Charlton 1 (Gudmundsson 88) Cardiff City 1 (Adeyemi 12).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.
A goal down to Cardiff City and on their way out at half-time, 10-man Charlton mustered a rousing second-half rally guaranteed to stir the blood and warm the cockles of a supportive crowd on Boxing Day. But for all their moving courage, they seemed doomed to disappointment as Tom Adeyemi’s early header continued to separate these sides with just two minutes left on the clock.
Fortunately for the Addicks, Johann Berg Gudmundsson had one more shot left in his locker. The restless bundle of energy seized on a loose ball some 30 yards from goal, moved forward a couple of paces, then thundered an unstoppable drive into the top left corner. “Pick that one out!”, he muttered in his native tongue as The Valley deliriously echoed his sentiments in more mundane Anglo-Saxon terms.
Gudmundsson’s magnificent equaliser was no more than Charlton deserved and might have provided the springboard for an even more dramatic turn of events had Igor Vetokele managed to convert the juiciest of chances deep into four minutes of added time.
Facing only David Marshall after Joni Buyens’ clever dummy allowed Gudmundsson’s pass to send him clear of a bamboozled defence, Vetokele, by overwhelming local choice the right man in the right place at the right time, chose power over precision and blasted wildly over the bar.
Those four added minutes, by the way, can’t pass without comment. After factoring in four second half substitutions and a lengthy goal celebration, it seems that City’s cynical timewasting, which included leisurely touchline-to-touchline journeys for long throw specialist Aron Gunnarsson to do his stuff, was a tactical masterclass. So don’t let anyone tell you that crime doesn’t pay. Except, of course, it came unstuck on this occasion.
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None of Charlton’s late heroics, meanwhile, can entirely gloss over their first half ineptitude. Until George Tucudean smashed Buyens’ cute pass against Marshall’s hands shortly before the break, they had rarely threatened. By that time, they were deservedly both a goal and a man down.
Gunnarsson had wasted little time in demonstrating his prowess with ball in hands, his lusty first minute missile from the right corner flag earning City their first corner. Crossing almost immediately to the opposite flank, where his hosts had thoughtfully provided a gap in the advertising hoardings to aid his momentum, he uncorked a monster which Ben Turner touched on for Ademeyi to bury a header into the roof of the net.
Out-of-sorts, disjointed and bereft of imagination, the Addicks -or Callum Harriott to be precise- compounded their haplessness by making a poor situation worse just past the half hour. A clumsy first touch led Harriott to launch a high, dangerous challenge -in fairness, more the product of incompetence than malice- on Craig Noone. Referee Russell’s red card was inevitable, just about the only decision he got right all afternoon, as wryly observed by Bob Peeters late on.
The manager’s interval message was apparently simple. Charlton had reached rock bottom, their only way was up. And how wholeheartedly his depleted troops, among which Neil Etheridge was making an encouraging debut, responded. Inspired by Gudmundsson, who used Harriott’s departure to move into a free roving role further upfield, they drove the previously dominant Bluebirds to disorganised distraction.
A second half siege began with Tucudean flicking Johnnie Jackson’s inswinging corner against the right post. Growing in confidence and pressing home his case for regular selection, the nimble-footed Rumanian then panicked Sean Morrison into hauling him back by skinning him inside the visitors’ half, an offence for which Morrison might have seen a red rather than the yellow card he received. Gudmundsson came within a whisker of exacting appropriate retribution but his artful free kick clipped the woodwork. The on-fire Icelander then forced a splendid, one-handed save from Marshall with a crisp low drive.
Surely nailed-on to partner Vetokele up front during and also after Harriott’s suspension, Tucudean received from Jordan Cousins, beat Marshall with a subtle flick but was foiled by John Brayford’s cushioned goalline clearance. A rare handful, Tucudean’s shot struck a defensive hand inside the penalty area; no dice was Russell’s response. Short of forcing the ball home by battering ram, there seemed no way to breach the Welsh wall until Gudmundsson’s sublime intervention.
So Christmas went out with a bang. The old Boxing Day fixture never quite had the glamour of Christmas Day but it’s as good as it gets these days. And quite right too. No more chestnuts roasting on a vendor’s open fire, no more Jack Frost nipping off our toes, no more straining to see more than a third of the pitch from behind the inevitable six-footer standing resolutely in front of you on a freezing terrace. Heath and Safety’s taken care of all that. But what they can’t take away is the sheer, animal thrill of a last minute goal in your favour. Nostalgia? -okay, it ain’t quite what it was but it’s still packs a punch. Cheers, JBG. And cheers all of you out there… you are out there, right?
Charlton: Etheridge, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Gomez (Onyewu 56), Gudmundsson, Buyens, Jackson (Vetokele 56), Cousins, Harriott, Tucudean. Not used: Pope, Wilson, Bulot, Fox, Ahearne-Grant. Booked: Solly.
Cardiff, Marshall, Brayford, Morrison, Turner, John, Noone, Gunnarsson, Adeyemi (Ralls 88), Whittingham, LeFondre (Harris 69), Jones. Not used: Moore, Da Silva, Manga, Macheda, Connolly. Booked: Morrison.
Referee: Mick Russell. Att: 17,543 (874 visiting).
Out there?
Of course!
Thanks for the great writing, really enjoy reports, even although I don’t go to all the games.
Out here in Southampton – your reports are unmissable Kev – thanks!