Charlton 0 Middlesbrough 1 (Jutkiewicz 72).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
A study in glum world-weariness at the best of times, Tony Mowbray is a decent bloke who finds little to kid about in life. When called upon to smile, his mournful face seems faintly caught by surprise. Put it this way. If owners look like their dog, Tone has a basset hound.
As Middlesbrough’s manager, Mowbray has been under pressure since Boro failed to make the promotion play-offs last season. They’re a bit full of themselves on Teeside and the club’s perceived failure caused considerable chuntering on the terraces and backbiting in the boardroom. Even Steve Gibson, one of the best chairmen in the game, has been vilified. That’s football for you.
An opening day home loss to Leicester City, followed by an embarrassing Cup exit at the hands of Accrington Stanley, piled on the agony. In mutinous disarray, Boro shaped up as a nice little earner for Charlton, themselves boosted by their imperious midweek dismissal of Oxford United. Naturally, there was a nasty shock in store for the Londoners. We’ve been here before… more than once.
The Northeasterners were actually no great shakes but they were clearly too much for their bewildered hosts. After subjecting them to a thoroughly uncomfortable first half, during which the Addicks made only fleeting contact with the ball, they stepped up the pace and, eighteen minutes from time, grabbed a goal which, in its inevitability, was becoming as plain as the nose on Mowbray’s face. Stuck out a mile, in other words.
Secretly relieved no doubt, the beleaguered boss formed his post-game features into a pleasant enough grimace, from which his eyes stayed watchfully aloof, before muttering a few platitudes about “asking the right questions” and “deserving what we got.” Then he disappeared back to his beloved Teeside, leaving rival manager Chris Powell to pick up the pieces of a depressing setback made worse by a disastrously conceded goal.
Powell will be doing more grimacing than smiling when he reviews this debacle. Until Marvin Sordell blasted tamely over the bar in first half added time, his side hadn’t managed an attempt on goal. They didn’t set the woods on fire after the break either.
Without being exactly dynamic, the visitors led widely on points at half time. Josef Varga’s early drive caused Ben Hamer brief discomfort, Lukas Jutkiewicz fired Albert Adomah’s pass too high, Grant Leadbitter curled a drive narrowly wide. George Friend closed the session by bending a 20-yard free kick dangerously over Hamer’s bar as the home fans squirmed. This one ain’t gonna end well was the general conclusion.
Home hope flared briefly upon resumption, with Callum Harriott’s blistering run and accurate cross setting up a far post chance for Danny Green. Rejecting the invitation to shoot first-time with his stronger right foot, Green chose to check back left-footed, by which time Jason Steele made ground to smother the close range effort. Boro’s swift riposte was delivered by attacking left back Friend, who exchanged passes at lightning speed with Mustapha Carayol before drilling a low crosshot inches wide of the far post.
Left sided wide man Carayol was proving an awkward handful for Chris Solly. Operating on the opposite flank, new arrival Adomah was equally troublesome for Rhoys Wiggins. Watching their outstanding full backs being given a gruelling run-around was a novel sight for Charlton fans, who had enough on their plates anyway.
A boring, if useful, goalless draw was on the cards when the Addicks caved in. Leadbitter’s outswinging right wing corner was headed out strongly enough by Solly and returned from the edge of the penalty area by Dean Whitehead. Preparing to deal with the dropping ball six yards from goal, a less than assertive Hamer was impeded by Yann Kermorgant, whose skyward header was neatly nodded into the empty net by Jutkiewicz. Defeat had been plucked from the jaws of, erm, if not winning then not losing. Sounds a bit laboured but you catch my drift.
Green’s powerful drive forced Steele into a tumbling save and Kermorgant’s astute cross was headed narrowly over the bar by substitute Dale Stephens (skipper Johnnie Jackson’s interval withdrawl was a reason for further gloom) during the late going but Charlton were well beaten. Two successive league defeats might not cause panic at The Valley but there should be concern. Charlton were lifeless, clueless, ominously spiritless.
Ordinarily a trip next weekend to homely old Barnsley would be keenly anticipated. But those little Tykes have it in for the Addicks after being massacred 6-0 as recently as last spring. Revenge could be a dish waiting to be served up piping hot at Oakwell. Just doing my bit to ease the widespread pessimism.
Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.
Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Green (Wilson 72), Gower, Jackson (Stephens 46), Harriott, Kermorgant, Sordell (Church 77). Not used: Pope, Evina, Cort, Pigott. Booked: Stephens.
Boro: Steele (Leutwiler 77), Richardson, Williams, Woodgate, Friend, Adomah, Varga, Whitehead, Leadbitter (Smallwood 83), Carayol (Emnes 90), Jutkiewicz . Not used: Parnaby, Gibson, Ledesma, Main. Booked: Whitehead.
Referee: P. Tierney. Att: 14,882.
Full of ourselves but at least we can spell Teesside.
Please at least show enough respect to spell Teesside correctly. Talk about being full of oneself…typical Londoner
Blimey, girls, how scathing can criticism get? And you both zeroed in on the most nitpicking of points. Uncanny. Compared notes, no doubt. Everything else was on the money, I take it? Kev.
I suggest in future Kevin calls anywhere outside the M25 “the provinces” and then nobody can complain.