Kevin Nolan’s Match Report: Charlton v QPR (08/08/2015)

Charlton 2 (Watt 52, Fox 72) QPR 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from the Valley

With the last rites prematurely adminstered to Australia’s cricketers before noon at Trent Bridge, a nation’s sporting focus switched naturally to the Championship’s opening day clash of Charlton and QPR at a resplendently sparkling Valley. Shirtsleeves were the order of the day at both venues, where the home heroes disdainfully dismissed noisy, presumptuous visitors.

Still nursing Premier League pretensions, Rangers fielded, unusually these days, no fewer than eight English starters, a surprising statistic which no doubt owes more to enforced economy than to unimpeachable patriotism. Their home boys might have numbered nine but Joey Barton has withdrawn to label his stamp collection. We send him our love… and a bang on the ear.

Among the homespun West Londoners was Charlie Austin, an old-fashioned centre forward, whose rags-to-riches rise once inspired a generation of workaday wannabes. On the cusp of a lucrative move upwards, Austin was probably being exhibited to potential customers in the transfer window by manager Chris Ramsey. If so, events proved conclusively that the rookie boss had made an enormous, if understandable, mistake. His coveted No. 9 was definitely on the pitch but had also blatantly failed to turn up, if you catch the drift. An early blast wide, a deflected effort on the turn and a hugely embarrassing shank which traversed laterally from left side to right before limping over the touchline for a throw-in were the peaks of Austin’s miserable contribution. When he departed to universal derision with six minutes remaining, it came as a surprise to many, who imagined he’d left already. With a shrewd eye to business, Ramsey claimed he had “worked hard”.

So much for Austin, much feared by home fans pre-kick-off. The Addicks have centre forward issues of their own and disquiet spread at the glaring absence of Tony Watt’s name from Charlton’s starting X1. Enfant terrible Tony had been dropped by Guy Luzon following a training ground kerfuffle ( domestic dust-ups remain, like transfer fees, “undisclosed”) and consigned to the bench.

Having apparently committed the crime, Watt sensibly did the time before emerging to replace an overawed Karlan Ahearne-Grant for the second half. Within seven minutes he destroyed QPR with an excellent goal, of which the old Austin might have approved. Receiving El-Hadji Ba’s pass, over which the steadily improving Simon Makienot cutely dummied, he stepped nonchalantly inside right back James Perch before letting fly. Possibly anticipating a shot across his bows aimed at the far corner, Robert Green got a hand to the ball which instead squeezed past him at his near post.

By that time, the Addicks had weathered Rangers’ early onslaught, which featured seven fruitless corners within the opening quarter hour. With Austin neutered by the no-nonsense attentions of Alou Diarra and with Patrick Bauer in equally uncompromising mood at the Frenchman’s elbow, the locals exerted a grip they had every intention of maintaining.

In front of the imperious centre backs, holding midfielder Ahmed Kashi was immense. A bundle of furious energy, he tackled, intercepted and distributed intelligently. There may be an occasional yellow card in the offing but the Algerian powerhouse promises to be a shrewd acquisition. His unwavering commitment reduced Jordan Cousins’ workload and Charlton’s homegrown star responded accordingly. Still little more than a freshfaced kid, the recent signing of young Jordan to a four-year contract, represents sound business.

As different as chalk from cheese, meanwhile, the liquid left-footed skills of Johann Berg Gudmundsson meshed nicely with the dynamism of Ba in central midfield. Gudmundsson was all elusive, creative elegance, not to mention the power behind a 30-yard free kick in the closing stages which was already rebounding off Green’s crossbar while the veteran keeper was still in flailing, mid-air flight in a hopeless quest to make contact. Until he tired, Ba ruled the roost from box-to-box.
About skipper Chris Solly, little remains to be said; his consistency is taken for granted. He’s one of the best footballers produced at Sparrows Lane in reliable memory and to liken him to Phillip Lahm is no flight of fancy. But alongside him, left back Morgan Fox still has doubters, sceptics he answered with another solid display, to which he added the flourish of his first goal for the club. Receiving Watt’s pass to the left of Green’s goal, he glanced up to measure line and length and from a cricket pitch’s distance, crashed a swerving drive inside the right post. There’s no celebration to match that of a maiden goal scored by one of your own and The Valley raised its roof in homage.

Rangers were a well-beaten side, though they might well recover in time to join the Championship pacesetters. Their best efforts at least gave Nick Pope an opportunity to reassure Luzon that the prolonged absence of Stephen Henderson need not be the disaster predicted by many. Pope’s flying first half save from Tjaron Chery’s blockbuster was outstanding, while his instinctive reaction to Matt Phillips’ close range missile after Jamie Mackie had opened up the Addicks on the left, was equally important.

So there you have it, the Ashes regained in the morning, further ashes in West London mouths in the afternoon. All it needed was for Ireland to marmalise Wales in Cardiff. Not that I pay much attention to the rugby, of course.

Charlton: Pope, Solly, Bauer, Diarra, Fox, Kashi, Ba (Bergdich 76), Gudmundsson (Ceballos 89), Cousins. Ahearne-Grant (Watt 46), Makienok. Not used: Mitov, Jackson, Charles-Cook, Lennon. Booked: Diarra, Ba.

Referee: Robert Madley. Att: 19, 469.