted a last chance over the bar. Over the longer haul, the Addicks must keep the faith, stick together and soldier on. It’s not dark yet. It’s getting there. But it’s not dark yet. Certainly not for Dylan. And, just as hopefully, not for Charlton. Relegation is unthinkable. Brings you out in sweats.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green (Hulse 79), Hollands (Pritchard 79), Stephens, Kerkar, Fuller, Wright-Phillips. Not used: Button, Evina, Wagstaff, Razak, Dervite. Booked: Morrison, Green.

Watford: Almunia, Hogg, Hall, Neuton (Ekstrand 75), Pudil, Chalobah (Doyley 90), Hoban, Abdi, Cassetti, Deeney (Iwelumo 90), Forestieri. Not used: Bond, Yeates, Murray, Vydra. Booked: Forriestri, Pudil, Neuton, Abdi, Almunia. Sent off: Foriestri.

Referee: Mike Dean. Att: 15,585.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.

Charlton 1 (Jackson 27) Blackburn Rovers 1 (Etuhu 16).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Makers of their own misery, Blackburn Rovers, or Venkys (India) Ltd as they are better known, arrived at The Valley one item light in the baggage they’ve lugged around with them for nearly two years now. Overnight, it was announced, their tormented manager Steve Kean had left the club, his departure as clouded in controversy as had been his wretched time in charge.

Kean’s questionable ability as a manager had long since become irrelevant alongside the shameful treatment he regularly received from fans and owners alike. A few hundred of the former were on hand yesterday to gloat over their triumph in ridding themselves of their detested quarry; the latter were keeping a rare silence, with even garrulous spokesman Shebby Singh chickening out of comment. Pity the poor sod who follows Kean into this hen coop.

Buoyed by last week’s win at Ipswich, Charlton boss Chris Powell had problems of his own. Already deprived of injured stalwarts Rhoys Wiggins and Yann Kermorgant, he was further rocked by the last minute withdrawal of virus victim Ricardo Fuller. The subsequent second half hamstring tweak sustained by goalscoring captain Johnnie Jackson was almost a straw too many.

Powell solved the loss of Fuller by recalling Danny Hollands and pushing Jackson into that mythical “hole” behind hardgrafting Bradley Wright-Phillips. This tactical newspeak was once clarified by England U-21 manager Stuart Pearce, who explained that “Sturridge played more as a striker, dropping off in behind.” It really couldn’t be clearer. Do keep up.

After 90 spirited minutes, Powell could take heart in the response he received from his depleted squad. Until his untimely departure, the irrepressible Jackson was in fine form, shaking off the disappointment of a 26th minute missed penalty with the perfect riposte of a 27th minute equaliser. His zesty replacement, Bradley Pritchard, contributed manfully to the second battering, which had Rovers hanging on for a point they hardly deserved.

It was not part of the plan, of course, to concede the visitors an early lead. Apart from a snapshot dragged across goal by a lively Salim Kerkar, the opening exchanges had been perfunctory until a fine diamond-shaped bout of passing, finished off at the sharp end by strikers Jordan Rhodes and Nuno Gomes, carved out the chance hammered past Ben Hamer by muscular midfielder Dickson Etuhu. Claims that the scorer was offside were made more in hope than anger.

Stung by the reverse, the Addicks trailed for less than a quarter hour. Carl Cort had already powered Danny Green’s great cross narrowly over the bar when Morten Gamst Pedersen and Scott Dann ganged up illegally to prevent the big centre back from connecting with an accurate free kick from Lawrie Wilson (more encouragement for Powell from this improving newcomer). Local heads dropped as Jackson’s firm penalty was saved by Paul Robinson’s trailing legs but the taker’s chagrin and the keeper’s jubilation were almost as quickly reversed.

Rovers’ defence had shepherded the rebound out of play on the relative security of the right touchline but Green’s long throw instantly put them back in trouble. A scuffed clearance was returned by Hollands’ bouncing volley and involuntarily turned past Robinson by an unspecified part of Jackson’s physiogomy, or “fizzog” old-timers used to call it.

Green’s heartening pick-up in form, meanwhile, was gathering pace. His cutback cross was met by Kerkar but blocked by Gael Givet before the winger’s clever footwork created space for an unlucky drive against the right post.

With the bit between their teeth, Charlton overcame the loss of Jackson to dominate the second period. A flurry of chances commenced with Paul Robinson clawing Cort’s header off the line, then intensified as Kerkar’s free kick was headed goalward by Michael Morrison and deflected to safety off an unwitting Wright-Phillips. Enjoying the run of the ball, Nunes interrupted the one-way traffic to shoot inches too high but the Addicks continued to call the tune, with only Robinson’s outstanding goalkeeping standing between them and a vital victory.

Robinson’s instinctive reaction to keep out Green’s typically long range rocket was special enough. But his athletic added-time save which conjured Wright-Phillips’ acrobatic overhead effort over the bar reminded us of a time when he protected England’s goal. Odd that his understudy at Ewood Park is one Jake Kean. Bit of an unfortunate surname, Jake. No relation, we take it. But keep a bag packed just in case.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green, Hollands, Stephens, Kerkar (Evina 90), Jackson (Pritchard 53), Wright-Phillips. Not used: Button, Wagstaff, Cook, Smith, Dervite.

Blackburn: Robinson, Orr, Givet (Hanley 46), Dann, Olsson, Lowe, Murphy, Etuhu, Pedersen, Nuno Gomes (Dunn 73), Rhodes. Not used: Kean, Nunes, Formica, Rochina, Ribeiro. Booked: Murphy, Lowe.

Att: 17,169. Referee: Darren Deadman.

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.