Kevin Nolan’s Match Report: Charlton v Leeds (12/12/2015)

Charlton 0 Leeds United 0.

As the grim reality of yet another relegation battle begins yet again to drain Charlton and their hollow-cheeked fans, it’s fair to question how long they can sustain the energy-sapping consequences of constant struggle against relegation. Since Chris Powell’s triumphant squad barnstormed out of League One, they have wallowed at the wrong end of the Championship table, improbably digging themselves out of trouble under no fewer than four interchangeable managers dredged from Roland Duchatelet’s Belgian empire. There have been few signs that they belong in the division, much less make any impact in it. Their gaze is constantly directed downward, the business at the top end of the league of no real concern to them. And still the owners allude to some mysterious plan to reach the Premiership.

Saturday’s grudgingly won point wrested from hardbitten Leeds at least had the virtue of lifting the Addicks out of the dreaded bottom three, where they will remain at least until Tuesday evening, when wretched Bolton Wanderers, a club in even worse shape than themselves, visit The Valley. Only a fool would predict a home banker.

After surviving a late battering from Leeds, during which Tom Adeyemi missed the definitive “sitter”, legweary Charlton staggered through the finishing tape and will justifiably regard this result as a point gained rather than two squandered. For that small mercy they had United’s poor finishing and Stephen Henderson’s dependable goalkeeping to thank.

Hard on the heels of the encouraging, if ultimately doomed performance at Brighton a week previously, incumbent janitor Karel Fraeye was boosted by the quick recovery from worrying knocks of Harry Lennon, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jordan Cousins, not to mention the welcome return from injury of Johnnie Jackson. Although steady centre back Patrick Bauer was suspended, a surprisingly healthy side lined up to face shambolic but dangerous Leeds. They began brightly.

After Adeyemi’s quickfire fouls on Jackson and Gudmundsson announced the visitors’ pragmatic intentions, Ricardo Vaz Te’s clever pass cut them open and sent Reza Goochannejhad racing to the left byline. From a diminishing angle, the Iranian striker pulled a low shot across Marco Sivestri but, by inches, wide of the far post. A squared ball to unmarked Ademola Lookman might have been a better option. The youngster wasn’t above making the point.

Continuing to make the early running, Jackson set up Goochannejhad to fire over the bar before the unquenchable Lookman stepped inside on to Gudmundsson’s pass and brought Silvestro plunging to his left to make a smart save. Charlton’s brief period of superiority was punctuated only by Alex Mowatt’s free kick, which produced Henderson’s first save of a gloomy afternoon.

The Addicks were holding their own, their parity protected by the mess made by Chris Wood of converting Charlie Taylor’s devastating cutback, followed by the the poor marksmanship of Lewis Cook, who seized on Goochannejhad’s error but blasted wastefully into the packed away end.

Early second half bookings for Cousins and Goochannejhad brought swift reprisal from the visitors, who countered with five cautions of their own before the final whistle. It was never a blatantly violent game but United’s ruthlessness was exemplified by Guiseppe Bellusci’s “one for the team” chopping down of Lookman, whose electric burst through the heart of their defence was coldbloodedly truncated. Vaz Te’s resultant free kick was capably fielded by Silvestri, proving that crime does indeed pay.

An awkwardly prodded effort by Vaz Te from the excellent Chris Solly’s low centre tested Silvestri’s reactions but brought to an end the Addicks as an attacking force. By now running on empty, they spent the final 20 minutes soaking up steady pressure in their bid to hang on to a precious point.

Wood was their unwitting ally, his ample frame getting in the way of Cook’s goalbound shot, after Stuart Dallas’ tricky wingplay set up the gifted young midfielder’s chance. Clearly a devotee of his manager Steve Evans’s dietary advice, Wood seems to have added a few pounds. It’s tempting to remark that he’s packing extra timber but you can’t go around making cracks like that.

Soon after Cook’s misfortune, Wood and substitute Jordan Botaka carved out Adeyemi’s opening. Sent through to confront a desperately advancing Henderson, he lifted the ball over the keeper’s left hand but succeeded only in clipping the outside of the right post. It was miss of heroic proportions. The Addicks weren’t quite there yet, of course, and Henderson’s outstanding save was required to keep out Taylor’s raking drive. But make it they did and climbed wearily out of the relegation quagmire. It can’t go on like this. But that’s exactly what it does. It goes on like this. Season after season, it bloody well goes on like this. Somebody -anybody – make it stop.

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Diarra, Lennon, Holmes-Dennis, Cousins, Jackson (Makienok 81), Gudmundsson, Goochannejhad (Ba 81), Lookman, Vaz Te (Ahearne-Grant 88). Not used: Pope, Sarr, Fox, Charles-Cook. Booked: Cousins, Goochannejhad, Ba.

Att: 15,867.