Huddersfield Town 1 (Rhodes 13,pen) Charlton 0.
Kevin Nolan reports from the Galpharm Stadium.
An incendiary game of numerous flashpoints, most of which involved embattled midfielder Darrel Russell, sent Charlton crashing to a first away league defeat of 2012. They departed West Yorkshire embittered about the part played by an East Yorkshireman in their downfall. And they had a point.
By any system of judgement, Carl Boyeson’s control of this vital promotion clash was appalling. It defies belief that the Hull born Tyke was even considered to referee a Yorkshire team with so much at stake. Unless, of course, we’re meant to assume that antipathy between East and West Yorkshire rules out any possibility of bias. Only joking, m’lud, but it shouldn’t be an issue, should it?
Mr. Boyeson’s first key decision effectively sealed the issue and it must be conceded unreservedly that this time his decision was correct.
Chasing back to challenge Gary Roberts as Town attacked their visitors on the break, Russell hunted down the winger, fell for his trickery as he twisted into the penalty area and left enough leg carelessly dangling to make Roberts’ fall dramatic. Prolific netbuster Jordan Rhodes calmly made it 32 league goal this season from the penalty spot.
As Charlton were beginning to recover from their nightmare start, Boyeson’ second pivotal decision before the interval was much less impressive. His inexplicable reluctance to punish a dreadful, studs-up challenge by Antony Kay on Scott Wagstaff in the centre circle poisoned this tense game’s atmosphere beyond recall. Backpedalling self-importantly from the scene of Kay’s crime, the official’s initial body language suggested that Kay was for the high jump. Surrounded by the perpetrator’s colleagues, however, Boyeson softened his stance, showed Kay neither yellow nor red but instead re-started the game with a bounce-ball, though not before booking Ben Hamer for dissent, an insignificant offence alongside the violence that prompted his outburst.
Early in the second half, Russell, who had been performing adequately enough in central midfield was fouled by Kay but re-acted senselessly in kicking out at his opponent as they tangled on the ground. A red card was another of Boyeson’s correct calls but Russell should have been accompanied off the field by Lee Novak, who used both hands to push him over again. “If you raise your hands you leave the referee with no option but to dismiss you”, that’s the mantra we’re regularly fed. Well, Mr. Boyeson succeeded in finding an option, which entailed turning a judicial blind eye to Novak’s offence. Be fair, though, he did book Kay for the original foul and, remarkably, awarded Charlton a free kick. So the Addicks emerged from the incident with at least a diluted dollop of justice.
Sandwiched between the sporadic mayhem, Charlton, even with ten men, were marginally the better team. Missing the ailing Yann Kermorgant’s creativity and aerial threat, they coped comfortably with the Terriers’ long ball tactics, while making few chances of their own.
In the early going, Hamer’s magnificent save from Rhodes stood out in the general mediocrity. From point-blank range, League One’s Player-of-the-Season was set up by Roberts, headed firmly but Hamer’s instinctive block foiled him. Rhodes also stabbed wide at the near post after Ward’s cross dropped amid flailing feet.
At the other end, Charlton were all too toothless. Michael Morrison glanced Danny Hollands’ centre wide, then Holland himself shot over the bar. During a late rally, Hollands crossed, Morrison nodded back from the far post but Leon Cort, despite an heroic effort, could do no better than head down into the turf and harmlessly over the bar.
Defeat increases the pressure on the stuttering Addicks. It’s essential that they climb out of the clutches of League One, which, for all the fancy spin, boils down to Division Three, before they become institutionalised in it. That’s precisely what happened to the freewheeling side of 1957-58, which mounted a brave effort to climb directly back to Division One (think Premiership) the season after they were relegated in 1956-57. A tempestuous, wildly entertaining effort ended in crushing anti-climax in the season’s last game on April 26th 1958, with 4-3 defeat by Blackburn Rovers, who leapfrogged the Addicks to join champions West Ham in the top flight. Over 56,000 hearts were broken on that fateful afternoon.
It’s fair to say that Charlton Athletic were shattered by their heroic failure. They subsequently endured seemingly endless seasons of yo-yoing between Divisions Two and Three until Lennie Lawrence hauled them back into Division One in 1986.
If we don’t learn from history, we’re doomed to repeat its mistakes. And 1957-58 hands us down a warning from history.
Failure this season is unthinkable. There might not be another chance half as golden as this one and it musn’t slip through Charlton’s fingers. The repercussions would dwarf those of 54 years ago. And some of us don’t have the time to wait it out again.
Huddersfield: Smithies, Hunt, Peter Clarke, Morrison, Tom Clarke, Roberts (Lee 69), Arismendi (Arfield 90), Kay (Gudjonsson 69), Ward, Rhodes, Novak. Not used: Bennett, Woods.
Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Cort, Wiggins, Wagstaff, Russell (sent off), Hollands, N’Guessan (Stephens 60), Hayes (Pritchard 81), Wright-Phillips. Not used: Sullivan, Taylor, Cook.
Referee: Carl Boyeson. Attendance: 15,735.
Edit: This post was amended at 20.04 on Sunday 25th March.