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Ipswich Town 1 (Scotland 57) Charlton 2 (Jackson 48, Fuller 50).

Kevin Nolan reports from Portman Road.

It’s a bit premature, in late September, to be referring to games as relegation six-pointers but the underlying significance of this result was impossible to exaggerate. For Charlton, it brought cheeks-puffing relief, accompanied by the almost audible whoosh of a safety valve releasing pent-up pressure. To Ipswich, losers at home for the second time in four days, came the sinking feeling that a season of unremitting hardship stretches before them. That’s how much it meant.

Beaten by another struggler, Derby County, in a midweek game which thrust them into the Championship’s bottom three, the Addicks could ill afford to lose again at Portman Road. Defeat would not, of course have been definitive – in fact, other results would have softened the blow – but the effects on morale and self-esteem might have been incalculable. As it was, they made heavy weather of seeing off moderate opposition. The bottom line is, though, that they won and that’s what mattered.

Deprived of totemic top scorer (with two goals) Yann Kermorgant through an untimely training ground ankle injury, the Addicks enjoyed, through Kermorgant’s replacement Ricardo Fuller, the useful shot in the arm they needed. The streetwise veteran provided a masterclass in the centre forward’s pragmatic arts. Leading the attack with an experienced blend of the cerebral and the physical, he used all his knowhow to score his first goal for his new employers and handed Chris Powell a selection dilemma when Kermorgant recovers.

There were other plus points for the cool handed boss. Centre backs Leon Cort and Michael Morrison were rock-solid towers of strength; Danny Green continued his improvement; Johnnie Jackson silenced a growing number of critics of his “decline” with an all-action performance in a more energy-saving central midfield, adding Charlton’s first goal to his impressive contribution.

There was, admittedly, little to savour in a first half which faded from the memory bank in tune with referee Martin Atkinson’s half-time whistle. My notes remind me that Ben Hamer made a few capable saves, most of them from Jason Scotland’s optimistic shooting, the best of them to keep out Daryl Murphy’s early header. His opposite number, Scott Loach, distinguished himself in beating away Dale Stephens’ 30-yard blockbuster but there was little else to stiffen the sinews. Which made it as much a surprise as a pleasure that the second half exploded so dramatically into life.

Thre minutes after the break, Jackson put the visitors in front; two more minutes saw Fuller double the advantage. The Addicks were well on their way to that most rare of experiences -a comfortable victory- when bad luck, not for the first time this season- pegged them back again.

Jackson’s opener was another demonstration of his ability to cleverly time late runs into critical areas. Green’s fizzing, right wing cross eluded out-of-luck Bradley Wright-Phillips but was whipped back crisply from the left byline by Salim Kerkar to the near post where Jackson powered through the dishevelled remnants of Town’s defence to score.

Almost instantly, Fuller provided what seemed to be the insurance of a second goal. Airily dispossessing absentminded midfielder Massimo Luongo, the muscular forward turned away from Tommy Smith’s ponderous challenge before accurately dispatching a low drive across Loach into the far corner.

At that stage, you wouldn’t have risked a bent tanner on the Tractor Boys’ chances, which just goes to show how often football defies logic. Just seven minutes were required to put the home side back in the hunt. And they had a journeyman of their own to thank.

Stocky and determined, Scotland had punctuated a conscientious shift with regular potshots at goal. Receiving Lee Martin’s throw in generous space, he moved into range and cheerfully tried his luck again from over 20 yards. With Hamer moving confidently to his right in anticipation of another untroubled save, a wicked deflection off Morrison sent the ball skittering beyond the stricken keeper into the bottom right corner. It’s better to born lucky than rich and this was a clear case of fortune favouring Scotland the brave. It certainly isn’t favouring the Addicks right now. They need to avoid crossing on the stairs, scrupulously pick up dropped gloves before replacing them on flat surfaces, go out of their way to encourage black cats to cross in front of them. All cobblers, of course, but you never know. Anyway, the folklore advice is passed to the manager, for what it’s worth. Bet his Mum knows what I’m talking about..

Ipswich: Loach, Edwards, Smith (Higginbotham 90), Chambers, Cresswell, Emmanuel-Thomas (Ellington 46), Luongo, Drury, Murphy (Carson 80), Martin, Scotland. Not used: Lee-Barrett, N’Daw, Hyam, Ainsley. Booked, Emmanuel-Thomas, Martin.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green, Stephens,Jackson, Kerkar (Pritchard 82), Wright-Phillips (Dervite 90), Fuller (Haynes 90). Not used: Button, Evina, Wagstaff, Hollands.

Referee: Martin Atkinson. Att: 16,587.

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

Derby County 3 (Ward 7,64 pen, Bryson 53) Charlton 2 (Green 70, Kermorgant 73).

Kevin Nolan reports from Pride Park.

Reduced to familiar desperation and shameless timewasting, Derby County became the latest of Charlton’s conquerors to greet the final whistle with the relief shared by the survivors of Rorke’s Drift. Okay, this wasn’t as important but you get the Drift.

At the City Ground recently, Nottm Forest dramatically degenerated into a haggard shadow of a side that had effortlessly dominated all but 15 minutes of a one-sided game. To a lesser extent at The Valley last Friday, Crystal Palace, though clearly the better team, were grateful for a last-ditch goalline clearance, not to mention a wrongly disallowed “goal”, in protecting their hard-won advantage.

The point is, of course that although both Forest and Palace buckled under late pressure, they had already done enough to win. So too did Derby County, who clung on to a 3-0 lead, generously donated to them by their victims. It becomes essential for Charlton to make these plucky rallies unnecessary by simply getting about their business earlier. Their early passivity must give way to a more up-and-at-’em spirit from the off. Otherwise, a long gruelling season looms before them. As, actually, it already does.

It hardly needs pointing out that the Addicks must also address the chaotic defending which practically gift-wrapped victory for County. The opener, crisply volleyed by Jamie Ward in the 7th minute, can probably be excused, though Michael Morrison’s clearing header lacked power and direction. The second half goals, however, were criminal acts.

Ward’s strike should have been promptly doubled but Connor Sammon, slipped through cleverly by Craig Bryson, haplessly shovelled his shot over the bar. The irrepressible Ward then linked intelligently with Will Hughes before hitting the sidenet from an acute angle. The visitors’ listlessness, meanwhile, lifted briefly when Gareth Roberts hacked Johnnie Jackson’s netbound header off the line.

With dreary predictability, Charlton’s already bleak prospects nosedived beyond redemption early in the second half. Two further goals, both of them comically donated to the Pride Park cause, made their plight hopeless. Not completely hopeless, as it turned out, but pretty grim.

The first of them was a disaster for Dale Stephens, the main object of speculation during August’s transfer window. A proposed transfer to Aston Villa, whose manager Paul Lambert astutely nurtures lower league talent, promised to cap a meteoric rise for the former Bury midfielder. But the move fell through amid rumours that Charlton’s hardball bluff had been called by Villa. Left out of the Forest fixture to recover from his disappointment, Stephens has cut a distracted, detached figure since the controversy.

Frequently guilty of giving the ball away on Tuesday evening, Stephens capped – if that’s not an ill-chosen word- an absentminded contribution with an errant backpass, pounced on by Sammon but alertly blocked by Ben Hamer. Picking up the loose ball, Hughes set up Bryson for a scruffy finish at the far post.

Restored to the line-up in favour of the overwhelmed Brady Pritchard, meanwhile, Danny Green is another enigmatic performer with a point to prove. His clumsy challenge on Ward, while covering Lawrie Wilson inside the area, wasn’t an ideal way to go about it and was rightly ruled illegal by on-the-spot referee David Phillips. Ward’s successful penalty seemed no more than a coup-de-grace at the time but, as the late drama unfolded, proved to be the winner, though not before Green proceeded from villain to hero in turning this one-sided game on its head.

The suddenly irresistible winger delivered an opening shot across County’s bows with an expertly delivered cross, which Yann Kermorgant twisted to head narrowly over the bar. But the goal that reduced Charlton’s arrears was something special.
With a reputation for explosive, long distance shooting, Green provided hard evidence by accepting Stephens’ routine pass, advancing into range, then detonating an unstoppable 30-yarder into the far left corner. His spectacular strike galvanised the Addicks and inspired Green to terrorise the suddenly rocky home defence. Making mincemeat of its cover, he burst to the right byline and speared a low cross to the near post, where Kermorgant capably sidefooted home.

Abruptly, the Rams’ superiority was exposed as bogus. Panic paralysed them, as their erstwhile victims set about them. They were clinging on like drunks to a gatepost by the time substitute Salim Kerkar directed Green’s last gasp corner goalward but Charlton’s frustration was exacerbated by right back John Brayford, who was tactically positioned under the bar to clear.

Now ensconced in the bottom three, Charlton have been served notice that this tough Championship campaign bears little resemblance to the league, through which they marched triumphantly last season. The fightback starts now. At fellow strugglers Ipswich on Saturday. It might be still September but that’s a relegation six-pointer. And you’re in trouble until you get out of it.

Derby: Fielding, Brayford, Keogh, O’Connor (Buxton 82), Roberts, Coutts, Bryson, Hendrick (Robinson 89), Hughes, Ward, Sammon. Not used: Jacobs, Legzdins, Doyle, Gjokaj, Freeman. Booked: Bryson, O’Connor.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly, Green, Stephens, Hollands (Kerkar 60), Jackson, Wright-Phillips (Fuller 60), Kermorgant. Not used: Button, Evina, Pritchard, Smith, Dervite. Booked: Stephens.

Att: 20,063. Referee: David Phillips.

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

Charlton 0 Crystal Palace 1 (Dikgacoi 51).

Maintaining his urbane and affable persona in the aftermath of defeat by bitter rivals Crystal Palace, a smiling Chris Powell was the very model of diplomacy in masking his disappointment. What you saw was what you got – but not what he felt.

Charlton’s fiercely competitive boss is clearly no believer in that guff spouted by Rudyard Kipling about treating triumph and disaster as peas from the same pod. For Powell-and all football managers- winning is everything, losing a festering heap of nothing. The draw offers a face-saving third outcome, of course, one overlooked by Kipling and one which, but for an ill-judged first half offside flag, would have eased Powell’s mind somewhat.

Palace edged an uneventful opening half hour, while neglecting the importance of turnng their marginal control into tangible reward. They were the better side, though, with the Addicks’ prospects hardly improved by the loss, on 22 minutes, of foot injury victim Rhoys Wiggins. Lawrie Wilson replaced him, with Chris Solly switching to left back, where he inherited from Wiggins the unenviable task of subduing Palace’s brilliant right winger Wilfried Zaha. Charlton’s nuggety defender made a fair fist of it.

In the early going, the visitors had gone close through Yannick Bolasie, who fired Zaha’s cute cutback wastefully over the bar, then even closer when Leon Cort hacked Owen Garvan’s unconvincing effort off the line, again from Zaha’s intelligent probing; Bolasie was equally off target after cutting inside Wilson.

At the other end, Bradley Wright-Phillips came within straining inches of converting Bradley Pritchard’s dipping cross at the far post before, just past the half hour, becoming the centre of a controversy which rubbed salt into Powell’s painfully concealed irritation.

Cynically fouled by Mile Jedinak as he escaped the Australian’s attentions dangerously close to goal, Wright-Phillips appeared to have delivered the perfect riposte moments later. Losing his marker as Cort nodded Wilson’s flighted free kick back from the far post, the slim marksman buried an emphatic header past Julian Speroni; his celebrations were instantly stifled by an offside verdict which must charitably be excused as an honest mistake. TV replays clarified later that Cort was indisputably onside, as was Wright-Phillips, lent legitimacy by the prone figure of Darcy Blake, who had lost his footing and lay clearly goalside of the “scorer” as Cort headed forward and the striker made his move.

Calm and collected, Powell graciously accepted the apology of the offending official but quietly made the point that, at 1-0, the direction of this important game would have been altered. His equally youthful opposite number, Dougie Freedman, tentatively agreed but just as quietly observed that “some you get, some you don’t.” With Yann Kermorgant’s contentiously disallowed effort against Hull City still fresh in his memory, Powell would be forgiven for wondering whether he had somehow missed a turn. Anyway, Freeman got this one and, for a second time, Powell didn’t. That’s just how it’s going for Charlton at the moment.

Relieved by the escape, the Eagles got on top. Zaha drove wide, then Bolasie dragged a low shot across goal. Johnnie Jackson’s free kick provided Speroni with a little exercise before the interval but the momentum was with the confident visitors. Shortly after the break, they grabbed the lead their superiority had been threatening.

A spate of right wing corners, swung in wickedly by Garvan, proved Charlton’s undoing. The latest of them was headed back deliberately by Damien Delaney, skilfully chest-controlled by Kagisho Dikgacoi and lashed violently past Ben Hamer. Once again, though for different reasons, the celebrations behind the away goal were mighty.

Powell responded by introducing Ricardo Fuller for a strangely muted Jackson, with the newcomer making an immediate impact. Meeting Wilson’s precisely angled pass from the right byline, Fuller blazed an acceptable chance wide. He was wayward again when heading Solly’s cross past the left post, before sending a wildly deflected drive against the bar, with Speroni grasping at air. As the Addicks desperately tightened the screw, Palace wilted as Forest had done in similar circumstances two weeks ago.

Once again, unhappily, the Addicks came up short, certainly through no fault of Hamer’s. Joining the onslaught as Dale Stephens prepared a last gasp corner from the left, the keeper met the inswinger with a firm header, which beat Speroni but not Garvan, who capped an influential contribution by alertly clearing off the line. The never-say-die Hamer was far from finished, sending the rebound over the bar with an ambitious, overhead effort, adding to the frustration piled on over 18,00 of the fans inside The Valley. This defeat was a disaster and if Rudyard Kipling was still around, most of them would have been happy to explain why. Bloody poets. Never in touch with real life. Get down the football, mate. Then you might know what you’re talking about.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Wiggins (Wilson 22), Pritchard (Green 77), Stephens, Hollands, Jackson (Fuller 58), Wright-Phillips, Kermorgant. Not used: Button, Dervite, Kerkar, Smith. Booked: Wilson, Stephens.

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Blake, Ramage, Delaney, Parr, Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Zaha (Ward 90), Garvan, Bolasie (Williams 74), Murray (Wilbraham 87). Not used: Price, Moxey, Moritz, Goodwillie. Booked: Jedinak, Bolasie, Murray.

Referee: A. Bates. Att: 21,730.

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

Nottingham Forest 2 (McGugan 18, Hutchinson 75) Charlton 1 (Camp o.g.88).

Kevin Nolan reports from the City Ground.

Beaten comfortably despite the deceptively narrow scoreline, Charlton were handed another reminder that the Championship will present a far stiffer challenge than League One, through which they cruised last season. There’s a world of difference in the levels which makes the nature of this defeat- as much as the defeat itself- a matter for concern.

During the first half at the City Ground, they chased shadows as Forest effortlessly passed, moved and hogged possession. Pushed firmly on to the back foot and unrecognisable from the eager, energetic side that took the fight to Birmingham City in their opening away game, the Addicks were as much surprised as grateful to retire at half-time only a goal down. A goal which, incidentally, was warmly disputed.

At the break, Forest themselves might have rued the lack of killer instinct which had let their hapless victims off the hook. The 8th minute miss by Adlene Guedioura was typical of their profligacy. Set up by Andy Reid’s astute cutback from the left byline, the Algerian international blasted wildly against the crossbar.

Guedioura’s blushes were spared less than ten minutes later when his side grabbed a slightly contentious lead. In an innocuous scuffle with Simon Cox on the left touchline, Chris Solly’s six-of-one offence was no more illegal than Cox’s half-dozen-of-the-other riposte. What should diplomatically have been a Charlton throw was ruled, by easily influenced referee Graham Salisbury, to be a Forest free kick, which is where setpiece specialist Lewis McGugan came into his own. McGugan’s right-footed delivery zipped through a congested penalty area, deceived a distracted Ben Hamer and found the bottom far corner.

The goal was no more than dominant Forest deserved, though they proved reluctant to build on the advantage. McGugan went close with a quickthinking snapshot, which deflected off Leon Cort, wrongfooted Hamer, but flew wide. Another effort from the talented midfielder was fielded competently by Hamer before the break.

Having failed to “turn up”, Charlton had completed the first period without troubling Lee Camp. A minute after resumption, Jordan Cook’s low drive at least caused Camp brief embarrassment but there was little else to worry Forest. Instead, the Trentsiders turned the screw again, with Guedioura’s vicious drive deflecting to safety off a colleague, before Cox broke away to shoot tamely at Hamer. Their lack of ruthlessness was leaving them vulnerable, even to toothless opposition such as this when they apparently moved into clear water with a brilliant, though again slightly controversial, second goal.

If Solly’s earlier “offence” was deemed illegal, then the hefty challenge from Dexter Blackstock which flattened Rhoys Wiggins simply had to be outside the law. Not so, ruled Salisbury, and Blackstock certainly made the most of his leniency. His adroitly scooped pass was skilfully controlled on his chest by rampaging right back Sam Hutchinson and slotted coolly past the advancing Hamer. At last Forest – and their increasingly anxious supporters – could relax. Or could they?

Danny Haynes had already replaced Cook in a bid to add extra pace but it was the 81st minute introductions of Salim Kerkar and Ricardo Fuller, which sent shock waves coursing through suddenly spooked Forest.

Powerful and experienced, Fuller terrorised the Midlanders. His breathtaking control of a huge Hamer punt announced his arrival before, with three minutes of normal time remaining, he was the catalyst in reducing the newly galvanised visitors’ arrears. Perfectly positioned as Solly sprinted on to Yann Kermorgant’s through pass, the seasoned veteran hit the right post with a firm header; the rebound struck Camp’s leg on its way back and dribbled over the line.

Camp’s inadvertent own goal panicked his side. From complete control, they were reduced to an anywhere-will-do rabble, hanging on for dear life to a victory which had seemed a matter of routine until self-doubt riddled their ranks. They were living on their nerves as Fuller broke through weak challenges on the right byline and crossed for Kerkar to volley against Daniel Ayala’s body, with optimistic appeals for a penalty rightly dismissed by the ubiquitous Salisbury. No chance of this pedantic official righting two earlier wrongs with a book-balancing third intervention in Charlton’s favour. Too much to ask. Not that they really deserved a break anyway.

Nottm Forest: Camp, Hutchinson, Ayala, Collins, Halford, McGugan (Moussi 83), Guedioura, Gillett, Reid, Coppinger (86), Blackstock, Cox (Sharp 80). Not used: Evtimov, Harding, Moloney, Majewski. Booked: Giedioura, Blackstock, Cox.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Wiggins, Pritchard, Hollands (Kerkar 81), Cook (Haynes 59), Jackson, Wright-Phillips (Fuller 81), Kermorgant. Not used: Button, Green, Wilson, Dervite. Booked: Hamer, Morrison, Jackson.

Referee: Graham Salisbury. Att: 19,745.

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

Charlton 0 Hull City 0

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

In the aftermath of their brief, unequal struggle in the Premier League, Hull City have comfortably found their feet back in the Championship. A respectable 11th position in 2010-11 was improved by a solid 8th placed finish last season – eight points short of the play-offs. As an accurate gauge of Charlton’s credentials at this higher level, the Tigers fitted the bill perfectly.

Still unbeaten after three stern tests, the Addicks can be pleased with this hard won point. They might, in fact, have grabbed all three but for the intervention of an over-zealous linesman, whose hasty -and, frankly, incomprehensible offside flag- denied them a second half winner. In a game of inches, this boss-eyed decision was miles out.

The naked eye suggested- and subsequent TV evidence established- that Bradley Wright-Phillips was clearly onside when he bustled possession away from a startled Abdoulaye Faye before having his shot alertly parried by Ben Amos. From the edge of the penalty area, Yann Kermorgant efficently speared the rebound into the centre of Amos’ goal but had his celebrations cruelly cut short. Football’s masonic secrecy denied us an explanation at the time, while the Football League show typically tackled the issue by sidestepping the incident later on; controversy is anathema to Maniche and the gang. They were similarly reticent in dealing with Joe Dudgeon’s arms-aloft handling of Bradley Pritchard’s shot in the late going. Least said, soonest mended, that’s their watchword.

That’s not to deny that City were well worth their share of the spoils. Fluent, organised and confident, they were a different breed altogether from last season’s petrified League One sides, whose preoccupation it was to stifle enterprise in search of survival. The Humbersiders might well have won this lively game if they hadn’t encountered Ben Hamer in sparkling form.

Slow to win grudging acceptance at an initially reluctant Valley, after Rob Elliot chose lucrative obscurity at Newcastle over hard graft at home, Hamer was a vital cog in Charlton’s title-winning machine. As an English-born goalkeeper, his rich promise at this higher level will hopefully remain a well-kept secret until one of our Continent-obsessed Premier League managers comes to his senses.

Cool and composed, Hamer began a fine afternoon’s work by denying Sone Aluko at close range. Played through by Corry Evans, the elusive Nigerian drew a bead on the near corner but by “making himself big”, the 24 year-old blocked the shot, with Nick Proschwitz making a hash of converting the rebound.

In City’s goal, meanwhile, young Manchester United loanee Amos was proving equally difficult to beat. His early sprawling save from Wright-Phillips crisp drive was bettered by the effort he produced to deny the luckless Kermorgant in the 37th minute. Meeting Johnnie Jackson’s low centre on the volley, the Frenchman’s whiplashed volley was screaming inside the left post until Amos plunged full length to save. At both ends, we were being treated to goalkeeping of outstanding quality.

Acquired from Glasgow Rangers in the wake of the Scottish giants’ fall from grace, Aluko was a mobile handful. Immediately after the break, a magnificent tackle by Rhoys Wiggins was required to halt the Nigerian striker in his tracks. A minute later, the disallowed “goal” took the wind out of the Addicks’ sails but, in a torrential downpour, the exchanges between these well-matched sides continued unabated. In Wagnerian harmony, thunder crashed, lightning flashed but the action raged unabated. Betrayed by the suddenly treacherous conditions, big Leon Cort slipped momentarily but recovered to dispossess Proschwitz. With the Addicks weakening, Robert Koren’s volley slipped past the right post as the Tigers got on top.

Deep into added time, the visitors were denied twice, nay thrice, by Hamer. The double save which kept out substitute Jay Simpson and Aluko was stunning; responding to Simpson’s low point-blank effort, Hamer could do no more than instinctively beat the ball to Aluko’s feet; throwing out a reflex left hand, he miraculously diverted the dead cert follow-up past his left post. Confirmation of his heroics to a gobsmacked crowd was provided by the award of a corner; most of them were searching for the ball in the net. Hamer’s safe handling of Simpson’s last gasp shot on the turn was routine by comparison. It ensured the goalless draw which was no more than two fine young goalkeepers deserved. Charlton have stepped up in class and are coping well. Could have been even better, though, but for that interfering linesman!

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Wiggins, Pritchard, Hollands, Stephens, Jackson. Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips. Not used: Sullivan, Dervite, Green, Kerkar, Cook, Wilson, Smith.

Hull City: Amos, Rosenior, Faye, Chester, Dudgeon, Evans, Bruce (McShane 63), Koren, McKenna, Aluko, Proschwitz (Simpson 72). Not used: Oxley, Stewart, McLean, Cairney, Olofinjana.

Referee: Simon Hooper. Att: 16,202.

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

Charlton 2 (Wright-Phillips 19, Kermorgant 33) Leicester City 1 (King 54).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

With Charlton hanging on grimly to a narrow 2-1 lead, a collective groan greeted the announcement that four additional minutes would be played in this riproaring game. Football fans have notoriously retentive memories anyway but, in this case, only 72 hours had elapsed since the Addicks succumbed to an equaliser during four overtime minutes in Bimingham. The wounds were still raw, the hurt still palpable. It wouldn’t do – wouldn’t do at all – to cave in again. That could send shock waves rippling through this fledgling season. The harm could be incalculable.

Needless to say, the finish was fraught, never more so than when Jamie Vardy rose unchallenged to a right wing cross but, with the whole goal to aim at, headed straight at Ben Hamer. Even then Charlton weren’t home and hosed; Anthony Knockaert won a right corner off the redoubtable Leon Cort, visiting goalkeeper KasparSchmeichel complicated the penalty area throng, a bloodied Michael Morrison departed for treatment and anarchy ensued before the final whistle sent The Valley into ecstasy. And some people find football boring!

Exactly why Charlton found themseves in such a hair-raising predicament is difficult to explain. Heartened by their performance, if not the result at St. Andrews, they picked up where they left off and promised to handle fancied Leicester with ease. They didn’t start well, to be fair, with Cort’s key block denying Jermaine Beckford, before Lloyd Dyer ruined Beckford’s cute pass with cockeyed finishing. And they were still finding their feet when Danny Drinkwater exploited a rare slip by Rhoys Wiggins to play Vardy into one-on-one confrontation with Ben Hamer; the in-form keeper won the duel and the escape duly inspired his side into reprisal they capped with a 19th minute opener.

A revelation last season, rookie Bradley Pritchard continues to improve. His determined run was frankly petering out until the loose ball was snapped up by Bradley Wright-Phillips outside City’s penalty area. Without hesitation, Charlton’s sureshot opened his 2012-13 account by cracking a first-time, turf-trimming drive into the bottom left corner. Finishing of such quality is instinctive.

The lead filled the home side with confidence. Boosted by raucous support, they hunted the Foxes mercilessly and it was no surprise that they doubled their lead a quarter hour later through one of the most popular players on the field. Popular, that is, with all bar 1,628 fans who were mocking him in the away end.

Yann Kermorgant has issues with Leicester City since missing a play-off penalty, under extravagant circumstances, a couple of years ago. As previously mentioned, football fans never forget and the big Breton was practically hounded out of the Walkers Stadium as a direct result. On Tuesday evening, his name was booed, his every move barracked. And wouldn’t you just know that it was Kermorgant who stuffed the insults down his detractors’ throats with an expertly taken second goal? Keeling over sideways as Danny Hollands’ long throw from the right was partially cleared to him, his crisp volley nestled inside the left post with Schmeichel utterly beaten. Given the dog’s abuse he’d been receiving, his restraint was admirable. But his point had been made. And revenge was sweet.

Pulling themselves together before the break, City served notice that the second half might not prove as comfortable for the Addicks. Valley alumnus Paul Konchesky unnerved them with a hard, low cross that the luckless Vardy failed to contact at point blank range. Charlton had been warned.

Already booked, uncompromising centre back Wes Morgan conceded the second half’s first free kick by barging into Kermorgant’s back. Setpiece expert Johnnie Jackson flighted his delivery for the top right corner but Schmeichel took off spectacularly to save two-handed. City took instant heart.

Seven minutes after the break, the arrears were reduced by substitute Andy King. Right-sided midfielder Ben Marshall created the chance by eluding Wiggins to whip over a low cross which King confidently swept past Hamer. The pendulum had swung decisively and though Wright-Phillips went close with another of his low drives, David Nugent was even closer with an effort which whizzed harmlessly across goal. Vardy picked his way through but shot tamely at Hamer, as did Dyer who lost his nerve in front of an open goal and almost obliged the grateful keeper with the timidity of his effort.

It was essential that Charlton survived and survive they did, though haggard and haunted at the end of a torrid examination. They have stepped up in class; the division they left last May lags light years behind the company they’ll be keeping this season. They’ve already closed the gap but now the hard part begins. Don’t bet against this gritty side making the grade.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Wiggins, Pritchard, Hollands, Stephens (Wilson 81), Jackson (Kerkar 87), Wright-Phillips (Cook 90), Kermorgant. Not used: Sullivan, Taylor, Green, Smith.

Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky, Marshall (Knockaert 64), James (King 46), Drinkwater, Dyer, Vardy, Beckford (Nugent 46). Not used: Logan, Danns, Waghorn, Schlupp.

Referee: F. Graham. Att: 16,658 (1,628 Leicester).

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

Birmingham City 1 (Zigic 90+3) Charlton 1 (Cort 82)

Kevin Nolan reports from St. Andrews.

A desperately late equaliser, lashed home by beanpole Serbian Nikola Zigic in the the third of four added minutes, denied Charlton deserved victory at sunsplashed St. Andrews. Their crisp, assured football seemed to have been capped by the perfect result until the 6’7″ substitute struck. Disappointment was inevitable but more sober reflection will bring with it the consolation that an away point at one of the Championship’s more grudging venues amounts to a more than useful result.

It’s encouraging to report that the Addicks adapted seamlessly to life at a higher level. Only their inability to convert at least one of several clearcut first half chances let them down. It’s part of football’s folklore that if you fail to turn superiority into the hard currency of goals, you pay for your carelessness. And not for the first time, so it proved.

City were hardly slouches themselves. They began brightly, with Marlon King’s teasing cross headed clear by a straining Leon Cort, then Peter Lovenkrands’ low snapshot stretching Ben Hamer. But the confident visitors promptly responded through Johnnie Jackson, who glanced Dale Stephens’ inswinging corner narrowly wide, then headed Rhoys Wiggins’ precise centre inches too high. The skipper’s own delicious cross eluded Bradley Wright-Phillips but was awkwardly bundled over the bar by Yann Kermorgant at the far post. Though hardly rampant, Charlton gradually silenced this most raucous and one-eyed of crowds.

A scintillating game between fancied sides continued to entertain as Lovenkrands wriggled in from the left touchline, eluded Chris Solly, but chipped tamely into Hamer’s hands. His poised midfield colleague, Ravel Morrison – one of Alex Ferguson’s rare admissions of man-management failure at Old Trafford – caught the solo mood and shot dangerously wide after positive running created space to try his luck. The last word before the break belonged to Kermorgant, who picked up Wright-Phillips’ pass only to shoot straight at Blues’ debutant goalkeeper Jack Butland.

There was further good news for Charlton in a competitive second half. By now settled to their task, they had the better of a side hotly tipped to be among the division’s front runners. With Dale Stephens providing foot-on-the-ball calmness as the midfield fulcrum, brilliant full backs Solly and Wiggins picking up precisely where they left off last May and Leon Cort outshining even the excellent Michael Morrison inside them, the Addicks had enough about them to suggest that the upcoming campaign is nothing to be feared.

A great block by Morrison was needed to stop King but the momentum was with the Addicks. Clever combination featuring Kermorgant’s incisive and Bradley Pritchard’s accurate delivery from the right touchline set up yet another headed chance for Jackson, which was again bulleted off target.

That the Blues were far from finished was proved by King, who rolled Cort before driving harmlessly at Hamer. Jackson provided an immediate riposte with a low drive, saved smartly by the precocious Butland, before highly regarded substitute Nathan Redmond wasted an opening luckily created by King, snatching at a shot into the near sidenet.

Abruptly, the Championship new boys broke through. A long throw from Danny Hollands forced City captain Steven Caldwell to concede a right wing corner, which was swung in at the second attempt by Jackson; alert substitute Jordan Cook and Kermorgant engaged in a spot of head tennis at opposite posts, leaving Cort to nod downward past Butland from no more than a yard. The celebrations were mighty but Charlton were not yet home and dry.

With nothing to lose, new Birmingham boss Lee Clark rushed the lanky Zigic into the fray. Powell instantly countered with Matt Taylor replacing Jackson, in anticipation of an aerial bombardment. It was not without irony, therefore, that the sickening body blow was delivered by Zigic’s left foot. With the home side turning Charlton’s penalty area into a disorderly mob scene, Butland’s huge, hopeful Hail Mary punt was the last throw -or kick- of the dice. A lucky bounce favoured the massive sub but his 15-yard finish low into the bottom left corner was cool and clinical. There’s nothing quite like the last-kick goal. It’s the cause of wild celebration among its recipients, accompanied by the sound of the bottom dropping out of the world of its victims.

Arch-pragmatist Powell won’t be fooled. Whatever the late dramatics, the scoreline was 1-1, an eminently satisfactory result in a difficult opening game, one he might have accepted if offered it before kick-off. Pity about the unexpected setback but there you go. It happens to all of us at one time or another. Charlton played well. Very well. They’re off and running. See how they go.

Birmingham: Butland, Packwood (Spector 64), Caldwell, Davies, Murphy, Burke, Mullins, Morrison (Redmond 64), Ambrose, King, Lovenkrands (Zigic 86). Not used: Doyle, Ibanez, Elliott, Rooney.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Cort, Wiggins, Pritchard, Hollands, Stephens, Jackson (Taylor 89), Wright-Phillips (Cook 77), Kermorgant. Not used: Sullivan. Green, Kerkar, Wilson, Smith.

Referee: Gary Sutton.  Att: 18,210 (1,637 Charlton).

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

Newly sponsored by some absolutely spiffing chaps, I didn’t get off to the best of starts last Tuesday. Somehow I mixed up Shrewsbury with Chesterfield and ended up describing Shrewsbury as the “Spireites.” Nobody picked up on it, which only goes to show that there’s never a pedant around when you need one. This is not my first brush with sponsorship. I did a sponsored silence once and was left speechless by the enthusiastic response I received.

Charlton 1 (Wagstaff 28) Leyton Orient 1 (Baudry 45) a.e.t. Leyton Orient won 4-3 on penalties.

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

A tortuously uphill Capital One Cup struggle with local rivals Leyton Orient, ending in penalty shoot-out defeat after extra time, was hardly the morale-boosting start to the season visualised by Charlton boss Chris Powell.

Cutting an increasingly frustrated figure as his side struggled to cope with their fired-up visitors, the Addicks’ normally ice-cool boss blew his top after disputing referee Gavin Ward’s decision that Cedric Evina had fouled substitute Michael Symes and was deported to the stands midway through the second half of normal time. When his penalty banker, skipper Johnnie Jackson, placed the first shoot-out spotkick too close to young goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, an incandescent Powell must surely have known that Charlton wouldn’t be featuring in the second round draw. New boy Lawrie Wilson was even more wasteful with his effort and although Ben Chorley provided brief hope by missing the East Londoners’ fourth penalty, teenager Ryan Brunt showed admirable composure to confirm Orient’s place in Round Two.

Facing 46 league games in a far tougher division than the one they sailed through last season, Powell shouldn’t experience too much difficulty in locating a silver lining to this particular cloud. In fact, his sleep will probably be dreamless. It’s his priority to consolidate Charlton’s place in the Championship and the distractions of a frequently re-branded Cup competition, with no tradition and less romance, won’t be missed.

Not that Charlton were sent out to lose, of course. Perish the thought. It’s just that they somehow find novel ways not to win every season. It’s a delicate balancing act they perform with practised ease. Not too long ago, they found themselves 3-0 up at Shewsbury but pulled it back to 4-3. That showed those conniving Spireites. No way were they allowed to dodge the second round.

A reasonably entertaining game was launched by French Algerian newcomer Salim Kerkar shooting wide after a determined solo run, before Charlton old boy Kevin Lisbie spun sharply to force Ben Hamer into a tumbling save at his right post. Hamer was less impressive in attempting to find right back Wilson but instead rolling a short free kick against Matt Taylor’s unwitting legs. Another Charlton alumnus, David Mooney, tried to find the empty net from 25 yards but missed the target.

An even encounter was rocking along when, after 28 minutes, the home side grabbed the lead. And though the goal was tinged with luck, it also featured the most sumptuous pass from promising left midfielder Jordan Cook, who used Cedric Evina’s decoy run to play Scott Wagstaff into space outside left back Gary Sawyer. Shooting crisply on the run for the far corner, Wagstaff’s effort would probably have been saved by Allsop but Sawyer’s desperate sliding block diverted the ball away from the diving keeper into the bottom near corner.

The lead might have been instantly doubled but Danny Green’s sidefooted drive sent Michael Smith’s clever set-up curling wide of the right post. Orient replied through Jimmy Smith, whose cute volley returned Leon Cort’s header inches off target, then went one better by equalising, not entirely unexpectedly, in first half added time.

As the Addicks came under steady pressure, Cort was hurried into conceding a right wing corner, which Sawyer swung in wickedly for French midfielder Mathieu Baudry to head unstoppably past a hesitant Hamer. It was no more than the visitors deserved.

Three minutes after the break, ironically as it turned out, Mooney was handed the chance to spare everyone the marathon which lay ahead. Needlessly tripped by Wilson near the left byline, the Irishman drove a penalty against Hamer’s crossbar. You just can’t help some people sometimes.

Green was proving an inconsistent handful and it was his left wing corner, following Allsop’s brave block on Danny Hollands, which soared across goal to rebound off the far post. Green’s luck was clearly out; his free kick, following Symes’ careless handball, beat a poorly positioned Allsop but smacked harmlessly against the left post. At the other end, Hamer saved smartly from Dean Cox and again from Brunt, who exploited Green’s lack of resolve to break clear but shot weakly, with Symes unmarked in space to his right.

Unwanted and unloved, extra-time wore relentlessly on, with Baudry chesting Cort’s header, from Jackson’s corner, off the line, then Evina doing the same to keep out Scott Cuthbert’s point-blank effort. This one was clearly heading for penalties and with Jackson and Bradley Wright-Phillips introduced for the final 15 minutes, the Addicks seemed in good shape for the dramatic denouement. And, depending on your point of view, how right (or wrong) we were!

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Cort, Taylor, Evina, Green, Hollands, Kerkar (Pritchard 100), Cook (Jackson 105), Wagstaff, Smith (Wright-Phillips 105). Not used: Sullivan, Morrison, Solly, Hayes.

Orient: Allsop, James, Cuthbert, Clarke (Chorley 96), Sawyer, Cox, Baudry, Griffith, Smith, Lisbie ( Brunt 83), Mooney ( Symes 64). Not used: McSweeney, Laird, Odubajo, Grainger.

Referee: Gavin Ward. Att: 5,914.

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

Charlton 3 (Hollands 71, Haynes 77, Kermorgant 81) Hartlepool United 2 (Hartley 31, Liddle 87).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Anxious to wrap up their barnstorming title-winning campaign in style, Charlton pulled out all the stops with an action-packed, all-singing, all-dancing warm-up show on Saturday. Prior to kick-off, a seam-busting crowd was treated to sopranos, a bearded lady, tightrope walkers, acrobats, tenors, trapeze artists, a bloke being shot out of a cannon, stilt-walkers and then almost as an afterthought, a football match against Hartlepool United.

OK, hands up, I made some of that up but you had to be there. The pitch was a hive of swarming activity and by the time the Red Red Robin had finally gone bob bob bobbing along and these parachute chaps arrived with the match ball, we were all convinced there was no business like show business. So it was irritating to be called to order by referee Iain Williamson, who reminded us why we were there.

Standing patiently by while the extravaganza unfolded, the visitors could be excused for losing focus. Mind you, their own contribution wasn’t exactly a model of sobriety, what with over 150 Smurfs on duty in the away end. It was all peculiarly English, like those photos of a deadly serious candidate at important elections standing shoulder to shoulder with some lunatic in a gorilla suit, a top hat and napkin folded in his neck, representing the “Free Tuck for Public School Apes” party. I mean, you don’t see that in America. They’d shoot the gorilla just to be on the safe side.

Sent out by Chris Powell to crown their campaign with a cockle-warming win, Charlton started brightly enough. A cross from Chris Solly was nodded down by Yann Kermorgant, driven against the lunging Jack Baldwin by Bradley Wright-Phillips and ballooned over the bar by Scott Wagstaff. Another chance fell quickly to Wright-Phillips but was topped wide, while at the other end, Neil Austin’s corner was punched out by Ben Hamer and hooked narrowly over the bar by Gary Liddle. United had clearly not travelled merely to make up the numbers and it was only mildly surprising that they grabbed the lead just past the half hour.

One of those misunderstandings which have marred Charlton’s rock-like defence from time to time saw Hamer and Michael Morrison, under modest pressure from Ryan Noble, concede a needless left wing corner. Their organisation was further disrupted by the simultaneous replacement of hamstring victim Johnnie Jackson by Danny Haynes and when Neil Austin finally delivered the flagkick, unmarked centre back Peter Hartley made easy work of turning the ball past Hamer.

The prospect of losing their last game after making such a fuss of it was spur enough for the Addicks. Wright-Phillips should have equalised, after another of Kermorgant’s clever flicks, but dragged his shot across Scott Flinders and wide of the far post. Instead, they came within inches of falling further behind in added time, with Andy Monkhouse bending a drive dangerously close to the right corner.

Soon after the break, Charlton again diced with disaster. Following Morrison’s foul on Noble on the edge of his penalty area, Austin’s curling free kick was brilliantly saved by Hamer. Unstoppable in the air, meanwhile, Kermorgant carefully cushioned Rhoys Wiggins’ accurate cross down to Wright-Phillips, who volleyed wildly into an increasingly exasperated crowd. What the visitors had they intended to hold, as Darren Holden’s magnificent block to deny Kermorgant a close range chance demonstrated. But they were sensationally taken apart by an irresistible three-goal burst within ten minutes as Charlton reminded us why they are runaway champions of League One.

The quickfire salvo was launched by Danny Hollands, who met Rhoys Wiggins’ waist-high corner with a whiplashed left-footed volley which scorched past Flinders. The suddenly besieged keeper stemmed the tide temporarily with a quite marvellous save to frustrate Kermorgant but the Addicks were not to be denied long. Another left wing corner from Wiggins was half cleared, returned by Matt Taylor and headed home emphatically by Haynes.
Four minutes later, man-of-the-match Kermorgant made it three with Charlton’s last goal of the 2011-2012 season and what a corker it was. Meeting Bradley Pritchard’s flighted cross beyond the far post, his replica of Marco Van Basten’s fabled volley from an impossible angle flashed over Flinders and nestled inside the far corner of the net. Did he mean it? Of course he meant it. Would that question be asked if Wayne Rooney had struck such an exquisite volley? Did they doubt Van Basten? Trust me, he meant it.

Charlton being lovably Charlton, the luxury of coasting to victory was denied them by a late reply from Liddle, whose shot from 20 yards caught a helpful deflection and found the top right corner of Hamer’s net. Ultimately it didn’t matter because The Valley was ready to party and was in no mood for frustration. Who needed the Cup Final anyway? Not the FA, that’s for sure. They’d kick it into touch, given half a chance. Still, we got home for the highlights.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Taylor, Wiggins, Wagstaff (Pritchard 65), Hollands, Stephens, Jackson (Haynes 30), Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips (Euell 83). Not used: Sullivan, Cort.

Hartlepool: Flinders, Austin, Baldwin, Hartley, Holden, Humphreys (James 74), Liddle, Sweeney, Murray (Poole 82), Monkhouse, Noble. Not used: Rafferty, Collins, Boyd.

Referee: Iain Williamson. Attendance: 26,749.

N.B. These reports have been a joy to write, even when I had most of Yorkshire on my case and all because I pointed out that Ray Charles refereed us at Huddersfield. It was either him or David Blunkett. Hard to tell. But we soldier on next season in the Championship. I stand ready to offer my services again in 2012-2013 and hope to see you all then. Barkis was willing. So is Nolan.

Preston North End 2 (Hunt 55, Alexander 90) Charlton 2 (Haynes 10, N,Guessan 34).

Kevin Nolan reports from Deepdale.

It took the most implausibly romantic conclusion to an otherwise routine encounter to keep Charlton waiting another week in their quest for a record-busting 100 points. If you saw this ending at the pictures, you’d be tempted to bunk out rather than in. Or if you’d paid to get in, at least ask for your money back. Even James Cameron or Julian Fellowes would disown this schmaltz.

The Addicks were hanging on to a 2-1 lead with six minutes remaining when locally unpopular Preston boss Graham Westley unexpectedly succumbed to a scrupulously concealed, sentimental side of his nature. Bowing to mounting pressure, he sent on 40-year old substitute Graham Alexander to bring down the curtain on a distinguished career, comprising 1023 first class games, 420 of them in Preston’s famous white shirt. What happened next is the very stuff of legend.

Slotting in at right back, Alexander had managed only a couple of workmanlike touches when Carl Cort was ruled to have impeded Chris Holroyd, as the striker eluded him at the edge of Charlton’s penalty area. A palpable air of pre-ordination accompanied the grizzled veteran’s wonderful free kick, bent around a four-man wall and expertly inside the right post. As Deepdale erupted in unrestrained homage to one of their own, Alexander was pedantically booked for excessive celebration. He was, as you might imagine, visibly shaken by his draconian punishment.

Charlton’s last gasp setback stirred up again the misgivings of many among a sizeable contingent of supporters, who had had confirmed their suspicions that Chris Powell was another manager in indulgent late-season mood. No fewer than eight changes had been made to the side which beat Wycombe Wanderers a week ago. The three survivors were Chris Solly, Cort and Bradley Pritchard but such is the affection for the boss that slack was willingly cut in his favour. His decisions are more often than not spot-on.

At half-time, Powell’s adjustments hardly seemed to matter anyway. His replacement Addicks had toyed with their opposition, cruising into a two-goal lead that might have been doubled by better finishing. North End’s resistance had been tissue-thin as deputy strikers Danny Haynes and Dan N’Guessan helped themselves to a goal apiece. There wasn’t even a hint that fortunes were to change so dramatically after the break.

With his first goal for the club, Haynes had efficiently fired the visitors into an early lead. Put through by Danny Hollands’ cleverly lofted pass, the pacy forward made light of his encirclement by a posse of defenders, among them advancing goalkeeper Andreas Arestidou, instead turning deliberately to plant a low drive into the bottom right corner.

Twenty minutes later, Preston self-imploded again, as Arestidou rolled out a routine ball to David Gray, but was left stranded by the right back’s distractedly feeble return. Fastening on to the gift, N’Guessan stepped neatly around the stranded keeper, before tapping Charlton’s second goal into his vacated net.

There hadn’t been much to worry the champions, apart from John Sullivan’s clumsy handling of Paul Coutts’ awkward low drive and a farcically skewed attempt by Jamie Proctor to exploit an error by Hollands. At the other end, Danny Green’s clever free kick rapped a post and Haynes’ failure to chip Pritchard’s weighted pass over Arestidou seemed no more than a minor irritation. But, imperceptibly, the balance of power had shifted.

It was another old-timer who put Preston back into contention with a rare goal ten minutes after the break. Switched to right back, following Gray’s withdrawal at half-time, Nicky Hunt chanced his arm from 25 yards as Haynes’ headed clearance of Danny Mayor’s corner dropped at his feet. His well struck low volley unerringly found the left corner, a feat he instantly marked by picking up a booking for fouling Green. Hunt then capped an eventful few minutes by making a determined bid for football’s roll-over record when Green retaliated, his thespian excellence ensuring that his assailant joined him in the book.

A second fumble by Sullivan, in dealing with another innocuous low shot, betrayed Charlton’s growing nerves. He was indebted to Cort for kicking Craig Morgan’s point-blank effort off the line but might- or, indeed, might not – have been poorly positioned to deal with Alexander’s free kick. Hard to tell, really, such was the quality of the strike.

So this was a worthy old pro’s day, one of those moving occasions when reality for once takes a back seat to fantasy. Twenty one years in first class football came down to one parting shot of inspiration. We were involuntary extras in one of those gloopy, feel-nauseous flicks, all full of portentous lectures about following your dream, climbing every mountain and searching for the hero inside yourself. The estimable Alexander did all that and more. But there won’t be a sequel, because he’s heading off into the sunset, probably to reach for some stars and be true to himself and and all that soul searching stuff. Charlton won’t be sorry to see the back of him.

PNE: Arestidou, Gray (Hayhurst 46), Robertson (Aneke 70), Morgan, Wright, Coutts, Hunt, Ehmer (Alexander 84), Mayor, Proctor, Holroyd. Not used: Procter, Cummins.

Charlton: Sullivan, Solly, Taylor, Cort, Evina, Green (Jackson 68), Hollands, Pritchard, Cook (Wagstaff 39), Haynes, N’Guessan (Hayes 83). Not used: Hamer, Morrison.

Referee: Kevin Friend. Attendance: 12,029.