Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Leahy 7, pen) Charlton 0.
As if with malevolent intent, Charlton saved their worst for last in verdant Buckinghamshire on Saturday. With the bar set depressingly low, this mind-numbing performance made its case to be considered the undisputed nadir of a dreary, miserable season. It was an affront to the 1,781 fans who turned up in support, each of whom is owed a personal apology and a refund of their expenses. With that outcome in doubt, they will find some consolation in having reached the end of their suffering – at least until they hug their chains again in August.
A ragged, ramshackle rabble which, on the evidence provided at Adams Park, resembled nothing more than a pick-up Sunday pub side, produced a logical conclusion to their chaotic journey through the 2023-24 campaign. They were bloody awful, a collection of apparent strangers unknown to each other prior to kick-off. Their 14-game unbeaten streak – an impressive if deceptive statistic, inasmuch as only four of the games were actually won – was ended by a 7th minute penalty conceded by the particularly hapless Terell Thomas. The rest of them, with one or two worthy exceptions, were pretty hapless too.
Manager Nathan Jones was refreshingly candid in his post-game assessment. “That wasn’t good watching today. I feel for the fans, I really do. Because I don’t like watching that and they had to pay to watch it. That wasn’t good enough today. We made changes at half-time because they weren’t contributing – how long do we leave it?”
Jones didn’t mention the lounge lizards back home, among which was your world weary reporter but none of us will be holding our breath while waiting for refunds on the tenner it cost us. We’ll be putting it down to bitter experience. And it doesn’t get more bitter than watching Charlton end up pathetically grateful for 16th position in an undistinguished League One.
The goal which decided this drab game neatly summed up eight months of ineptitude. After Josh Scowen’s short pass played Richard Kone dangerously goalside of Thomas inside the penalty area, the left back’s reaction was as boneheaded as it was predictable. “Stand up!” you could almost hear Jones and his touchline assistants warn Thomas but too late was their cry. In went a careless leg, over it tumbled Kone and referee Elliot Ball’s decision was instant. Up stepped Luke Leahy to efficiently beat Harry Isted from the penalty spot and, for all the good it did, we might sensibly have headed home. Except, of course, most of us were already home.
Thomas’ sorry afternoon took another wrong turn when he shouldered, instead of headed, George Dobson’s accurate left wing corner wide of an inviting target. “Should have been braver” was Steve Brown’s studio reaction – and he should know.
But it wasn’t all about Thomas. His colleagues were, by and large, his accomplices in a first half of spiritless meandering. Isted was blameless with an excellent double save to deny first Leahy and a point blank follow-up from Chris Fiorino and Dobson, while not at his dynamic best, stood out in admittedly substandard company. Wycombe, it should be said, were far from irresistible, but hardly needed to be.
Jones’ second half substitutions brought faint improvement, with Tyreece Campbell an occasional threat and it was his cross which Franco Ravizzoli crucially touched off Dobson’s head when an unlikely equaliser seemed possible. Campbell was then crudely brought down outside the penalty area to earn a free kick which fellow substitute Lewis Fiorini thundered against the Chairboys’ woodwork; and yet again Campbell, whose point blank shot was bravely blocked by Ryan Taffizolli after Chuks Aneke’s clever lay-off, set up the last minute chance.
With that late flurry ended a thoroughly dispiriting game which brought to an overdue end an even more dispiriting season. Charlton are by now entrenched members of a depressing division, with no immediate promise of deliverance. They mounted no serious bid for promotion but flirted, instead, with the grisly spectre of relegation to the horrors of League Two. Truth is, they weren’t nearly good enough and it will be Jones’ urgent brief to sift through his underachieving squad and during a summer of recruitment and a full pre-season of preparation, fashion a team ready to compete at the very top of their league. He will begin the process without Dobson, his best player, but that’s all too typical of Charlton. Life ain’t worth living without a self-imposed handicap. Thanks for the memories, George, by the way…
Wycombe: Ravizzoli, Connor (Taffizolli 90), Lontwijk, Fiorino, Leahy, Scowen, Butcher, Taylor (Jacobson 57), McLeary (Wheeler 57), Sadlier (Lubala 57). Kone (Vokes 78). Not used: Shepperd, Kadua. Booked: Connor, Butcher.
Charlton: Isted, Ramsay, Hector, Ness (Fiorini 46), Thomas, Dobson, Bakinson, Anderson (Campbell 46), Small, May (Lua Lua 46), Kanu (Aneke 58), Not used: Ward, Coventry, Edmonds-Green. Booked: Ramsay, Dobson, Bakinson, Fiorini, Aneke, Nathan Jones.
Referee: Elliot Ball. Att: 6,702 (1,781 visiting).