Charlton 1 (Haynes 20) Derby County 1 (Ward 71,pen).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
When famously complaining that “everyone talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it”, Mark Twain was only kidding.
The great American humourist might have thought twice anyway if he’d been at The Valley, where predictions of a biblical deluge were largely unrealised. Before a miserably damp kick-off, a magnificent corps of fork-wielding volunteers certainly did something about it; their horticultural skills rescued a riproaringly exciting game which pitted adversaries who, as Derby boss Nigel Clough put it, “did their honest best to play football and score goals.” His opposite number, Chris Powell, nodded approval of Clough’s refreshingly balanced summation.
Though his side had led for over 50 minutes before the Rams drew level, Powell was clearly pleased with the point wrested in adverse circumstances. Reduced to 10 men after Michael Morrison received a second yellow card while conceding County’s equalising penalty, the Addicks weathered a storm of intense pressure, as the clouds opened in earnest and the rampant visitors forced no fewer than thirteen second half corners. They hung on thanks to Ben Hamer’s inspired goalkeeping, some desperate last-ditch defending and the slice of luck they were handed when Richard Keogh headed Paul Coutts late corner against the foot of a post. For sheer guts alone, they deserved to share the points.
Chastened by the error-strewn capitulation to Ipswich, Powell had taken a scalpel to the Boxing Day starting line-up. Out went the disappointing Dan Seaborne, Emmanuel Frimpong and Danny Green, not one of whom even featured on the bench. In came Cedric Evina, Bradley Pritchard and Lawrie Wilson, with skipper Johnnie Jackson recalled and Rob Hulse replaced by Yann Kermorgant. No loan signings featured among the old guard who, with the exception of the admirable Wilson, made mincemeat of League One last season.
Confined to their own half for the opening 20 minutes by their slick-passing, confident visitors, Charlton were living dangerously when County were victimised against the run of play by a stunning goal from Danny Haynes. Exchanging routine passes with Kermorgant on the left, Haynes dropped a shoulder to shake off a posse of defenders barring his way, cut in sharply and from 25 angled yards unleashed an unstoppable right-footed drive into the far top corner. A previously subdued Valley was suddenly electrified.
Out of match practice, meanwhile, Evina was struggling and his mistake allowed Coutts to set up Theo Robinson’s close range effort, which an off balance Hamer saved superbly. The keeper’s great work continued with a key block to deny Nathan Tyson in one-to-one confrontation before a tearful Haynes limped off with a recurrence of hamstring trouble. Chances at both ends saw Hughes’ dipping volley shave the bar, Morrison glance Kermorgant’s clever chip wastefully wide and substitute Wright-Phillips, instantly lively in place of Haynes, denied by Adam Legzdins when sent through by Jackson. Of more ominous significance, however, was the lengthy lecture, but no accompanying card, meted out by referee Boyeson to Morrison for blatantly tripping Tyson.
Evina’s confidence had grown enough to shoot first-time from long range, with Legzdins expertly tipping the effort over the bar before Keogh, already booked for a first half foul on Kermorgant, repeated the crime but escaped, like Morrison, with a wordy telling-off. Boyeson’s patience was, unhappily for Morrison, wearing thin. It might have been a good idea to replace the big centre back with capable Dorian Dervite but too late was the cry…
Midway through the second period, the hardgrafting Pritchard missed a golden opportunity to put daylight between the sides. Carefully set up by Kermorgant after Wright-Phillips had wriggled free on the right byline to cross, Pritchard took a steadying touch but prodded an unconvincing shot against the underside of the bar from 10 yards. His glaring miss patently tipped the balance in County’s favour.
With 20 minutes remaining, the Addicks finally buckled. The latest in the stream of corners fired in by Coutts was disputed by Morrison and John Brayford, with Morrison possibly managing a touch but violently bringing down his rival in the process. Substitute Jamie Ward calmly dispatched the penalty, Morrison trudged off and, with the rain by now sheeting down, the 10-man Addicks endured ordeal by deluge.
Magnificent throughout the bombardment, Hamer distinguished himself by parrying Robinson’s point-blank shot, then reacting instinctively to keep out Conor Sammon’s follow-up header. The defiant keeper deserved the break he received while helplessly watching Keogh’s header rebound off an upright. Among Charlton’s drenched heroes, Hamer stood firm, putting his body where his mouth was- the very mouth that got him booked for cheeking a linesman. Perhaps unwisely he talked about it. But he definitely did some thing about it.
Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.
Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Cort, Morrison, Evina, Wilson, Stephens (Dervite 73), Pritchard, Jackson, Haynes (Wright-Phillips 36), Kermorgant (Fuller 85). Not used: Sullivan, Wagstaff, Kerkar, Hulse. Sent off: Morrison. Booked: Morrison, Hamer.
Derby: Legzdins, Brayford, Keogh, O’Connor, Roberts, Coutts, Hughes ( Ward 69), (Jacobs 84), Hendrick, Davies, Tyson (Sammon 65), Robinson. Not used: Fielding, Doyle, O’Brien, Freeman. Booked: Hughes, Keogh, O’Connor.
Referee: Carl Boyeson. Att: 17,761.