Cheltenham Town 2 (Keena 50, May 88) Charlton 2 (Fraser 34, Payne 83)

Feet up at home, Kevin Nolan experienced an all-too-familiar sinking feeling as Charlton surrendered a late equaliser in the last knockings of a tedious season. Not that he was particularly surprised.

A surprisingly enjoyable conclusion to Charlton’s otherwise miserable season saw them share four goals and some enterprising football with Cheltenham – six places below them in the League One table but thankful they were not dragged into any undignified scramble to avoid relegation. Charlton put all that unpleasantness behind them some time ago – no cause for celebration but a relief at the time.

This entertaining, if ultimately disappointing, draw rounded off the Addicks’ record with perfect symmetry. Sixteen games were won, sixteen lost and fourteen drawn. An impressive 70 goals were scored, a less than impressive 66 conceded. They finished the campaign in tenth position, a model of mid-table anonymity, stuck among the stuffy bourgeoisie and certainly no threat to anyone, least of all the division’s front runners. Eight pointless months of sheer frustration ending in one last frustration, as it turned out.

This valedictory game highlighted Charlton’s few virtues and many failings. After absorbing Town’s bright opening, they assumed control, took the lead but squandered several opportunities to exploit their superiority. Chances were missed and they retired at half-time only one up. They were made to pay for their profligacy, as indeed they have been on innumerable occasions. Their brittleness is by now an article of faith, as is their vulnerability to late sucker punches.

With skipper George Dobson wisely protected from a 14th booking, which would have brought with it a 3-match suspension next season, central midfield was entrusted to Albie Morgan and Scott Fraser and, initially at least, they proved equal to the task. Morgan’s range of passing caught the eye and his work rate was steady. But it was elegant playmaker Fraser who added indispensable touches of poise and imagination, his strength on the ball earning him time and space to dictate the pace of Charlton’s attacks. The tall Scot also has a goal in his repertoire, as he proved after a half hour spent softening up the opposition.

Picking up the rebound from Tyreece Cambell’s blocked shot, Fraser glided round goalkeeper Luke Southwood, before slotting home from a diminishing angle near the left byline. It was his ninth goal of the season, a reasonable, if modest, return from a player clearly capable of more. His casual style, which suggests that football comes easy to him, divides fans who have never completely come to terms with his attitude. There’s no substitute for class, of course, and Fraser’s talents must surely feature in Dean Holden’s plans for next season.

The business of adding to their lead proved beyond Charlton, but not for want of trying. Right back Mandela Egbo was set up by Rak-Sakyi for a near post effort which Southwood parried with both hands. From the resultant corner, livewire Campbell made a clumsy hash of converting Fraser’s perfect cross, heading awkwardly off target when scoring seemed a simpler option. Before the break, Rak-Sakyi dithered uncharacteristically when clean through to face Southwood but was clearly tripped by the keeper as he sought to reach the loose ball. No chance of a penalty, it goes without saying. Rak-Sakyi also spun on to Morgan’s low cross but saw his volley deflected over the bar.

While their visitors were showing a customary lack of killer instinct, little had been seen of Cheltenham as an attacking force. In their line-up, of course, was lower league goal machine Alfie May, which meant their ineffectiveness was hardly likely to continue. Still the right side of 30, May had cleverly improvised Town’s matchwinner in their 1-0 victory at The Valley in December and, five minutes after resumption, he came to life again. His ferocious 25-yard drive was saved, at full length, by Ashley Maynard-Brewer, who was unable to direct the rebound away from goal. From three yards, Aidan Keena made routine work of tapping in an equaliser.

With both sides showing creditable ambition to claim a positive result, the exchanges were cheerfully end-to-end. Veteran Town skipper Liam Sercombe marshalled Town’s closing efforts but it was the visitors who, for a second time, got their noses in front with only seven minutes remaining. Their scorer was Jack Payne, another midfielder with an eye for goal; the diminutive battler had replaced teenager Aaron Henry, Dobson’s young deputy, with a quarter hour left and was alert to uncertainty involving Southwood and Elliot Bonds. Locked in to the “build-from-the back” philosophy, Southwood’s lazy pass was pickpocketed from Bonds by Payne, who wasted no time in evading the floundering keeper and finishing into his vacated net. And that seemed that – to everyone but May.

The shot which led to Keena’s first equaliser had been struck with May’s right foot. With two minutes left on the clock, his flawless control of Caleb Taylor’s left wing cross carried him clear of outwitted young substitute Jacob Roddy before a whiplashed drive, delivered venomously with his left foot, beat Maynard-Brewer comprehensively on its way inside the right-hand post. The result hardly mattered but May’s late strike supplied one more – almost gratuitous – anti-climax to Charlton’s misbegotten season. Meanwhile, thanks for listening. There is someone listening – right?

Cheltenham: Southwood, Long, Freestone (Raglan 81), Taylor, Jackson, Ferry, Sercombe, Broom, Bonds (Watson 89), May (Brown 89), Keena. Not used: MacDonald, Bradbury, Williams, Goodwin.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Sessegnon (Roddy 85), Thomas, Hector, Egbo (Assiimwe 85), Morgan, Fraser, Henry (Payne 74), Leaburn, Campbell (Rylah 85), Rak-Sakyi (Mitchell 87). Not used: Wollacott, Kanu.

Referee T. Nield. Att: 5,336 (936 visiting).

Still processing Saturday’s demolition by Ipswich, Kevin Nolan watched on Livestream as Charlton picked on hapless MK Dons and found them more co-operative than the irresistible Tractor Boys.

A 1-0 victory over a side which, on this evidence at least, is among the weakest in League One, is hardly cause for wild celebration. But after Saturday’s thumping by Ipswich, arguably the best team in the division, Charlton were in no mood to quibble about the quality of their opposition. Winning was their pressing priority and Milton Keynes’ dozy Dons fitted the bill perfectly.

Reacting positively to the humiliation in East Anglia, Dean Holden made four changes to the side which started at Portman Road. Macauley Bonne and Tyreece Campbell were omitted from the squad, Mandela Egbo dropped to the bench, while Ryan Inniss began his latest spell on probation after his fourth expulsion of another stormy season. In came Miles Leaburn, Sean Clare, Steven Sessegnon and, most significantly, Jack Payne.

Payne was sent off near the end of the home win over Burton Albion and was probably not sorry to miss the mauling by Ipswich, during which he served a one-match suspension. Recruited originally by Ben Garner, this current campaign has featured an in-and-out sequence of appearances, only ten of them as a starter. He brings enthusiasm and energy with him but it’s probably fair to conclude that Holden is ambivalent about his qualities. On this occasion, however, he was handsomely rewarded for turning to the sturdy little midfield battler.

In a scruffy encounter between poor sides, one of them far poorer than the other, Payne made a case as its best player. He put himself about, stayed on the right side of an erratic referee and was responsible for the fine goal which decided the issue just past the hour mark. Not a bad way to stake a claim to his manager’s favour.

Charlton were the better of two unremarkable sides without suggesting they were capable of breaking the deadlock until Payne made the difference. Ex-Don Scott Fraser’s short corner was played diagonally to Clare, who switched infield to George Dobson; the skipper picked out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi inside the penalty area and the elusive winger provided the telling pass to play Payne into space to the right of goal. One steadying touch set up the brutal left-footed shot which whistled past Jamie Cumming on its way into the far top corner. There’s not much of him but Payne packs power in his left foot. It’s tempting to call it a “wand” but it’s more of a bludgeon. Wands, according to the weary cliche, are wafted by more cerebral left-footers.

The excellence of Payne’s goal stood out in this untidy context. The obsession with statistics in modern football doesn’t stretch to recording misplaced passes but if it did this sloppy game could stake its claim to new lows in fecklessness. Possession was surrendered with cavalier disregard for consequences and, in this regard, the Addicks were only marginally superior to their hosts. Even after they took the lead, their carelessness on the ball invited disaster and made the closing quarter hour particularly uncomfortable. The normally reliable retention skills of Fraser and Rak-Sakyi were notably below par, while Albie Morgan marred an otherwise sound contribution with occasional lapses. Dobson stepped in to paper over cracks and the defence, under Michael Hector’s leadership, remained solid enough until a series of anywhere-will-do clearances invited late pressure from the previously inferior Dons.

There were chances, of course, which were evenly distributed, most of them during a livelier second half. Former Addick Jonathan Leko drew a sharp save from Ashley Maynard-Brewer, while Payne’s fierce drive shaved the bar after he met Morgan’s half cleared corner. Early in the second session, Zak Jules’ cross was met on the volley by MKD’s top scorer, Mo Eisa, but again Maynard-Brewer responded superbly. At the other end, Cumming was in similarly sharp form in keeping out Sessegnon’s accurate drive from outside the penalty area. The keeper was then relieved that Payne was unable to convert a close range chance after Rak-Sakyi turned brilliantly on the byline to set him up.

Reportedly being watched by bigger shots, hot prospect Leaburn had been working hard without reward until his crisp effort on the turn forced another smart save from Cumming. The resultant corner led directly to Payne’s breakthrough, a lead which Rak-Sakyi should have doubled when he made only feathery contact with Morgan’s precise cutback from the right. The Crystal Palace hotshot then chose to shoot from an awkward angle despite an indignant Morgan being poised for an easy tap-in at the far post.

Three more games from the conclusion of a desperately anti-climatic season, Charlton’s middle of the road mediocrity is rubber-stamped by unconvincing performances and results like this one in MK’s cavernous, soul-free stadium. Their inability to put inferior sides in their place, not to mention their vulnerability to dispiriting defeat by such opposition, has stutter-stepped their progress. Holden will be looking forward to ironing out the wrinkles during the summer. Then it’s Addicks11Victory next season – unless someone steps on that irritating record!

MK Dons: Cumming, Stewart (Holland 88) Tucker, Lewington, Watson, Maghoma (Robson 77), McEachran (Devoy 75), Johnson, Jones, Grant (Kaikai 61), Jules. Not used: Ravizzoli, Lawrence.

Referee: S. Allison. Att: 6,600 (755 visiting).

Bristol Rovers 1 (Marquis 71 (pen) Charlton 0.

On a sun-dappled afternoon, during which the climate finally pulled itself together, Charlton travelled to Bristol, intent on piling on the misery for Joey Barton’s relegation-threatened Rovers. Kevin Nolan watched from home as a long-time nemesis tore up the script.

With this charmless Good Friday ordeal grinding tediously towards its inevitably scoreless conclusion, Charlton, safe and sound themselves in the bosom of League One, offered a second helpful boost to Bristol Rovers’ determined bid to join them next season. They could hardly have done more than present beleaguered Gas with three crucial points to go with those they contributed at The Valley a week before Christmas. But that’s exactly what they went out of their way to do.

Neither of these earnest but punchless sides had shown any sign of breaking a boring deadlock until the normally reliable George Dobson lent a hand – both literally and metaphorically – to Rovers’ cause. Only he can explain what persuaded him to almost absentmindedly handle an innocuous ball inside his own penalty area, though under no perceptible pressure at the time. To be fair, his error marred an otherwise sound performance by the guilty skipper.

In no mood to squander a golden opportunity was Gas substitute John Marquis, an old adversary whose missed penalty, while in Doncaster Rovers’ colours, was critical in deciding a dramatic semi-final shoot-out in Charlton’s favour almost four years ago. Still nursing a grudge about the abuse he received, Marquis punished two defensive howlers in coming off the bench to score both goals in their 2-1 win in December. It’s safe to say he raises his game against the Addicks.

After replacing Josh Coburn in the 66th minute, Marquis had barely kicked the ball before Dobson’s aberration gave him his chance to be Rovers’ hero. Needless to say, he made easy work of beating Ashley Maynard-Brewer from the spot before donning a huge, imaginary stage moustache in his self-appointed role as Charlton’s go-to villain. What goes around comes around, so they say, and -who knows? – there may, somewhere down the line, be a further sting in the tail of the ex-Millwall striker’s personal war with Charlton.

Back at the Gasworks, meanwhile, Dean Holden’s men seemed intent on proving themselves to be pale, almost invisible, shadows of the rampant side which sunk Shrewsbury Town without trace only six days previously. Unable to break free of the tactical blanket devised by Barton, which restricted the attacking instincts of full backs Steven Sessegnon and Terell Thomas and denied space or time for wing speedsters Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Tyreece Campbell to turn aggressively and run at them, the visitors were confined to a congested midfield corridor, from which they were unable to escape. It made for an ugly, foul-strewn mess, which suited Rovers and their truculent manager perfectly.

As last Saturday’s champagne offering degenerated into flat brown ale, this defeat continued the inconsistency which has undermined Charlton’s desperately disappointing season. Even their recent four-game unbeaten run featured downbeat 1-1 draws with Accrington Stanley and Wycombe Wanderers, neither of which were results to celebrate.

There was to be no silver lining, meanwhile, to the dark cloud which co-existed with the pleasant West Country sunshine on Friday. The Addicks were solid enough at the back, where they were rarely inconvenienced by their hosts’ feeble forays. Goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer was largely untroubled before Antony Evans’ fierce effort from outside the penalty area sent him flying to his left to pull off a spectacular save shortly before the interval. The young Aussie was on his way to an incident-free clean sheet until Charlton self-destructed.

At the other end, James Belshaw was hardly any busier. He had no trouble gathering Miles Leaburn’s routine shot after Campbell briefly broke through to the left byline and was indebted to James Gibbons for clearing Leaburn’s late header off the line. There was little else to bother him.

And so this miserable campaign drones on to an eagerly anticipated conclusion. There are motions to be gone through, of course, and Charlton ran through some of them in Bristol on Friday, where Rovers had little to beat. They won because they got the better of the scrappy exchanges, reduced the pitch to a manageable size which suited their purposes and, frankly, wanted it more. On top of which, they had in their ranks a not-so secret weapon with a point to prove and a brightly burning desire for revenge. Charlton’s goose was cooked when Marquis quit the bench.

Rovers: Belshaw, Connolly, Gordon, Finley, Sinclair (Loft 60), Ward, Gibson, Evans (Collins 60), Bogarde, Hoole, Coburn (Marquis 66). Not used:
Anderson, McCormick, Gibbons.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Sessegnon (Kanu 85), Inniss, Hector, Thomas, Morgan (Payne 77), Dobson, Fraser, Rak-Sakyi, Leaburn, Campbell (Bonne 77). Not used: Wollacott, Egbo, Mitchell, Henry.

Referee: Simon Mather. Att: 9,613 (1,159 visiting).

Cambridge United 1 (Lloyd Jones 71) Charlton 2 (Leaburn 14, Rak-Sakyi 28).

Kevin Nolan hits the road again and sees Charlton exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia in Cambridge.

Beating both Morecambe and Cambridge United back-to-back within four days is nothing to brag about but it’s been Charlton’s failure to dismiss precisely this kind of opposition that has sentenced them to another season in the doldrums of League One.

The midweek demolition of Morecambe provided evidence that the Addicks, when in the mood, are streets ahead of most teams in the division and the same outcome can be expected when the Shrimpers visit The Valley in late April. Cambridge United, on the other hand, were good value for their 1-1 away draw, which they achieved in the same August week that Charlton destroyed automatic promotion candidates Plymouth Argyle 5-1. That pair of wacky results explains, in a nutshell, why this season is one which supporters will remember, if at all, with a mixture of irritation and frustration.

Saturday’s narrow victory over relegation haunted Cambridge displayed, within just one game, why Charlton are where they are. During the first half, they were quite brilliant and swept their hosts aside with confident, one-touch football. Passes were crisp and accurate, their movement suitably fluid and twice their finishing matched the silky build-up. Basking in such rare superiority, almost 1,500 camp followers applauded them off at half-time and looked forward to more of the same upon resumption.

They were in for disappointment because Dean Holden’s men were as bad during most of the second half as they had been good in the first stanza. United’s three interval substitutions had their effect but nothing explains why the cockahoop Londoners almost literally fell apart. Dithering between old-fashioned clearing of lines and the modern practice of “building from the back”, they seemed incapable for long periods of getting out of their own half. Where smooth contact from back to front had been maintained by the likes of Scott Fraser and George Dobson, with the accurate passing of Michael Hector and an impressively calm Ryan Inniss launching the process behind them, Charlton were panicked into mistakes and started to ride their luck. Cambridge began to smell blood. And when Lloyd Jones reduced their arrears with twenty minutes remaining, Charlton’s first half sashay on Easy Street turned abruptly into an undignified stumble down Skid Row.

Nothing in the first half prepared us for the Addicks’ baffling fall from grace. They were relaxed, graceful and more than worth the two-goal lead they took into the dressing room with them. It took them under a quarter hour to break through and it was no surprise that their scorer was the force of nature that is currently Miles Leaburn. Easing away from his marker as Jesurun Rak-Sakyi took Sean Clare’s raking pass in his stride and headed for the right byline, Leaburn was perfectly placed to sweep the winger’s cut back past ex-Addick Dimitar Mitov.

When Rak-Sakyi added a goal to his assist before the half hour, the Us were apparently heading for a hiding. Fraser and Albie Morgan stood over the free kick awarded for a foul on Leaburn near the right touchline. Fraser dummied a left-footed delivery but it was Morgan who sent a dipping ball to the near post where Rak-Sakyi nonchalantly flicked home his tenth goal of an uneven loan spell. He inspires frustration and admiration in equal measure but there’s no doubting Rak-Sakyi’s huge talent. The trick is to put it to practical use for the team’s benefit.

The untimely interval withdrawal of Leaburn with “minor ham string damage” robbed the visitors of their main attacking outlet. Fellow academy graduate Daniel Kanu stepped up to replace him but struggled to make an impact. A little easy to shunt off the ball, young Daniel is still a live prospect who needs patience and tolerance. And certainly not the abuse he receives from a few know-alls. He’s just a kid, for crying out loud!

As Charlton came under steady pressure, meanwhile, their rookie keeper, Ashley Maynard-Brewer, came into his own. His clean handling and calm demeanour were reassuring but it’s his ability to produce key saves that marks him as special. The youthful Aussie sprawled to his left to keep out Bennett’s corner-bound header but merely delayed the 71st minute goal, which turned an uncomfortable screw on his beleaguered team. Maynard-Brewer could do nothing to stop Jones’ acute-angled effort, which the defender improvised after Bennett helped on Jack Lankester’s left wing corner. Charlton’s first half stroll was no longer a pleasant memory but the home side, if truth be told, actually caused Maynard-Brewer only minor inconvenience as the half wore on.

Gradually but inexorably, order was restored and Charlton were unlucky not to increase their lead in the late stages. The industrious Morgan had been replaced by Gavin Kilkenny, who seized the opportunity to demonstrate his ability and stung Mitov’s hands with a venomous drive. Kanu had also not stopped battling and referee Edwards was the only witness not willing to testify that Seddon had applied an illegal choke-hold to subdue the youngster. Charlton and penalty – words you seldom see used in the same sentence.

So Charlton’s day-late, dollar-short season limps to its sorry conclusion in an atmosphere of depressing anti-climax. Too good to go down – not remotely good enough to go up, they’re in danger of becoming institutionalised in League one, a Jekyll and Hyde side with more of the latter than the former about it. It could be worse but it’s hard to to think how right now…

Cambridge: Mitov, Lloyd Jones, Brophy (Williams 89), Ironside, Mannion, Smith (Tracey 46), Lankester, Ryan Bennett, Morrison (Seddon 46), Knibbs (Worman 46), Liam Bennett. Not used: George Williams, Dunk, Yearn.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Hector, Thomas (Sessegnon 72), Morgan (Kilkenny 72), Dobson, Fraser, Rak-Sakyi (Bonne 90+1), Leaburn (Kanu 46), Campbell (Payne 79). Not used: Wollacott, Henry.

Referee: Marc Edwards. Att: 7,068 (1469 visiting).

Morecambe 1 (Love 61) Charlton 4 (Leaburn 17, Blackett-Taylor21, 43) Fraser 69.

Like a WW1 general, Kevin Nolan kept up with Charlton on the North Western Front from a safe distance.

Winless in five games and still haunted by faint fears of relegation, Charlton comprehensively took care of business on the North West coast. Unrecognisable as the jaded side which was grateful to share the points with Accrington Stanley three days previously, they destroyed Morecambe in the first half with a devastating three-goal blitz. Typically, they relaxed enough to allow the Shrimpers a brief shaft of hope before re-asserting themselves and polishing them off with the pick of their four goals.

The overdue win, not to mention Charlton’s performance, challenged manager Dean Holden’s ability to improvise in the face of his latest injury setbacks. Deprived of Steven Sessegnon and Lucas Ness and with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi nursing a knock on the bench, Holden skilfully shuffled his pack and was vindicated by the replacements. Terell Thomas came in for Ness on the left side of a back four, Tyreece Campbell filled the hole left by Sessegnon, while Scott Fraser took over from the disappointing Gavin Kilkenny and Albie Morgan got the midfield nod over Jack Payne. All four newcomers made significant contributions to a masterly away win.

With Corey Blackett-Taylor in particularly blistering form, the Addicks made a fast start at the Mazuma Stadium. There was an unmistakably no-nonsense air to their approach, the early tackles and aerial duels were won and Derek Adams’ side clearly had their hands full. More than full, in fact, as Blackett-Taylor was keen to demonstrate. His uncomplicated running and willingness to shoot tested Connor Ripley twice before the visitors crowned their early superiority with their first goal, which featured a bizarre blend of slapstick and deadly intent.

The latest of Blackett-Taylor’s forays earned a left wing corner which Morgan trotted over to swing in right-footed. The knockabout stuff was provided by Campbell’s awkward scuff and George Dobson’s earnest but badly shanked effort from the edge of the area. Adjusting athletically to Dobson’s miscue, Thomas contrived a spectacular, airborne backheel, to which Miles Leaburn reacted in kind, controlling expertly on his chest before swivelling to smash a vicious volley past Ripley. It was Leaburn Jr’s seventh league goal of an injury-punctuated season. This kid is the real deal.

Four minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead from another left wing corner, this one swung outwards by Fraser’s educated left foot. At the far post, the imposing Ryan Inniss overpowered the physically disadvantaged Liam Shaw and headed back towards the opposite upright, where Blackett-Taylor and Jensen Weir arrived in tandem and between them bundled the ball over the line. Replays suggested it was Weir rather than Blackett-Taylor who applied the decisive finish but, understandably, was reluctant to claim credit. By default, Charlton’s flying marauder chalked up his seventh goal of the campaign – a trifle sheepishly but thankfully.

Before the interval, Blackett-Taylor made it three with a similar finish, which indisputably belonged to him. The early running was made on the right by the hugely promising Campbell, who darted into the penalty area, shadowed by defender Farrend Rawson. Shaping to cross with his right foot, Campbell instead checked back sharply, paused to appraise the situation, then chipped a measured left-footed cross to the far post, where Blackett-Taylor charged in to score. This time, there was no Weir around to cloud the issue.

Resuming after he interval with a lead they were unlikely to relinquish, the Addicks complacently rested on their laurels. The excellent Sean Clare was an urgent exception and his fine solo run deserved a rare goal but Charlton’s job-done attitude was predictably punished. It was Inniss, who marred his so-solid performance with an all-too familiar error. His blindly directed backheel was intercepted by Omar Niasse, who made ground along the left touchline before finding Daniel Crowley inside him. The central midfielder timed his pass perfectly for Donald Love to close in on Ashley Maynard-Brewer and slot coolly past the advancing keeper.

Morecambe’s goal proved to be more irritant than spur for an improbable Shrimpers’ comeback. They were completely outclassed and less than ten minutes later were put in their place by an outstanding team goal. A bout of routine passing was carried on through Clare to Fraser, who triggered a sharp one-two with substitute Rak-Sakyi, took an additional touch and placed a low drive past Ripley into the far corner.

As Charlton coasted to victory, there were fine individual performances to savour, the best of them by Michael Hector, Thomas and, if his one mistake can be overlooked, by the rock-like Inniss. Morgan’s unselfish industry was admirable, Fraser supplied class and Blackett-Taylor was, at times, unplayable. There were no obvious weaknesses in a side which played with refreshing freedom from constraints like shape, formation or stifling tactics. Just a group of talented footballers doing the right thing at the right time, making it up as they went along. Simple really – not a proposition by Wittgenstein. These players have me looking forward to personally visiting Cambridge on Saturday for more of the same.

Morecambe: Ripley, Love, Gibson, Rawson, Crowley, Hunter, Weir, Niasse, Shaw, Mayor, Simeu. Not used: Smith, Delaney, Stockton, Gnahoua, Watts. Booked: Weir.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Hector, Thomas (Egbo 82), Dobson (Kanu 76), Morgan, Fraser (Henry 76), Blackett-Taylor (Rak-Sakyi 56), Leaburn (Bonne 76), Campbell. Booked: Thomas, Morgan, Dobson.

Referee: Andy Haines. Att: 3,795.

N.B. This report is dedicated to family friend and all-round top bloke – Jimmy Mulcahy. Jimmy’s up against it right now but he’ll make it. Say a prayer to whoever you believe in – or if you don’t believe in anyone think well of a fellow Charlton fan but more importantly a decent human being. Get well, Jimmy, we’ve got you covered. See you at The Valley. Kevin Nolan and his family, many of whom you know.

Plymouth Argyle 2 (Hardie 46, Ennis 87) Charlton 0.

From a warm living room, Kevin Nolan watches Charlton screw up in Devon, where a defensive catastrophe gives Plymouth a break they probably didn’t need.

Say what you like about Charlton these days but you can’t take your eyes off them. More to the point, it’s recommended you don’t take your eyes off them – not for a second. And certainly not for eight seconds, which was all the time they needed to undermine the promising position earned by their spirited resistance to hotshots Plymouth Argyle during a backs-to-the wall first half at Home Park.

There were reasons for optimism as the Addicks started the second half by kicking off in the direction of 655 brethren huddled together behind the goal they had manfully defended during a largely one-sided first period. Not quite in their direction, of course, because Jesurun Rak-Sakyi began routinely by playing the ball back to Lucas Ness, part of a four-man posse lined up squarely and, as it turned, too close to the halfway line for comfort.

Sensing the pressure Ness was under, lone raider Ryan Hardie pursued Rak-Sakyi’s soft pass, charged down the teenage centre back’s hasty clearance and moved menacingly into the space behind him. A velvety touch mastered an awkward bounce and set up a deft dink over an advancing Ashley Maynard-Brewer into an empty net. It was almost possible to hear the stuffing being knocked out of Dean Holden’s corps. They knew -as we all knew -that this always daunting assignment had been cruelly re-classified an impossible mission. Not that the Addicks gave in. They battled on to the inevitable end and stayed in notional contention until Argyle polished them off with a second goal at the other end of a disastrous half.

It was impossible not to feel sympathy for the stricken Ness. He’s a cracking prospect and was at the heart of Charlton’s stubborn rearguard action. One particular tracking of Hardie and precisely timed recovery tackle as the Scottish predator shaped to shoot, was an object lesson in mature defending. Young Lucas won’t be allowed to brood long on an error not solely his fault. He simply carried the can for an outbreak of corporate sloppiness.

The Addicks had actually begun brightly in Devon. Both Gavin Kilkenny and Jack Payne fired half chances over Callum Burton’s bar, George Dobson was his usual disruptive self and there were alert blocks by the busy captain, Ryan Inniss and the outstanding Michael Hector. The traffic was largely one-way but Maynard-Brewer was untroubled, apart from one singularly uncomfortable flashpoint as the interval approached.

The Pilgrims had stayed on top but the visitors remained solid until, with dressing room sanctuary in touching distance, the persistent Hardie again broke loose to confront Maynard-Brewer. Hardie’s first effort was bravely blocked by the young Aussie but a favourable ricochet left him what appeared to be the formality of finishing into a gaping goal. His simple task was spectacularly thwarted by the flying figure of Hector, who somehow bundled the ball off the line with what looked suspiciously like an elbow. Argyle’s protests were impassioned, but referee Andy Woolmer was unmoved.

It’s more than likely that a fair few of the Home Park crowd missed Hardie’s bombshell. You know how it is – you settle down for the second helping and some burly latecomer pushes between you and the action at precisely the critical time. You’d take it up with him but he’s sort of aggressive and, as stated, a bit burly. It’s tolerable if it’s your team scoring and Charlton hearts are still warmed by those two wildly improbable added-time goals which silenced Ipswich at The Valley back in October. You couldn’t believe what happened then. And you probably didn’t choose to believe what happened in those eight cataclysmic seconds down in the West Country.

Gifted the lead, meanwhile, Argyle were far from convincing in consolidating their advantage. Tame efforts from Jordan Houghton and Matt Butcher hardly tested Maynard-Brewer before the 65th minute introduction of Miles Leaburn and Daniel Kanu encouraged brief hope of an unlikely recovery. These eager young beavers play without fear and Kanu came close to equalising with a surging run and low drive which beat Burton but passed narrowly wide of the far post. With little to lose, it could be time for Holden to turn to youth. He’s had little reason to regret his faith in Ness.

With time almost up, the Pilgrims belatedly sealed the issue. Skipper Joe Edwards led a lightning break before picking out Callum Wright to his right. A 71st minute replacement for Danny Mayor, Wright cut back for fellow substitute Niall Enniss, who took a touch though surrounded by Addicks, then drilled the coup-de-grace past the helpless Maynard-Brewer.

Beginning the afternoon nine points clear of the relegation zone, Charlton somehow emerged with the same protective cushion at the close of play. Next up are Accrington Stanley at The Valley next Saturday, then a challenging midweek trip to Morecambe. Both of them will be desperate to upset the posh Southern softies. As will Charlton to put them in their places. It’s time to show the uppity Northerners that the South will rise again…

Plymouth: Burton, Wilson, Gillesphey, Galloway (Lonwijk 81), Edwards, Houghton, Butcher, Mumba (Earley 81), Mayor (Wright 71), Azaz (Enniss 81), Hardie (Cosgrove 81). Not used: Parkes, Matete.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Ness, Inniss, Hector (Blackett-Taylor 65), Dobson, Kilkenny, Sessegnon, Payne (Kanu 65), Rak-Sakyi, Bonne (Leaburn 65). Not used: Wollacott, Thomas, Henry, Morgan.

Referee: Andy Woolmer. Att: 16,011 (655 visiting).

Peterborough United 0 Charlton 0

Kevin Nolan reports from his living room dug-out.

The outcome of this latest contribution to Charlton’s nickel-and-dime season divided their fans as usual. The pragmatists among them were satisfied with a point on the road, which not only checked their two-game slump but was wrested from opponents fresh from their 5-2 mauling of Plymouth Argyle just three days previously. The dreamers, meanwhile, rued an opportunity missed after Peterborough survived with ten men for over half an hour.

The truth, as it often does, lies somewhere between the conflicting theories. It’s fair to say that the Addicks made little of their numerical advantage – chiefly because they operate these days without a forward line – but they also shut out free-wheeling Posh, whose 48-goal total had been bettered by only four teams in League One. It was a tough call.

The flashpoint incident which triggered the controversy occurred early in the second period and was dramatically out of context in this generally well-behaved, if dull, encounter, between two disappointing teams. Speedster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi had been likewise subdued as he operated further infield than the right touchline-hugging role he prefers but finally found the space he needed to run at Posh’s visibly panicked defenders. At which critical point things turned ugly.

Sent stumbling by Jack Taylor’s clumsy foul, Rak-Sakyi’s momentum carried him into violent contact with Josh Knight, who chopped him down before inexplicably kicking him as they tangled together on the ground. Reacting angrily, the slimline loanee hurled himself at his assailant and threw a punch/push at his chin/shoulder. As referee Andrew Kitchen began sorting out the consequences, every busybody and his uncle added their pennyworth. The mess was resolved by yellow cards for Taylor and Rak-Sakyi (though Kitchen fumbled briefly with red in his case) but a definitive red for prime offender Knight. Naturally there was deep disagreement with Kitchen’s rulings, though it’s worth noting that he received sturdy support from his nearby linesman.

Clearly shaken by his painful experience, Rak-Sakyi made little further impact on the game. Being booted in the niagaras has that sobering effect and though the Good Book advises that we turn the other cheek, it neglects to comment on other, more sensitive areas of a man’s anatomy. Though sorely provoked, the reality is that the normally law-abiding winger was given a break by the beak.

Nothing that occurred before the big brawl gave any hint of what was in store. Facing jaded, out-of-sorts hosts, the Addicks edged the opening exchanges without suggesting they had enough about them to press home their superiority. A second minute opening which Macauley Bonne – a striker in sore need of a goal – squirted over the bar on the turn and a header, from Sean Clare’s corner, which Lucas Ness sent over the top were poor return for their bright start. And it was Posh who came up with the game’s first genuine chance midway through the first half.

An intermittent threat on the left, Nathaneal Ogbeta stepped inside to cross right footed from the left to the far post. Hovering there was predator Johnson Clarke-Harris, who scored in the 1-1 draw at The Valley on Boxing Day and sought to repeat his success with a similar downward header. He was thwarted on this occasion by Ashley Maynard-Brewer’s razor-sharp response to save brilliantly at the foot of a post. Charlton’s young Aussie keeper was briefly busy, first bravely smothering at Ogbeta’s feet, then awkwardly pawing clear a deceptively swirling corner from Joe Ward. As Posh improved, visiting hearts were in visiting mouths when George Dobson clashed inside the penalty area with Ephron Mason-Clark but was absolved of blame by a perfectly positioned Kitchen. “An obvious penalty!” declared Boro manager Duncan Ferguson… But then he would, wouldn’t he?

Charlton’s best chance of breaking the second half deadlock was laid on by wingback Steven Sessegnon, who sprinted past Nathan Thompson to the left byline before rolling back a careful pass to Jack Payne, in intelligent support inside him. Unhappily, Payne’s badly scuffed effort failed to match his clever movement and dribbled harmlessly wide of the far post. Payne’s sub standard finishing was matched by a wild shot from Dobson, which dispatched another inviting ball from Sessegnon into the back row of the visiting seated area and also by Scott Fraser, whose spectacular slice defies description.

An already dull game was briefly enlivened, then unnerved, by the Rak-Sakyi – Taylor – Knight dust-up and descended into an even more fragmented affair, during which Charlton came closest to stealing the points. First a sharp exchange between Corey Blackett-Taylor and Payne set up a shooting chance for the former, which was alertly blocked by Ronnie Edwards, then a liquid turn by Miles Leaburn put Blackett-Taylor in again for a shot superbly saved by Will Norris.

The post-scripts were supplied by Dean Holden and Ferguson who offered diametrically different versions of the fracas. “It was a stamp-out, bang out of order” testified Holden, “I was glad the referee gave the red card, I think it was the right decision.” In direct rebuttal, Ferguson dismissed Kitchen’s ruling as an “astonishing decision” and pointed out that “Rak-Sakyi threw himself at him (Knight)!” One man’s truth was another’s lie. And the truth, like beauty, often lies in the eye of the beholder.

Peterborough: Norris, Nathan Thompson, Edwards, Knight, Taylor, Clarke-Harris, Mason-Clark, Poku (Jones 67, Burrows 90+5), , Ogbeta, Kyprianou (Norburn 67), Ward
(Kent 56). Not used: Blackmore, Ben Thompson, Tshinanga. Booked: Taylor: sent off: Knight.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Hector (Blackett-Taylor 66), Inniss, Ness, Clare, Fraser (Leaburn78), Dobson (Henry 90), Payne, Sessegnon (Penney 78), Rak-Sakyi, Bonne.
Not used: Wollacott, Kilkenny, Morgan. Booked: Rak-Sakyi, Dobson.

Referee: Andrew Kitchen. Att: 8,219 (1,235 visiting).

Forest Green Rovers 0 Charlton 1 (Blackett-Taylor 12).

Kevin Nolan joined the foot soldiers on the terraces at Forest Green Rovers where Charlton survived an unlikely battering from bottom-of-the-table Forest Green and emerged with three bitterly won points.

After cruising smoothly through an opening 20 minutes of effortless domination, during which they took a deserved lead, toyed with their bottom-of-the-table hosts and seemed bound for comprehensive victory, Charlton inexplicably fell apart. From graceful thoroughbreds, they degenerated into weary, overworked hacks good for nothing but the knackers yard. Having squeezed over the finishing line by the shortest of short heads, there was, however, enough energy left to join in an untidy, post-game melee where push came to shove, no damage was done but which everyone enjoyed immensely. You’re not supposed to but you do.

Standing tall during the extra-curricular shenanigans was Ryan Inniss, completely exonerated of guilt for the red card he received three days previously. The club’s decision to appeal his dismissal was resoundingly vindicated and the massive centre back responded accordingly both during and after this nerve-jangling away win. His contribution to the Addicks’ narrow win had been stalwart; his role as peacemaker following the final whistle was exemplary. Supported by the similarly daunting Michael Hector, he was a conciliatory force for order. You wouldn’t go out of your way to antagonise either of them, to be fair, no matter how cheesed off you were about the result of a football game.

Hector had replaced scorer Corey Blackett-Taylor, as Rover’s nagging pressure was beginning to assume siege proportions. Michael’s a centre half from the old school. He can obviously play a bit but whenever a ball needed to be booted out of Charlton’s penalty area, there was little doubt where it was headed. Alongside Inniss and cool customer Lucas Ness, he formed part of a formidable central alliance which had just enough about it to see the visitors home and dry.

During that blistering opening spell, twin speedsters Blackett-Taylor and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi were irresistible. The latter terrorised left back Jamie Robson and, in a preview of the all-important goal, provided a splendid, diagonal pass which enabled Blackett-Taylor to cut inside
and shoot off-target. Shortly afterwards, Rak-Sakyi again showed Robson a clean pair of heels, reached the right byline and crossed on the run. Helped by a faint deflection, Blackett-Taylor smashed home a no-nonsense drive and Charlton, so it seemed, were on their way to an easy win.

A second goal would almost certainly have sealed the deal but Rak-Sakyi disastrously squandered a golden chance to double the lead. Expertly set up by surprise starter Chuks Aneke, who nodded Sean Clare’s cross back from the far post, the Crystal Palace loanee swung and missed from three yards. It proved to be a turning point, from which Duncan Ferguson’s battlers drew heart and began to improve. Charlton’s early swagger disappeared and a long, uncomfortable evening stretched before them. Had they been facing more formidable opposition -the kind provided by Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday within the next 10 days – their chances of survival would almost certainly have been bleak.

But this was right-on Forest Green Rovers, a team which has defied massive odds to climb from over a century of non-league competition to wind up in the same division as the lofty likes of Derby and Sheffield Wednesday -not to mention Charlton – but without obvious resources or adequate support, seem destined to embark on a journey back to reality, which will start with relegation this season. There is much about them to admire but professional football is an unsentimental business and dues must be paid. Game as they come but marooned in a rustic cul de-sac, Rovers are in no position to pay them.

Back in Nailsworth, meanwhile, there was a game to won and lost and Charlton, despite their scintillating start, were by no means certain to win it. They were well served by the reformed Inniss and the calm precocity of Ness, while George Dobson, as usual, led by captain’s example, his ball-winning tenacity balanced by crisp distribution. Dobson is the ultimate team player and ranks among the best midfielders in League One. He was at the heart of Charlton’s resistance to Forest Green’s surprising superiority.

Shoulder to shoulder with Dobson was Gavin Kilkenny, a busy bustler who took no chances but passed safely and unadventurously. It was Kilkenny. with a map of Ireland for a face, who dangerously upended Myles Peart-Harris inside the penalty area but escaped without punishment. Forest Green continued the onslaught with a spate of left wing corners, swung in and sometimes out, by substitute Charlie Savage before Ness produced a miraculous goalline clearance to prevent Cory O’Keefe from converting Dominic Bernard’s treacherously swirling cross. By the time Ashley Maynard-Brewer did his bit by brilliantly saving Brandon Cooper’s point-blank shot, Charlton were unashamedly hanging on. Their own attacking threat had vanished with the steady decline of Blackett-Taylor and Rak Sakyi and the earlier elegance and style were a dim memory. In its place was a gritty determination not to concede and that, sometimes, is invaluable. They duly made it -but only just.

Following the after hours dust-up, for which Macauley Bonne carries the can, a return to the warmth of the coach was blessed relief. As a veteran of considerable vintage, your correspondent feels uniquely qualified to comment on the pros and cons of terrace life. Fated to stand behind some lofty bloke wearing a big hat, the pros, such as they were, remain elusive. To each his own, of course, but you can keep it. So the cons have it.

Forest Green: Doohan, O’Keefe (Godwin-Malife 79), Bernard (Omotoye 79), McGeoch (Savage 65), Casey, Stevenson, Garrick (McAllister 49), Robson, Bakaoko. Cooper, Peart-Harris. Not used: Thomas, McCann, Clarke.

Referee: C.Pollard. Att: 2,670 (871 visiting).

Exeter City 1 (Mitchell 31) Charlton 2 (Rak-Sakyi 8, Blackett-Taylor 18).

Kevin Nolan crossed swords with a not-so-magic stick to report Charlton’s eventful victory down in Devon.

They say crime doesn’t pay and they might have a point – up to a point. Saturday’s furtive hi jack of legitimate TV’s coverage of Charlton’s victory in Devon turned out to be fraught with problems but, let’s be dishonest, the handsome end justified the underhand means. If they’d lost, you might be reading a somewhat different story.

Settling down in a warm living room with the game playing out in front of us was clearly a sound idea, though it should be said the family was represented among the 1,057 hardy pilgrims who journeyed way out west. Just not by your reporter who chose the soft option and had no reason to question his judgement for all of five minutes. Then the picture froze and didn’t right itself until the ninth minute. But when it did, our profanity died in our throats because we learned, to our delight, that the Addicks were already in front due to a contender for Goal of the Season.

Replays of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s wonder strike confirmed that the spadework was provided by Scott Fraser’s check-out pass back to George Dobson, supporting intelligently as usual. The skipper glanced up, computed the speed and direction of Rak Sakyi’s run behind a startled defence and delivered an exquisite ball over the top. Meeting the pass smoothly, the Crystal Palace loanee detonated a toothsome left-footed volley past the helpless Jamal Blackman. Missing the goal live seemed a small price to pay for being in the lead so early on. And, anyway, we consoled ourselves that Rak-Sakyi’s moment of magic was not only indelible but available to watch again and again, despite being shabbily treated by technology in its immediate aftermath.

Shortly after, the gremlins struck again. This time, the action hip-hopped forward, stuttered feebly, then limped on unwatchably before resuming normally some fifteen or so minutes later. Pulling itself together, it informed us that the score was now 2-1 to the Addicks but we had to wait until the interval before discovering that Corey Blackett-Taylor had doubled our lead with another superb goal but that the Grecians had promptly replied through Demetri Mitchell, hurried on as a 26th minute replacement for Jack Sparkes. It was a bit deflating but it was what it was and we were, after all, still in front.

Blackett-Taylor’s strike, while not quite as sumptuous as Rak-Sakyi’s, was still something to write home about. Picked out by Lucas Ness’ devastating through pass, Rak-Sakyi’s alter ego shook off the attentions of Jake Caprice, steadied himself and drilled a low shot
beyond Blackman’s reach. It makes sense to utilise the pace of Charlton’s twin-speedsters with this kind of direct service; hopefully the penny drops and their success spells the decline of all that “playing out from the back” Russian Roulette. It won’t be missed.

Exeter’s riposte, scored just past the half hour and only five minutes after Mitchell appeared, somewhat tarnished the glittering contributions made by Dobson and Rak-Sakyi to the marvellous goal they’d concocted between them. Dobson was initially his tenacious self in containing Caprice near the right corner flag but was fooled by the right wingback’s elusive turn and failed to prevent him crossing powerfully to the far post. Sturdier support from otherwise impressive debutant Gavin Kilkenny might have bailed him out but was not forthcoming.

Brushing in front of an inattentive Rak-Sakyi, meanwhile, Mitchell contrived an excellent finish on the volley and City were back in the hunt. “They scored a really poor goal,” lamented Dean Holden, “we don’t stop the cross and he strolls in at the back post. It’s too easy from us and the crowd got lifted a bit.” His reaction, while understandable, conveniently airbrushes the excellent combination between Caprice and Mitchell. But Holden’s irritation at City’s goal pales into insignificance alongside rival manager Gary Caldwell’s dismissal of Charlton’s brilliant one-two as merely the result of defensive errors. Of course they were, Gazza…

The second half brought improved on-screen coverage of what developed into a scruffy, attritional scrap between disappointing mid-table foes. Chances were rare, the best of Charlton’s created for Blackett-Taylor by Matt Penney and Rak-Sakyi but alertly smothered by Blackman. Holden’s men were almost coasting to the finish line when a late flurry by the Grecians came close to pegging them back. First Jay Stansfield, scorer of a magnificent goal at The Valley in October, blasted wide from 20 yards, before Ashley Maynard-Brewer did his bit in added time by plunging to his left to turn aside a venomous half-volley from substitute Harry Kite. An equaliser then and the air would have turned blue again while our technology’s final prank was to freeze Steve Brown in mid-flow back at The Valley studio. And he was making perfect sense at the time.

Exeter: Blackman, Caprice, Sparkes (Mitchell 26), Hartridge, Harper (McDonald 71), Collins (Kite 71), Stansfield, Nombe, White (Scott 80), Aimson, Sweeney. Not used: Woods, Chauke, Diabate. Booked: Stansfield, Kite.

Referee: D. Bourne. Att: 7,685 (1,057 visiting).