Charlton 1 (Sordell 54) Blackburn Rovers 3 (Gestede 26, Keane 51, Cairney 64).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
A clinical post-mortem on Charlton’s wretched season must obviously be deferred until the patient has actually passed on. At the moment, they are clinging to life and their prognosis actually offers hope. Whatever the outcome, though, the symptoms have been unpleasant.
Saturday’s routine defeat by Blackburn was yet another dismissal by superior opposition. Rovers have fallen short of the play-offs but they were too much for Charlton, whose focus near the end had sensibly shifted to the protection of the slender goal difference which promises to keep them in the Championship. To that end, Marvin Sordell’s clever strike and a stupendous last minute save by Ben Hamer might yet prove significant.
During the tacit search for three teams inferior to his own, Jose Riga has evolved into a cool arch-pragmatist. Without actually saying so, he downplays results considered dispensable, while concentrating on those deemed more likely. These are the manager’s comments, for instance, following the 3-0 licking by Brighton exactly two weeks ago. “We must face reality. We had an opponent on another level and we had to hope that with good organisation collectively we could take points.”
And here’s Riga in similar vein after this loss to Blackburn. “We played a team which hadn’t lost for 10 games and has made big results against big teams. Maybe they didn’t start the season this way but they are in a good mood at the moment.”
You wouldn’t infer from those less than stirring remarks that the Addicks received a clarion call to arms before either match. No doubt a more Churchillian approach will be adopted for Tuesday’s key game in hand against Watford. Beaches, highways, byways, the whites of their eyes… that sort of stuff.
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Strongly suspected of being merely a managerial stopgap, Riga inherited a thankless task from the airily discarded Chris Powell. Neither of them had any say in the strictly-business sale of Yann Kermorgant and Dale Stephens and still less control over their dubious replacements. The impact of six arrivals from Roland Duchatelet’s Continental empire has been, to say the least, less than profound. On second thoughts, let’s not say the least about them. Let’s loudly shout the odds instead.
The best of the new recruits has been “never quite fit” midfield ballplayer Astrit Ajdarevic, who can appear only in carefully prescribed doses: Reza Ghoochannejhad made a contribution with his wonderful winner at Leeds, promised the earth but settled for less: Loic Nego, Piotr Parzyszek have been invisible, Davide Petrucci mercifully used only in meaningless cameos, while the less said about fiery French revolutionary Yohann Thuram-Ulien perhaps the better. It’s reasonable to claim that were Kermorgant still at The Valley, Charlton wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in. Stephens would also walk into the side. And the club’s good name was compromised when Powell was treated with such cavalier disregard.
But, hey, steady the Buffs…stand fast the East Kents! The immediate priority is to stave off relegation and the Addicks are far from done for yet. Handed a huge favour by Reading (well done by the way, Nigel, you’re a true pal) at Doncaster, they could even lose both their outstanding games and still survive, assuming runaway champions Leicester do the decent thing by also knocking off Doncaster. That route to safety is hardly recommended but, c’mon, desperation makes beggars of us all. So we’ll be behind Kermorgant at Millwall next Saturday and, more immediately, Uwe Rosler at Birmingham on Tuesday, though it might be wise not to rely too much on Rosler. He’s in the throes of a choking fit right now.
Defeat by Blackburn, meanwhile, was largely uneventful, with the exception of the massive 39th minute talking point created by the award of a penalty to Charlton -only their second of the season – for Grant Hanley’s clumsy trip on Sordell. His job done, the much improved striker should have stepped aside for skipper Johnnie Jackson who, on the other hand, should have insisted the spotkick was his responsibility. Instead Sordell, despite his conspicuous lack of shooting power, was allowed to make a feeble mess of beating Paul Robinson from 12 yards. His failure gave us another reason to pine for big Yann. He wouldn’t have squandered the chance.
Trailing 1-0 at the time of Sordell’s painfully predictable miss, the Addicks could scarcely afford to kick such a gift horse in the teeth. They had acquitted themselves well until Callum Harriott lost possession, Josh King crossed and Rudy Gestede’s downward header crept inside the left hand post with Hamer slow to react.
Nine minutes after the break, Rovers piled on the agony with a second goal. Another free header, this one Michael Keane’s bullet from Craig Conway’s free kick, left Hamer helpless and the deficit too wide to manage.
Eager to redeem himself and showing a promising return to scoring form, Sordell had other ideas and promptly reduced Charlton’s arrears with a skilfully curled drive from the 18-yard line. Before the Addicks could press home their brief advantage, unfortunately, Blackburn just as ruthlessly quelled the rally. Sent away by Tom Cairney, King cut in from the left to find Jordan Rhodes, whose close range effort was heroically cleared off the line by Dorian Dervite with the rebound neatly sidefooted into an empty net by Cairney.
Before the relegation mathematics were adjusted, Hamer prevented the deduction of a possibly important goal by saving marvellously and instinctively from Gestede’s point blank header.
So the fight goes on. It’s no longer a marathon now, more of an excruciatingly laboured “sprint” being disputed by a painwracked group of four limping survivors, who hit personal walls miles ago. But it’s still advantage Charlton. Because it’s goals that count. Or more accurately those conceded by their rivals.
Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Dervite. Fox, Cousins, Poyet, Jackson (Petrucci 82), Harriott (Ghoochannejhad 57), Adjarevic (Church 70), Sordell. Not used: Thuram-Ulien, Obika, Wood, Wilson. Booked: Fox.
Blackburn: Robinson, Keane, Hanley, Kilgallon, Olsson, King (Feeney 74), Cairney, Evans, Conway (Taylor 90), Gestede, Rhodes (Williamson 85). Not used: Rittenberg, Kane, Easton, Varney.
Referee: Michael Naylor. Att: 15,718.