Barnsley 0 Charlton 6 (Pritchard 4, Jackson 19, Kermorgant 48, Harriott 59, Kerkar 80, Fuller 90.
Kevin Nolan reports from Oakwell.
Forget the mathematics. Bin the various equations. Wake up from your League One nightmares. Charlton will be playing in the Championship next season. This merciless demolition of Barnsley removed the last shred of doubt that they have both the quality and character to thrive at this level.
During the course of a tortuous campaign which turned at times into a route march through spilt treacle, the Addicks have grown inexorably stronger. Tactically flexible and consistently adaptable, they have taken the occasional setback in their stride on their way to a creditable position in the top half of the table.
This runaway victory in South Yorkshire over bang in-form Barnsley was typical of their steady improvement, not to mention the shrewd manipulation by manager Chris Powell of a fluctuating squad.
At one end of the age scale at Oakwell was Callum Harriott, recently turned 19 and a heartwarming success since breaking into the first team last month. A will-o-the-wisp ball player, the academy graduate has clearly been coached to add nuts-and-bolts effort to his repertoire of tricks. As usual, he tackled, covered, worked his teenaged socks off for the cause and, with a handy slice of luck, became one of six scoring contributors to Charlton’s best-ever away win.
Predictably not among those scorers was 35 year-old Andy Hughes, whose addition to the starting line-up against Bolton Wanderers two weeks previously was the cause of raised eyebrows among the more sceptical of supporters. After a lengthy absence through injury, much was asked of the streetwise veteran but, not for the first time, Powell was proved right, with his faith in the old pro vindicated by a string of mature performances.
In this potentially difficult game, Hughes was a model of professionalism, consistently chucking a spanner into the Tykes’ midfield engine room, his timely interventions ensuring that his side hogged the ball and applied lethal pressure. The home side were hardly given a look-in.
The point is, of course, that Powell’s personnel have adapted imaginatively to new challenges as the season has worn on. At centre back, for instance, Dorian Dervite has capably picked up the slack caused by injuries to Leon Cort and Matt Taylor, making it unthinkable to drop him from a centre back position he has made his own.
In spirited form themselves, meanwhile, following battling draws at Crystal Palace and Cardiff, Barnsley’s cruel dissection began as early as the fourth minute. Foraging in the inside right channel, Ricardo Fuller ran down Chris Solly’s pass, returning the ball to the aggressive right back, whose low cross was volleyed against Luke Steele’s chest by Yann Kermorgant, Pouncing on the rebound, Bradley Pritchard netted efficiently.
Relaxed and confident, the Addicks pressed home their advantage. Set up by the feverishly busy Pritchard, Johnnie Jackson’s clever footwork made space for the low right footed drive he drilled through the unhappy Steele’s legs.
Shaken to the core by the turn of events, Barnsley boss David Flitcroft reacted boldly, with old stager Jason Scotland, already an on-loan scorer for Ipswich against Charlton this term, replacing Tomasz Cywka, the South Yorkshiremen’s goalscoring hero at The Valley in October. Scotland responded immediately by burrowing along the right byline to set up a close range chance for Jacob Mellis, which was cleared off the line by the outstanding Rhoys Wiggins.
Scotland tried again shortly after the break, playing Chris Dagnall clear on the right to slice wildly wide. Duly warned that the issue was far from sealed, the visitors promptly blew Barnsley’s resistance apart with easily the best of their six goals.
Alertly reading Wiggins’ overlap outside him, Harriott weighted the perfect pass for the left back to cross perfectly on the run. At the far post, Kermorgant made easy work of nodding past Steele, before continuing into the net to celebrate with his adoring public, all 672 of them.
The Tykes’ misery was far from over. On the hour, Harriott received Pritchard’s short ball and beat a demoralised Steele at his near post with a wickedly swerving but eminently saveable drive. In defensive tatters by now, Flitcroft’s side was reduced to 10 strugglers, with Stephen Dawson earning a straight red card for a late challenge on Kermorgant. Showing commonsense, Powell instantly replaced a battered Kermorgant with Jon Obika and sensible withdrew Jackson, in imminent danger of suspension with nine cautions hanging over him, in favour of Mark Gower.
Not that the revamped Addicks eased off. A third substitute, Salim Kerkar, relieved young Harriott and quickly made it five by finishing off Obika’s blocked shot. Again, their victims reacted disastrously with last defender Tom Kennedy dismissed for chopping Fuller down in full flight for goal. Almost inevitably, in added time, with Steele’s goal being used for target practice, Fuller helped himself to a gratuitous but richly deserved clincher.
So records were set in South Yorkshire. This was Charlton’s best-ever away victory and there is talk that it’s the first time six separate scorers have registered in one game. That’s a detail, of course, for which the late, great Colin Cameron was our go-to guy. The best I can come up with is an educated guess, proving that there will never be another dear old Colin. You should cut me a little slack already so soon!
Barnsley: Steele, Wiseman, Hassell, Foster, Kennedy, Cwyka (Scotland 29), Dawson, Perkins, Mellis (O’Brien 59), O’Grady (Harewood 59), Dagnall. Not used: Alnwick, Jones, Rose, Cranie. Sent off: Kennedy, Dawson.
Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Dervite, Morrison, Wiggins, Hughes, Pritchard, Jackson (Gower 66), Harriott (Kerkar 78), Fuller, Kermorgant (Obika 66). Not used: Button, Taylor, Green, Wilson.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham. Att: 9,469.
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