Charlton 3 (Wilson 32,58) Brighton 2 (Ulloa 22,90).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
Putting their fans through an emotional wringer as usual, on-fire Charlton bravely got the job done on St. Stephen’s Day. It wasn’t always crisp or even but with results elsewhere favouring them, this precious victory went about as deep as victories go. And, boy, was it exciting!? After spotting promotion hopefuls Brighton an ominous lead, they reeled them in through two strikes from unlikely marksman Lawrie Wilson, before apparently finishing them off with Yann Kermorgant’s superb free kick.
The word “apparently” is wisely chosen because that wasn’t quite all she wrote. It never is. It wouldn’t be daffy Charlton if torture wasn’t part of the deal and Leonardo Ulloa’s second goal in added time duly reduced The Valley to a familiar mess of molten nerves. It’s the suffering, though, not always the pleasure, that makes winning worthwhile and the roar which hailed the final whistle was one of unapologetic release. This patient crowd has been here many times before and they know an especially vital result when they see one.
It hadn’t been all that pleasant for the home fans in the early going, during which their team struggled to cope. Albion guarded the ball jealously, passed patiently and called the shots. The 22nd minute lead given them by Ulloa was no more than they deserved but these current Addicks are made of stern stuff. They stayed in the game, began hustling the visitors out of their comfort zone while seeking weaknesses to exploit. And weaknesses there were to exploit.
Ulloa’s first goal was scruffy. During a goalmouth scramble, a sly shove on Dale Stephens went unspotted, with several opportunities to clear spurned before the Argentinian threaded a low drive through a ruck of players. Charlton were in trouble but don’t believe that lazy canard that they lack fight. Pulling themselves together, they were level within ten more minutes.
There didn’t seem much menace in Cameron Stewart’s hopeful cross from the left but Kermorgant’s miscue wrongfooted the Seagulls (bit of a biological melange there, what with Kermorgant sounding like an oceangoing bird, but stay with me), leaving Wilson to rifle a rising shot into the roof of the net. Before the interval, Simon Church nodded Wilson’s cross wide at the near post as the momentum perceptibly shifted.
Albion were nearly scuppered, their earlier superiority by now drained away. The Addicks had secured a toehold in this pulsating game and were not about to have it kicked loose. Before the hour, Wilson doubled his (and his side’s) account. Popping up again at the far post, he hammered home another poorly defended cross from Stewart in a reasonable reprise of his first effort.
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Brighton weren’t quite sunk yet and came close to equalising as Ulloa headed Liam Bridcutt’s corner beyond Ben Alnwick but, to his chagrin, Richard Wood, for the second week running, cleared off the line.
Wood’s goalline heroics gained added importance seconds later after Rhoys Wiggins’ brilliant solo run was cynically halted by Keith Andrews’ brutal challenge five yards outside the penalty area. The combative midfielder’s punishment fitted his crime because Kermorgant left Peter Brezovan standing with a beautiful free kick curled neatly inside the left post. And that was that. Except, of course, it wasn’t.
Bewildered by the turn of events, the Seagulls hit back desperately only to find that fortune for once favoured Charlton. In breathtaking sequence, Ashley Barnes struck the bar, his fellow substitute Inigo Calderon smashed the rebound against the left post, Ulloa’s follow-up effort deflected agonisingly wide. They’ve been grousing around S.E.7 recently that the rub of the green hasn’t been going Charlton’s way. It might be an idea to keep a lid on any moaning for a while after they blissfully rode their luck on St. Stephen’s Day. Their amazing escape at 3-1 made Ulloa’s added time strike no more than a mere consolation.
Heroes were not hard to find among these red-shirted warriors though head and shoulders above them all was Kermorgant, a Breton juggernaut who proved unplayable at times. Peerless in the air, his touch with either foot is velvety, his perceptive picking of a pass all but perfect. As dominant an influence when defending in his own penalty area, his recent recovery from injury was particularly well timed.
Running Kermorgant close was Wilson whose goals, only his third and fourth for the club, crowned tireless spadework up and down the right flank. Wiggins was superb, Chris Solly’s excellence can be taken for granted, Church went through his customary wall for the cause while Stewart fused teammates and supporters together with one magnificently gallant block near the end. There was praise for all hands but that Jordan Cousins, what’s that all about? Not 20 until March, he’s supposed to be bowed by the pressure of relegation but this kid revels in it. Gifted and skilful, he’s not above putting his foot in, where the situation demands it. Nor is Stephens, come to think of it. He’s learning from the youngster every week.
Meanwhile, though we’re not quite at the halfway point yet, it’s time to pin colours to the mast so here goes. Charlton are not going down this season. Not this bonny band of battlers. You have my marker on it.
Charlton: Alnwick, Solly, Morrison, Wood, Wiggins, Wilson (Pritchard 90), Stephens, Cousins, Stewart (Evina 83), Church (Dervite 83), Kermorgant. Not used: Pope, Green, Sordell, Cook.
Brighton: Brezovan, Saltor (Calderon 46), Upson, El-Abd, Lopez (Barnes 63), Crofts, Andrews (Agustien 76), Bridcutt, Ward, Buckley, Ulloa. Not used: Kuszczak, Dunk, Orlandi, Ince. Booked: Saltor, El-Abd.
Referee: Mick Russell. Att: 17,404.