Shrewsbury Town 1 (Norburn 90+4) Charlton 1 (Watson 72)

A last kick penalty, nervelessly converted by Ollie Norburn, dealt Charlton's promotion ambitions another sickening blow in Shropshire on Saturday. After staggering through intense pressure during a torrid last quarter hour, they were within seconds of making off with three precious points when they imploded. And as long as football matches are decided on the playing field and not in small claims court, whether they deserved them doesn't matter, not even as a moot point. You deserve what the scoreline says you deserve. That's how it works in football.

It's the nature of the grand old game, of course, that Shrewsbury will be far more pleased with their point than their loftier visitors. A last gasp equaliser makes a draw feel like a victory, whereas the Addicks felt like the stuffing had been knocked out of them. Their own goal had been scored in the game's later stages but triggered an almost instant wave of panic through the ranks. As the desperate home side drove them back, they were opposed -at times single-handedly - by Ben Amos, whose series of brilliant saves brought his beleaguered side to the brink of victory. You might even say that Amos deserved to end up a winner.

One last conclusive clearance would have done trick as the last of four added minutes ebbed away when Albie Morgan popped up on the edge of the penalty area to lend a hand. Unhappily his agricultural attempt to help out his defence was badly sliced back towards Charlton's goal. Akin Famewo did his best to solve the airborne problem but its treacherous flight deceived him and allowed substitute Dave Edwards to fasten on to the elusive ball. Dangerous but still with a lot to do among a throng of opponents, Edwards was no doubt delighted to make contact with Chris Gunter's unwisely inserted foot and understandably made the most of it. The spotkick was inevitable, skipper Norburn made cool work of drilling it past and Charlton's most recent gift to League One's needy was signed, sealed and duly delivered. Bludgeoned by Burton, finessed by MK Dons, their pockets picked by Shrewsbury; AFC Wimbledon are next in the queue for a handout.

Ringing his usual changes, the most notable of which welcomed Jason Pearce back to the colours, preferred Jake Forster-Caskey to Albie Morgan in midfield and obstinately named Omar Bogle over Chuks Aneke, Lee Bowyer can hardly be accused of dithering. His controversial first half withdrawal of Bogle recently showed his ruthless side. At Shrewsbury, he replaced an ineffectual Ryan Gilbey with Jonny Williams on 62 minutes before hooking Williams and rushing on Adam Matthews with five minutes left. A clear signal to the lowly home side had been made. Charlton were at bay, their backs to the wall and unapologetically desperate to hang on to what they had. Not exactly the attitude expected of a member of the division's elite but, there you go, needs must…

Nothing the Addicks contributed to this scruffy, scrappy game had daunted Town. Their mediocrity was matched -and more than matched at times - by their more upwardly mobile guests. The sides vied with each other to hand over possession, the long ball found new favour, one was as crude as the other. Nothing of note is worth reporting so let's hasten on to the 72nd minute when Charlton surprised everyone, not least themselves, by scoring. And at least one of this dreary game's better performers claimed dubious credit for the goal.

Breaking quickly on to Amos' clearance, Charlton cut through the left side of Town's rearguard, helped on by Bogle's hustle and the pass fed by Williams to an overlapping Gunter on his right. The right back's cutback was sidefooted goalwards by Ben Watson, caught a huge deflection off Aaron Pierre, and left Matija Sarkic stranded as it headed for the opposite corner. Watson's first goal for Charlton was laced with good fortune, might even have been an own goal but will, quite properly, be claimed by the estimable veteran.

Far from inspiring Bowyer's boys, as it turned out, the lead was bravely protected by their outstanding keeper. Great saves by Amos kept out piledrivers from Norburn, Shaun Walley and Marc Pugh. then he excelled at the feet of a rampaging Charlie Daniels. Matt Millar's effort scraped the bar before Josh Vela's deceptive cross was awkwardly pawed over the top. Only moments before Charlton capitulated, the defiant Amos hurled himself full length to turn aside a rocket from substitute Jason Cummings. His resistance was finally broken by Norburn and Charlton were left with only recriminations, mitigations and explanations. Oh…and a point. Let's not forget the point. Doesn't seem like much right now. But it might come in handy going forward, as they say.

Shrewsbury: Sarkic, Pierre, Williams, Whalley, Norburn, Vela, Millar, Daniels, Udoh (Cummings 72), Ebanks-Landell, Pugh (Edwards 65). Not used: Burgoyne, Golbourne, Goss, High. Booked: Udoh, Pugh, Vela.

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Pearce, Famewo, Maatsen, Watson, Pratley, Forster-Caskey (Morgan 62), Gilbey (Williams 62, Matthews 85), Aneke (Bogle 69), Washington. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Purrington, Henry. Booked: Gilbey, Aneke, Morgan.

Ipswich Town 0 Charlton 2 (Morgan 21, Bogle 68).

By Kevin Nolan from the tactical safety of Grove Park.

As good at Portman Road on Saturday as they were bad in midweek at Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium, Charlton brushed aside Ipswich Town and re-established themselves as serious promotion contenders. Their inner Mr. Hyde had embarrassed them in Staffordshire; Dr. Jekyll showed up in Suffolk, where the Tractor Boys were comfortably beaten.

Whatever harsh words Lee Bowyer chose to criticise the humiliation by bottom-of-the-table Burton clearly did the trick. His shaken side produced a performance of relaxed but purposeful ability, which included first league goals for the outstanding Albie Morgan and a score-settling Omar Bogle, whose first half removal on Wednesday was hurtful but got Bowyer's message across. Bogle's stone-faced reaction to scoring, while his teammates generously celebrated his change of fortune, was born of injured pride but Bowyer had been proven right. Omar is cordially advised to lighten up. With the wretchedly unlucky Paul Smyth now unavailable for a few games, he promises to be indispensable to his manager.

Morgan had been one of the few successes at Burton, where his second half replacement of Marcus Maddison inspired brief hope of a second half rally. The 20 year-old's display earned him a start three days later and he rose to the occasion with a tour-de-force of impressive quality. Well schooled at Charlton's peerless academy, young Albie seems ready to kick on from eager prospect to savvy midfield all-rounder, capable of quarterbacking play and shouldering greater responsibility. "Things are starting to finally sink in with him", remarked Bowyer and Morgan's new willingness to do his share of the muck-and-nettles work around him made the gaffer's point. 

Alongside the kid at Portman Road, the superb contribution of grizzled veteran Ben Watson provided him with a timely example. Watson was busier than a one-armed paperhanger as he threw spanner after spanner into Town's sputtering tractor and gummed up its works. Morgan's early opener was a logical result of the hustle and hassle so dismally absent at the Pirelli Stadium. An attack appeared to have foundered on the edge of the home penalty area until a crunching recovery tackle by Chuks Aneke won back important possession. Jonny Williams added a touch, which allowed Andrew Shinnie to pick out Morgan in space ten yards out. A crisp first-time shot whistled past David Cornell and Charlton were on their way.

It was far from one-way traffic, of course, with Ben Amos required to do his bit before the interval. He narrowed the angle intelligently to force James Norwood to scoop over the bar after the bustling forward burst between  deputy centre backs Chris Gunter and Darren Pratley. He then rescued Pratley, who was outwitted by Drinnan while attempting to shepherd the ball over the right byline. Leaving his line alertly, he smothered Alan Judge's effort to convert Drinnan's artful cutback. But the twisting, mid-air save he produced to touch over Judge's deft header as it redirected Chambers's wicked free kick towards the top left corner was his piece-de-resistance. As the Addicks settled down, Town's chances dwindled.

Conspicuously absent was the pointless "build from the back" stodge which was seen at its worst in midweek. Crisp and confident, the visitors moved the ball quickly, switched play seamlessly and dominated their promotion rivals. Even the important second goal was prudently timed to ease nerves and provide a more accurate reflection of an increasingly one-sided game.

The process was begun by the quietly dependable Adam Matthews, whose long throw from the right was awkwardly shinned out to Pratley and returned hard and low by the estimable old stager. Unmarked beyond the far post, Bogle made the points safe by finishing  efficiently.  Seemed a shame not to celebrate an overdue goal. There was - as there always is - a price to pay for this vital win. Just past the hour mark, Smyth suffered a badly gashed knee when sliding in to challenge Aristote Nsiala and departed the ground on crutches. Already without Conor Washington, Bowyer's talent for improvisation will be exercised yet again as he prepares for the midweek visit of MK Dons. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Ipswich: Cornell, Chambers, Nsiala (McGuinness 71), Woolfenden, Ward, Gibbs (Jackson 64), McGavin (Lankester 71), Dozzell, Judge, Norwood (Drinan 35), Bennetts. Not used: Holy, Kenlock, Hawkins, Booked: Ward, Judge.

Charlton: Amos, Matthews, Gunter, Pratley, Maatsen, Morgan, Watson, Shinnie, Williams (Gilbey55), Aneke (Purrington 71), Smyth (Bogle 66). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Pearce, Maddison. Booked: Maatsen. Referee: Craig Hicks.

Charlton 0 Plymouth Argyle 1 (Jephcott 60)

Some things don't change. It's standard operational procedure for Charlton to leave the FA Cup by the nearest exit and at the first available opportunity. As a League One Club these days, they duly lived down to expectations and were dispatched one round before the eventual winners join the competition.

"Am I disappointed I'm out of the Cup?", mused Lee Bowyer. "Not really, not in a disrespectful way because I love the Cup but the league is more important to me." Of course you do and of course it is, Lee, goes without saying. So perhaps best not say it.

Mercifully locked out of The Valley, Charlton's fans were at least toasty-warm in their living rooms as the "drama" unfolded though at a tenner a time, Valley Pass saw them coming. And while this latest surrender was as docile as any in recent memory,  most of them will forever link this spectacularly trivial football result with the very weekend America surfaced from a four-year coma and flushed that tangerine-tinged twerp down the White House toilet, defiantly screaming "let them drink bleach!" as he gurgled past the U-bend.

At a deserted Valley, meanwhile, a deceptively strong-looking Charlton side was going through the motions of battling unchanged Plymouth for a place in the second round hat and a chance to draw one of the big boys (among which they themselves were numbered not so long ago) in the third round proper. "Battling" is possibly a fanciful description of their contribution to a largely tedious yawn which frankly tried the patience of its on-the-spot witnesses, denied as they were the comforts of home and hearth. 

At the ground, consolation was found in the knowledge that the tie would be resolved on the day by penalties if the scores were level after 90 minutes. On the hour mark, Argyle made that eventuality unnecessary by surprising their complacent hosts with a decent enough goal. While hardly the work of genius, rhapsodised by the visitors' club press which bandied words such as "fabulous" and "fantastic" in describing it, it wasn't half bad. A quickfire combination from Danny Mayor and Byron Moore set up Luke Jephcott to "delightfully dink" from close range over league debutant Ashley Maynard-Brewer. It was enough to reward the visitors' "super display", which to the more churlish of us was more a case of Argyle's dross being marginally less dreary than the Addicks' dross.

One of two full debutants (Marcus Maddison being the other) Maynard-Brewer emerged with credit from an otherwise mundane occasion. His alert save at Ryan Hardie's feet after Ryan Inniss slipped up staved off the Westcountrymen before Jephcott struck. The young Australian's work was neat and unfussy. The eagerly awaited Maddison, on the other hand, left as many questions as answers. One impressive second half burst produced a sharp cutback which eluded an onrushing posse of colleagues but there was little else of note. The first full weekend of November 2020 won't be remembered, though, for this minor league encounter in the first round of a great competition robbed of relevance and, despite pious cant to the contrary, the respect it deserves.

It will go down instead as the time the world scraped Donald Trump off the sole of its shoe and threw him - shoe and all - into history's garbage can. Meanwhile finding room for most of his ghastly family. So you pay your money and you take your choice. What's worth recalling about this pivotal weekend? The sobering realisation that even the 2021 FA Cup semi- finals will not feature Charlton for the 73rd successive season? Or the more cheerful certainty that at last Trump - the pimple on the world's posterior - has finally been lanced? 

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Matthews, Barker, Inniss, Purrington, Forster-Caskey (Maatsen 84), Williams, Morgan, Levitt, Maddison (Vennings 64), Aneke (Washington 64).Not used: Amos, Pratley, Wiredu, Henry. 

Referee: Neil Hair.   

Kevin Nolan reporting from the no-man's land of Grove Park

Behind a rock-solid defence, Charlton comfortably won this wind-marred mess of a game to make it three victories in a row. It didn't exactly qualify as winning ugly but the neutral observer understandably found it a chore to watch.

Deprived of fast improving Chuks Aneke, Lee Bowyer stuck to his rotation system and made five changes from the side which beat Blackpool. But it  was the same superb back four behind the midweek triumph at Bloomfield Road who came through for him again. Ruthlessly efficient centre backs Ryan Inniss and Akin Famewo were in "No Pasaran" mood while new captain Chris Gunter and Ian Maatsen were equally hard nosed full backs. Behind them, Ben Amos contributed a marvellous first half double save and the pass-of-the-game later on to set up Charlton's second goal. His fourth consecutive clean sheet was otherwise little more than a formality.

It made sense in chaotic conditions to keep it simple, forget any fooling about at the back and use direct methods. Apart from one scare handed them midway through the first period, the Addicks' tactics, though hardly original, proved chillingly effective. Northampton were a beaten side well before the final whistle.

The solitary blip in an almost flawless away performance cropped up when Maatsen fouled Ricky Korboa to the right of the away goal. Nicky Adams' wickedly delivered free kick was met on the run by Sam Hoskins, who seemed certain to score from close range until Amos almost miraculously parried his effort. While on the ground, the keeper kicked clear the rebound off Inniss' shins. He could scarcely have seen the original bullet but of course goalkeepers respond to more uniquely honed instincts than mere mortals.

Charlton's only threat to the Cobblers' goal scarcely warrants mention but serves to illustrate the dire lack of action in an opening half which made watching it from the warmth of Grove Park all the more attractive. Some of us have already paid our travelling dues and then some. Anyway, Omar Bogle's header had the merit of being on target but made easy pickings for Jonathan Mitchell. So much for the first 45 minutes.

Bowyer's interval replacement of a subdued Dylan Levitt by warhorse Darren Pratley made an immediate difference. Levitt has still to find his skilful feet while Pratley was made for such belt-and-braces conditions. Within 10 minutes, he blasted the visitors ahead in typically no-nonsense style.

The latest in a series of menacing corners from Jake Forster-Caskey was met at the far post by Inniss and headed back into a crowded six-yard box., where Bogle made a foraging nuisance of himself. From eight yards, Pratley hammered the loose ball into the roof of Mitchell's net. The lead should have been instantly doubled but Paul Smyth made a hash of converting another header by Inniss from yet another of Forster-Caskey's corners. The Forster-Caskey-Inniss setpiece combination promises to be productive.

Smyth's miss was not costly because the Addicks lost little time in scoring again, this time by direct but far from crude means. Fielding a corner, Amos spotted Alfie Doughty already on the move over the halfway line and delivered a scorching sideways-on pass ahead of the flying winger. Leaving Christopher Missilou trailing desolately in his slipstream, Doughty burst clear to cross hard and low from the right byline. Caught wrongfooted as he sought to clear the danger, Cobblers' defender Jack Sowerby turned the ball into his own net. Play out from the back aficionados might find it educational to consider that the goal resulted from Amos' long pass, without a hint of long ball aimlessness about it. In this age of regimented, one-style football, there remains room for improvisation. Defenders still fear the ball over the top. They "don't like it up 'em". Or over 'em, come to that.

Two decisive goals up, the Addicks managed what was left with impressive ease. Keith Curle's Cobblers struggled to make headway, their fading hopes pinned on the long throws of Fraser Horsfall. The aerial domination of Inniss and Famewo toyed with those hopes and the points were secured without undue drama. His enforced 66th minute withdrawal of a limping Doughty provided Bowyer with his only headache. The rookie speedster is being targeted as Charlton's danger man and kicked accordingly, which is both a compliment and a concern at the same time.  Doughty will probably miss Tuesday's visit by Karl Robinson's Oxford United. If he does, who knows, we might see Marcus Maddison step in to the breach. One door closes...

Northampton: Mitchell, Harriman, Sowerby, Bolger, Horsfall, Hoskins, Adams (Ashley-Seal 62), Korboa (Chukwuemaka 63), Racic (Marshall 70), Missilou, Rose. Not used: Arnold, Watson, Smith, McWilliams. Booked: Racic, Harriman, Hoskins.

Charlton: Amos, Gunter, Inniss, Famewo, Maatsen, Forster-Caskey, Levitt (Pratley 46), Williams (Washington 77), Doughty (Shinnie 60), Bogle, Smyth. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Watson, Morgan, Maddison. Booked: Forster-Caskey.

Referee: Samuel Allison. 

Lincoln City 2 (Grant 45, Montsma 88) Charlton 0.

Last week marked a longed-for upswing in the turbulent fortunes of Charlton Athletic. It was unceremoniously out with the old in the gnarled, sour form of Roland Duchatelet and in with swashbuckling Danish/American entrepreneur Thomas Sandgaard as the new owner of the strife-torn club. It's been a long time coming.

You just have to like the new bloke. He scrubs up well, plays rock guitar and shapes up like a regular guy. A bit of a chap all told. He seems normal, likeable and best of all, he isn't Matt Southall.

There were no dubious characters crowding through the door behind him. Nor were Interpol or the FBI.

The new guvnor's arrival was greeted with an explosion of joy - mixed, it should be said in certain areas, with caution. Charlton fans have seen it all but what they saw in Thomas Sandgaard they liked. All that remained to complete a perfect week was to pop up to cuddly little underdogs Lincoln City and relieve them of three welcome points. New owner bounce would comfortably take care of that.

Early indications at LNER Stadium, once known to pub quizzers as Sincil Bank, suggested that Lee Bowyer's still-gelling Addicks were in the mood to take care of their end of business without too much difficulty. The first half chances were almost exclusively theirs.

Two-in-two this season, Conor Washington should have made it three but after cleverly losing his marker inside the penalty area, dragged a low drive wastefully wide. No matter, it seemed, as the confident visitors continued to pull the strings with first-time starter Dylan Levitt firing narrowly over the bar and lively schemer Erhun Oztumer going close twice. By the time Levitt's deflected drive wrongfooted Alex Palmer but squirted agonising inches wide of the right post, an opening goal seemed overdue. There were other close shaves, scrapes and scrambles before, In first half added time, the Imps made nonsense of the run of play by grabbing a bitterly disputed lead.

Ben Purrington's handling offence allowed Jorge Grant to loft a dangerous free kick into the goal area where Darren Pratley clumsily manhandled Tom Hopper under the beady eye of referee Marc Edwards. Grant's inevitable penalty was smartly saved by Ben Amos but bundled home by the spotkick-taker after Harry Anderson's follow-up effort was blocked. From a no-longer cosy chair miles from Lincolnshire, it was impossible to know whether Grant was "miles offside" as claimed by Bowyer but after a lengthy consultation with his linesman, Edwards allowed the goal. Charlton's impassioned protests may or may not have been justified but had Purrington and Pratley kept their hands to themselves, the ensuing unpleasantness might have been avoided. As it was, Grant's goal, legitimate or otherwise, was pivotal.

Owners of a poor record in coming back to win from behind, the Addicks ploughed on through a humdrum second half without causing their hosts undue inconvenience. Up front, Washington faded while his partner Macauley Bonne was a ponderous disappointment throughout. Goals seem certain, as usual, to be in short supply. Levitt stood out, as to be expected from a Manchester United graduate, while Oztumer showed enough to be given a decent run as a starter. The elusive little playmaker picks a pass well, works sharp one-twos near the box and must surely survive Bowyer's weekly tinkering with the line-up. Fits and rare starts do him a disservice.

At the back, new centre back Akin Famewo was unruffled if conservative; beside him, Deji Oshilaja, apart from an unhappy tendency to concede free kicks, gave his all. Operating as an emergency right back, 17 year-old Charlie Barker was slightly out of his depth; Purrington was a steady left back and Amos, so unlucky with the penalty, was sound. It'll take a month or more, we're advised, before we can properly evaluate Bowyer's newly constructed side. Shame the league won't wait for us to catch up.

The second period, meanwhile, was over in a flash with occasional flickers of life from Alfie Doughty providing Charlton's best moments. Forced regularly inside by right back Lewis Montesma, Doughty was denied space for his usual explosive raids down the left flank but was hard to subdue. There was precious little else to bother the Imps who hardly needed Montesma's clinching goal to make it three wins in a row. Meeting Grant's soaring left wing corner at the far post, the free-scoring defender's towering leap left debutant Ben Watson earthbound as he headed powerfully past Amos.

So much then for new owner bounce. Let's hope his cheque's cleared.

Lincoln: Palmer, Montesma, Jackson, Jones, Hopper, Grant, McGrandles (Johnson 69), Eyoma, Bridcutt, Anderson (Sealey 79), Roughan. Not used: Ross, Edwards, Archibald, Howarth, Elbouzedi. Booked: McGrandles, Eyoma, Johnson.

Charlton: Amos, Barker, Oshilaja, Famewo (Watson 62), Purrington, Oztumer (Forster-Caskey 77), Levitt (Williams 77), Pratley, Doughty, Washington, Bonne. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Vennings, Lapslie, Davison. Booked: Pratley, Watson, Barker.

Referee: Marc Edwards.

West ham 3 (Haller 22, 26, Anderson 79) Charlton 0.

Charlton slipped quietly out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening at an East London athletics stadium masquerading as a football ground. West Ham experienced no more difficulty in dismissing them than the Addicks themselves encountered at Crewe three days previously. In each case the losers were put firmly in their place by their superiors.

A Hammers selection including only one survivor from their opening day defeat by Newcastle was still surprisingly strong and was never seriously troubled as they coasted into the third round. Sebastian Haller's quickfire double midway through the first half prematurely decided the issue, with Anderson applying the coup-de-grace ten minutes from time.

The result, of course, meant little to Lee Bowyer, who understandably was more interested in gleaning positives from his team's performance -of which there were plenty. At times, particularly during a vastly improved second period, the resurgent visitors hung in with their Premier League hosts. To be honest, they rarely looked like reducing their arrears but the chivvying, scurrying Jonny Williams twice inconvenienced Darren Randolph with uncharacteristically powerful shots from distance. Alfie Doughty (pronounced Doe-etee by West Ham's irritating commentator, also the owner of an eagle-eye which detected three clearcut penalties for handball, all of them outrageously denied the Hammers by Andre Marriner) was a pacy, direct threat to David Moyes' often startled defence.

In central midfield, meanwhile, loanee Dyland Levitt operated under the radar but showed enough, with cool, constructive passing, that his Manchester United pedigree will eventually out. Elsewhere, Deji Oshilaja and Darren Pratley stuck gamely to their guns while Charlie Barker was irreverently underawed by the company he was keeping.

In the attacking third, where the solitary Macauley Bonne toiled fruitlessly, Charlton were no match for the East Londoners, whose clinical finishing, as exemplified by Haller, was different class. Haller had already made a mess of an early chance laid on for him by Ben Johnson before he delivered the one-two combination which ended the contest. His opener was served up on a plate by Andriy Yarmolenko, who moved through spreadeagled resistance on to Josh Cullen's lofted pass before squaring for Haller to tap home from three yards. Four minutes later, the towering striker rose effortlessly above an overmatched Deji Oshilaja to head Robert Snodgrass' accurate cross beyond Ben Amos into the top left corner. With over an hour left, both sides were already going through the necessary motions.

While enjoying a fair share of the exchanges after the break, Charlton were handed another lesson in finishing by Moyes' second-string Irons. Manuel Lanzini was making heavy weather of sorting out his feet before scoring when Felipe Anderson stepped in to drill past Amos from the penalty spot.
Despite on this occasion reporting in hospitable conditions from the civilised end of the Blackwall Tunnel, your reporter confesses to chronic apathy about competitions like the Carabao Cup. In fact, there are times when that apathy morphs into downright hostility. So for the time being, that's all she wrote. Or, more accurately, he wrote.

West Ham: Randolph, Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Diop, Anderson, Snodgrass (Coventry 83), Haller, Masuaku, Johnson (Ashby 83), Cullen. Not used: Martin, Fornals, Bowen, Silva, Alese. Booked: Johnson, Masuaku

Charlton: Amos, Lapslie, Barker, Oshilaja, Pratley (Gilbey 77), Purrington, Williams (Washington 73), Oztumer, Levitt, Bonne (Aneke 46), Doughty. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Forster-Caskey, Morgan, Vennings.

Referee: Andre Marriner.

Crewe Alexandra 0 Charlton 2 (Doughty 24, Washington 43).

Kevin Nolan reports from a comfortable armchair far south of Crewe.

Two expertly spaced first half goals -the first of them Alfie Doughty's ruthless strike on the break - saw off not so solid Crewe and provided Charlton with an encouraging start to life in League One.

Rumoured to be a target for Celtic among others, Doughty finished off a lightning counter attack set in motion by Alex Gilbey's interception of a wayward pass near the halfway line. Cutting inside from the right, the 20 year-old speedster controlled Gilbey's defence-splitting pass on the run, outpaced left back Ryan Wintle and left Will Jaaskelainen helpless with a sizzling left-footed drive into the far corner. The next call inquiring into Doughty's availability may include an offer Charlton can't refuse. That's the downside to running one of English football's most prolific academies.

A summer signing from MK Dons, Gilbey keynoted the Addicks' effortless domination of a first half which effectively decided the eventual outcome of a lively game. His range of passing, alert interventions and willingness to put a foot in softened the impact of losing the outstanding Josh Cullen, with his arrival promising to remove one of the furrows creasing Lee Bowyer's brow.

Compact and relaxed, the visitors settled down quickly, survived an early scare when Alex's captain Perrie Ng shaved the bar from long range and eased into a pleasing rhythm. There was another awkward moment  provided by Ng who blasted a point blank chance wildly off target but their superiority was obvious and was cemented by a second goal two minutes before the break.

Signed from Hearts during lockdown, Conor Washington had been quiet but patient on his league debut for Charlton. His alertness was rewarded as Dele Oshilaja's brave header reached him unmarked to the left of Crewe's goal and though the right footed volley which beat Jaaskelainen wasn't entirely convincing, it had enough mustard on it to find the left corner of the Finnish keeper's goal. Back in Grove Park, initial celebrations were muted until confirmation was received that the goal stood. There's something eerie about locked-in football, something unreal and remote. It'll be good to get back to bad language and one-eyed partisanship. Not that I'm ever guilty of either, I hardly need point out.

Unsurprisingly, the second half of this all-CAFC contest was a different proposition, with the Addicks required to hold their nerve on a couple of occasions, most notably when Ben Amos reacted superbly to keep out the surefire header from Mikael Madron which seemed momentarily to have passed him on its way under the bar. No disrespect for backup keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer is intended in concluding thatthe retention of experienced campaigner Amos is an occasion for huge relief at The Valley. As the door behind the popular Dillon Phillips disappointingly closes, another one opens to admit the reassuring presence of Amos.

Had the deflected effort from Jake Forster-Caskey early in the second half squeezed into the bottom left corner, Charlton's progress to three useful points might have been smoother. As it was, Laaskelainen's sprawling save to shovel the ball wide of his right post provided his side with the impetus they needed to stage a recovery of sorts. As they applied modest pressure, however, they encountered Bowyer's newly constructed rearguard organised by the unflappable Darren Pratley, with feisty Oshilaja and the precocious Charlie Barker lending stout support down the middle.

Rejoicing in a name which belongs in the days of brylcreemed centre partings, cigarette cards and two points for a win, the 17 year-old Barker is in fact as modern as they come. Sturdy and sensible, Charlie promises to be The Valley's newest darling until, of course, the word gets round and the predators begin to circle.

An Alexandra goal, meanwhile, might have made matters uncomfortable and Madron came within inches of coming up with one but was unlucky to see his fierce drive rebound from Amos' bar. There was none of that old familiar panic within the visiting ranks, though, with Amos relatively secure behind an efficient defensive cordon. It was still a relief, don't get me wrong, to hear the final whistle, but there was little cause for alarm.

Charlton won this one in a gentle canter to begin what, hopefully, will be a journey out of this nightmarish division and back to where it's safe to say they belong -in the Championship. Those final few minutes of last season will continue to haunt until that becomes mission completed.

Let the nerds explore the quaintness of League One, with its quirky grounds and obscure postcodes. Give me the big cities and famous grounds. I'd rather step in a puddle than a cowpat.

Crewe: Laaskelainen, Ng, Beckles, Offord, Pickering, Murphy (Ainley 62), Wintle, Finney (Lundstram 75), Dale (Zanzala 75), Mandron, Kirk. Not used: Richards, Lancashire, Sass-Davies, Johnson.

Charlton: Amos, Lapslie (Williams 61), Pratley, Oshilaja, Barker, Purrington, Forster-Caskey, Gilbey, Doughty (Morgan 90), Bonne, Washington (Aneke 76). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Oztumer, Levitt, Vennings. Booked: Amos, Doughty.

Referee: Graham Salisbury.

a.k.a The Post Mortem

We always suspected that Charlton's turbulent season would come to a disastrous end in added time on the last day. And so it did. Not at Elland Road, where they were clobbered by Leeds but at Griffin Park where Barnsley saved themselves at Charlton's expense with a 93rd minute winner over Brentford. Having already beaten Nottingham Forest in similar style three days previously, the Tykes grabbed another overtime lifesaver to sink the Bees -and more painfully to the point, the Addicks.

Charlton suffered more than most over the last eleven months from goals scored during "the game within a game". They even, once or twice, managed to concede after the allotted overtime expired, an arbitrary period nutshelled as "added time added to added time". Last gasp defeats at Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday were particularly sickening but there were one or two other worthy candidates. Their vulnerability during a game's postscript became common knowledge through the league, while their own desperate equalisers at WBA and QPR failed to offset the late goals they consistently leaked.

Despite stiff competition, the two added time points squandered at Birmingham in their seventh post-lockdown game, might be regarded, in hindsight, as the culprits which sent Charlton down. Macauley Bonne prolonged the agony by similarly equalising against equally beleaguered Wigan three days later but Birmingham's scruffy goal had already done the damage.

Confident and composed, Bowyer's boys were leading a poor side at St. Andrews  through a fine team goal by Bonne when Jude Bellingham joined the action midway through the second half. City's 17 year-old prodigy made an initially subdued impact and the visitors seemed to have seen off puny pressure until he picked up a loose ball and soloed purposefully into the penalty area. One low cross, blocked shot and prodded rebound later, it was 1-1. Two points which would have spared Charlton the drop had been cruelly snatched from their grasp.

Two games later, Bellingham had discharged his responsibility to his hometown club and was on his way to fame and fortune with Borussia Dortmund. He left through the front door with his honour and reputation intact. No doubt he also departed with a lifetime welcome at St. Andrews and a place in the club's history alongside Trevor Francis, another 17 year-old whizkid still revered on the blue side of Birmingham.

Bellingham's mature conduct throws into unflattering relief the self-absorbed behaviour of Lyle Taylor, who trashed his contract and refused to help his club out of the jam they were in. Last seen training with local Sunday side SE Dons, Taylor, so we hear, is on his way to Glasgow Rangers, where he will presumably replace Alfredo Morales, the toast of Ibrox Park (and, come to that, Celtic Park). A like-for-like swap of pantomime villains in many ways, Taylor's defenders -and there are, it's true, a fair few of them - insist that anybody would do exactly the same as he did in similar circumstances. It's a short career, we're reminded, with the nagging possibility of injury making it potentially shorter. Why shouldn't he cash in with one last, lucrative move to the bigger time? "What would you do?" they enquire and smugly rest their case as if the question is rhetorical. 

But there is an alternative answer. Taylor, like Bellingham, should have been man enough to stick around, put his shoulder to the relegation wheel and help out his club, mates and supporters. Simple as that really, unless money really does mean everything. His selfishness destroyed the enormous goodwill he had earned by his efforts in cancer fundraising and the touching kindness he offered Betty Hutchins during her last days with us. Charismatic, personable and prolific, his on-field presence alongside the unfairly maligned Bonne, would almost certainly have made the important difference between survival and relegation.

It's all ifs and ands now anyway with Charlton failing, by one infuriating point, to avoid the cut. Eleven months of struggle, during which they endured a catastrophic injury list, the loss of Conor Gallagher's growing influence, not to mention the civil war between wrong'uns in the boardroom, eventually sapped them. They fought hard, never gave up and almost made it. But they were not quite good enough and Taylor's defection was one blow too many.

So we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. On September 12th in League One. The prospect might make you shudder but, face it, what  alternative is there?

Birmingham 1 (Jutkiewicz 90+3 Charlton 1 (Bonne 58).

By Kevin Nolan off Valley Pass.

Though dealt another sickening body blow by Lukas Jutkiewicz's added time equaliser, Charlton are not done for yet. This relegation scrap is far from over. Before it's resolved, there will be more than one twist, more than one turn, until the music stops and the final scramble for chairs begins.
Charlton are being quoted as warm favourites to go down despite sitting two points (not to mention an unassailable goal difference) above the drop zone with only two games to play. Daunting assignments against surprise packets Wigan Athletic and champions-elect Leeds United account for the negativity which followed this latest setback. Wigan are hotter than pistols right now while Leeds, far from easing up as fervently hoped, will be seeking to use Charlton as the cherry on their title-winning cake. On paper, the Addicks are clearly not expected to add to their current points total of 47; on honest-to-goodness grass, they stand a chance.

A newly determined Charlton did enough -on reflection perhaps not quite enough - to win this crucial game. As usual, sturdy defending, with goalkeeper Dillon Phillips adding a brilliant penalty save to his customary excellence, underpinned their performance, while there were several chances to consolidate the 58th minute lead provided by Macauley Bonne's 10th goal of the season. The scorer himself squandered opportunities to double the lead and Aiden McGeady, continuing the encouraging improvement in his form, hit a post with a cleverly aimed snapshot. But the coup-de-grace proved elusive and the visitors paid a costly price for their chronic failure to seal the deal. As the minutes ticked by, protecting their lead became the pressing priority; bitter experience hardly inspired confidence in their ability to do so. As world weary Lee Bowyer commented "we can't see a game out, we don't manage it well."

Legs were becoming heavy and concentration faltered as 17 year-old prodigy Jude Bellingham accelerated into Charlton's penalty area and crossed on the run from the left. At the near post, Phillips kept out Gary Gardner's low shot but Jutkiewicz poked home a cruel equaliser off the woodwork. The sucker punch briefly knocked the stuffing out of the Addicks and they were indebted to Phillips for clawing clear a deceptively drifting cross in the final minute. This was a desperately disappointing draw but the point might yet keep them up when the calculators are put to use next Wednesday.

Far from defensive in their approach, at least until City's desperation drove them back to their 18-yard line, Charlton played some nice stuff, never more so than when Bonne completed a scintillating move to give them the lead just before the hour mark. Jonny Williams, as usual the target for a series of cynical fouls, timed a delicious pass inside right back Maxime Colin to send Alfie Doughty surging to the left byline. The speedy wingback's hard-drived centre left Bonne the easy task of tapping past Lee Camp with the Midlanders' defence a spreadeagled mess

Phillips preserved the lead by reacting splendidly to turn aside Ivan Sunjic's volley as it zipped through a thicket of legs. But the outstanding young keeper's first half penalty save from Scott Hogan for so long promised to be the turning point on which this game revolved. Left exposed by Josh Cullen's disastrously underpowered backpass, he clipped Jutkiewicz as they came together for the 50-50 ball and was penalised by referee David Webb. Guessing Hogan's intentions correctly, Phillips plunged to his right to save and deserved the luck he got as Hogan inexplicably shovelled the rebound over the bar from five yards.

Heartened by Bonne's opener, meanwhile, the Addicks sought to double their advantage. Set up by the irrepressible Doughty, McGeady found space for a curling potshot which rebounded harmlessly off Camp's right hand post. Minutes later, belligerent substitute Chuks Aneke disdainfully broke through two overpowered defenders to lay on a point blank chance which Bonne hammered directly at Camp. "Missing clear chances from four yards out in the middle of the goal...you miss things like that, you don't win" was frustrated boss Bowyer's reaction to his side's profligacy.

Quite so... but the decks are cleared for the closing acts of this troubled, marathon season. Having persevered through a crippling injury list, expensive backroom thievery and the treacherous dive overboard of three rats, Bowyer's Boys of Summer deserve credit for taking the battle to survive into the final reckoning. They're fighting their hearts out for our club. Let's not give up on them now.

Birmingham: Camp, Pederson, Roberts, Dean, Colin, Sunjic (Kieftenbeld 73), Gardner, Crowley (Boyd-Munce 90), Bela (Bellingham 59), Hoan (Reid 59), Jutkiewicz. Not used: Trueman, Harding, Gordon, Burke, Fernandez. Booked: Gardner, Crowley.

Charlton: Phillips, Lockyer, Pearce, Doughty (Purrington 77), Field (Pratley 77), Cullen, Williams (Morgan 77), McGeady (Sarr 85), Hemed (Aneke 65), Bonne. Not used: Amos, Oshilaja, Forster-Caskey, Davison. Booked: Phillips.

Referee: David Webb. 

Brentford 2 (Benrahma, 75 pen, Pinnock 85) Charlton 1 (Bonne 8)

By Kevin Nolan...off the telly.

For the second time within four days, Charlton were dealt a sickening late blow -on this occasion two of them inside the last quarter hour -which cost them priceless points in their apparently endless struggle to stay in the Championship. The gutsy resistance they offered to arguably the best side in the division should hopefully give them heart to tackle the four-game run-in which kicks off on Saturday at The Valley against Reading and ends on Wednesday July 22nd at Elland Road, where they face champions-elect Leeds United (a big shout-out by the way for Bielsa's Boys, bless their big hearts, in their gallant bid to beat Stoke City tomorrow).

Charlton's warweary fans, meanwhile, will find it impossible to forget the dramatic climax to this exhausting season, which began so brightly, hit the skids as the injury list mounted and then took several turns for the worse on and off the field. Boardroom knavery dictated the narrative for a while as a loudmouthed gaggle of spivs vied to pick apart a special old club for their own ends. Results inevitably suffered and culminated in the damaging 1-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough which left them two points adrift in the relegation zone before Covid-19 intervened - perhaps an irrelevant silver lining under the grisly circumstances.

With the threat of a horror called PPG hanging over them for several months, the Addicks were instead handed a fighting chance to save themselves over a nine-game mini-season. At which point self-serving striker Lyle Taylor chose his time to lead a mutiny, including in its ranks stalwart defender Chris Solly and an also-ran called David Davis, a trio of recalcitrants who declined to stand alongside their mates as push came to shove. Solly wasn't expected to feature in Lee Bowyer's plans anyway and somewhat needlessly besmirched a fine reputation by his refusal to make himself available. Most Charlton fans would fail to recognise the useless Davis if they bumped into him in the street. Not so Taylor, whose effortless affability and approachability proved to be a hollow sham.

You know the shameful details anyway but repetition of them brings us neatly to the fifth game of the "season" at Griffin Park where the Addicks got off to the perfect start with the best goal of the evening. Jonny Williams's quick dart and measured pass sent Alfie Doughty clear on the left to cross accurately to the far post, where Jake Forster-Caskey outjumped his marker and nodded back across goal. Beating David Raya to the ball, Macauley Bonne headed home his ninth goal of his inaugural campaign, the first by Charlton from post-lockdown open play and the first scored by a recognised strikeIf they were daunted by falling behind, Brentford showed no signs of discouragement. Blessed with an abundance of attacking talent, they mounted drip-drip pressure on their visitors, interrupted briefly by the scare they received soon after Bonne's goal. Josh Cullen's inswinging left-wing corner eluded Raya and bounced off the bar to Jason Pearce, whose improvised volley also clipped the bar on its way to safety. Apart from one or two bits and pieces, that was the end of Charlton as an attacking force. Driven back by the Bees' relentless assault, they fought valiantly to stem the red-and-striped tide masterminded by Said Benrahma and lent important width by the excellent Josh DaSilva and Christian Norsgaard. Brentford's direct efforts on goal were actually few, the best of them drawing sharp saves from Dillon Phillips from Benrahma and DaSilva. With prolific scorer Ollie Watkins kept quiet for the second time this season, the South Londoners remained intact until the clock ticked into a one-sided game's final quarter hour. Even then, the South West Londoners' breakthrough was tainted by controversy.

There appeared to be only fleeting contact as Cullen and Benrahma came together inside the penalty area to dispute DaSilva's cross but the crafty Algerian made the most of what there was and hit the turf dramatically. You've seen 'em given, you've seen 'em not given but Beeskeeping referee John Brooks was more than ready to don his black cap. Benrahma recovered from his awkward tumble and equalised coolly from the spot.
The only issue now was whether Lee Bowyer's band of battlers could hold out for a prized point. Sadly this proved beyond them with five minutes remaining. Under intolerable pressure, they were unable to stop DaSilva's right wing cross at source and equally incapable of preventing Ethan Pinnock from bullying the ball past Phillips. Hearts were temporarily broken for a second time within four days.

Beaten but unbowed, Bowyer's stubborn bunch will continue to give survival their best shot. The manager can do his bit by naming his best team against Reading. Assuming Sam Field, who again limped off, is unfit, Darren Pratley will come back while room must be found again for Williams, Doughty and the inimitable Naby Sarr. With Forster-Caskey expected to be rested, possibly he will partner Bonne with Tomas Hemed (assuming he's fit) with the message to take it to Reading. If we're meant to go down, let's quit the scene with a bang not a whimper. This might be a space worth continuing to watch.

Brentford: Raya, Henry, Pinnock, Norsgaard, Jensen (Mercondes 61), Benrahma, Watkins, DaSilva, Jansson, Mbeumo (Dervisloglu 61), Rasmussen (Dalsgaard 61). Not used: Daniels, Thompson,Valencia, Jeanvier, Fosu, Zemburek. Booked: Dervisloglu.

Charlton: Phillips, Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Sarr, Doughty (Oshilaja 71), Forster-Caskey (Morgan 71), Cullen, Field (Pratley), Williams (Lapslie 56), Bonne (Aneke 79). Not used: Amos, Purrington, McGeady, Davison. Booked: Cullen

Referee: John Brooks