Charlton 0 Ipswich Town 1 (Noel Hunt 90).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

It comes sight unseen, drops you to your knees and leaves you with no chance of beating the count. For there’s little hope of recovery from the punch all fighters fear – the perfectly timed shot to the solar plexus.

The last minute winner in football has the same effect. Actually it’s regularly scored these days well beyond the scheduled 90 minutes as referees quite rightly extend time to fit changing circumstances. In this case, Charlton’s failure to conclusively clear a right wing corner in the third of four added minutes meant it was their turn to suffer the heartbreak of last gasp defeat. In boxing terms, they were mere seconds away from a deserved, if meaningless, newspaper decision when they walked into a paralysing body blow. In one devastating swing of substitute Noel Hunt’s right foot, all their disciplined defending and freewheeling aggression counted for nothing. To victors Ipswich Town the euphoria; to losers Charlton the ashes of bitter disappointment. That’s how it goes. That’s all she wrote.

Younger brother of Town veteran Stephen, who had himself stepped up from the bench to replace warm-up injury victim Luke Hyam, Noel Hunt joined the Tractor Boys on a month’s loan from Leeds United just two days previously. This invaluable winner for his temporary employers validated manager Mick McCarthy’s shrewd eye for a short-term stopgap. With Igor Vetokele struggling for support up front for the Addicks, an excursion into the loan market might similarly benefit Charlton boss Bob Peeters. His striker certainly needs help.

Hardbitten McCarthy more often than not calls things as most other people, with the treacherous exception of serial quitter Roy Keane, see them. A genuine Mick in more than name, he speaks his mind without descending into the stone age grunting of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble up at Bedrock Athletic, the club formerly known as Wigan. He also avoids the verbal excesses of roly-poly Steve Evans, Rotherham United’s choleric Fat Controller. So he was worth listening to as he claimed credit for the 83rd minute introduction of Hunt Jr. in place of Paul Anderson and the replacement seven minutes earlier of Hunt Sr. by another loanee in Derby County’s Connor Sammon. When you can call on subs like Hunt the Younger and Sammon, he observed, you have a chance. And when that chance arrived, the former was equal to it.

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Feeling the strain of injury absentees, Charlton rose to the occasion with admirable spirit, with that alarming early season tendency to play Russian Roulette across the back four sensibly modified and Callum Harriott a particular revelation. Filling in for playmaker Yoni Buyens in the hole behind Vetokele, Harriott responded encouragingly, shaking off his deficiencies to pepper the visiting goal with a barrage of accurate efforts. Unfortunately, when his side’s best chance was laid on a plate for him by Vetokele, his dreadful 70th miskick squirted the Angolan’s adroit cutback horribly wide. It was almost -but not quite – possible to forgive his miss because his improvement gathers pace. But a goal now and then wouldn’t half accelerate the process.

A game fit for its Sky audience swept from end to end during an entertaining first half. As early as the first minute, defender Luke Chambers headed Anderson’s corner narrowly wide; Harriott began his busy contribution by setting up Johann Berg Gudmundsson to scoop wastefully over the bar; Anderson’s blistering drive was well saved by Nick Pope; the impressive Francis Coquelin’s chest pass was fired just off target by Harriott, who proceeded to test Bartosz Bialkowski after Jordan Cousins’ effort rebounded to him, then accepted Chris Solly’s pass before cutting in to shoot inches wide again. New Irish international recruit David McGoldrick used a training ground free kick routine to shoot unopposed but wide from 20 yards and concluded a rollicking first period by heading Jonathan Parr’s cross towards the bottom left corner but was foiled by Pope’s scrambling save at his right post.

The all-out action resumed after the break. Hot left back prospect Tyrone Mings embarked on a meandering solo run, with home hearts in home mouths as he drove dangerously wide. Vetokele, meanwhile, worked hard but is possibly feeling the pressure of carrying the fight single-handedly up front. Sent through superbly by Harriott, then later by Lawrie Wilson, his poor control let him down and both acceptable chances were squandered. When Vetokele broke clear to repay the compliment, as already documented, Harriott’s nerve and finishing betrayed him.

So a point apiece seemed fair until Morgan Fox made a hash of clearing McGoldrick’s ordinary low cross directly to Noel Hunt, who made short work of threading a low drive through a crowd and past a despairing Pope into the bottom left corner. Seconds later, referee Bond completed the count and the groggy Addicks were helped back to their corner, their resistance and unbeaten home record at an end.

Beaten fairly and squarely by one of the Championship’s better sides, Charlton would be wise to put this reverse down to experience. They’re a solid, stubborn team capable of mixing it with any side in the division. They’ll come again. Unless they’re traumatised by this sickening knockout. We’ve been here before.

Charlton: Pope, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Fox, Gudmundsson (Bulot 92), Coquelin, Jackson (Wilson 76), Cousins, Harriott (Tucudean 86), Vetokele. Not used: Etheridge, Gomez, Onyewu, Ahearne-Grant.

Ipswich: Bialkowski, Parr, Chambers, Smith, Parr, Anderson (Noel Hunt 83), Skuse, Tabb, Stephen Hunt (Sammon 76), McGoldrick, Murphy. Not used: Gerken, Bajner, Henshall, St. Ledger, Clarke.

Referee: D. Bond. Att: 16,613.

Charlton 0 Millwall 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Forced to settle for yet another goalless draw, Charlton’s much-trumpeted quest for their first victory over Millwall since March 1996 drags on. It will be Good Friday 2015 before another opportunity presents itself at the Den. Nineteen winless years make grim reading, of course, but the figures are just a little deceptive. After all, the Addicks spent nearly half that time in the Premiership, an experience which continues to elude the Lions.

It might have been special -glamorous even – to share an anniversary on November 22nd, a date forever linked with the infamy of President Jack Kennedy’s assassination, but Charlton deserved no more than the point they took from this fairly contested clash. Their near neighbours gave as good as they got and given their dangerous position just above the relegation dogfight, were understandably more pleased with the outcome.

As injuries begin to bite, Bob Peeters could have done without the loss, due to a training ground injury, of experienced goalkeeper Stephen Henderson. Fans arriving at The Valley to the news that Henderson would be replaced by Nick Pope were allowed a groan of apprehension that the 22 year-old deputy would be up to the task of stepping up in such daunting circumstances. They had no need to worry. Although the visitors were largely toothless up front, Pope performed flawlessly in silencing not only the doubting Thomases in the home stands but also the toilet-mouthed abusers doing their best to distract the young, athletic keeper from the away end. With excellent old hand David Forde again blanking Charlton, it became clear that this local derby would not be decided by goalkeeping deficiency.

Already without outstanding left back Rhoys Wiggins, Peeters was chagrined to lose influential playmaker Yoni Buyens after only 27 minutes due to a hopefully mild hamstring strain. Replacing the Belgian midfielder, left-sided programme poster boy Callum Harriott pushed up behind Igor Vetokele to offer his usual mixture of off-the-cuff brilliance and infuriating ineptitude. Jordan Cousins moved infield to join the stylish Francis Coquelin and insatiably busy Johann Berg Gudmundsson as the depleted Addicks almost seamlessly re-grouped. Peeters has an impressively resilient group on his hands.

In a game of few chances, danger man Vetokele managed a first half header which sent Cousins’ left wing cross whistling wide and a skilfully improvised volley near the end saved capably by Forde. Though he worked willingly throughout, Charlton’s sharpshooter was kept quiet by the firm, fair handling of Mark Beevers and Byron Webster. The word is out on the razor-sharp striker. And when he fails to score, as Ian Holloway presciently pointed out during the midweek build-up, Charlton struggle.

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Solid across the back, Millwall were also well served by veteran right back Alan Dunne. Holloway might have overegged it a bit in fulsome praise of his skipper but he had a point. The desperate goalline clearance, in partnership with Webster, which denied substitute George Tucudean a last gasp winner, was typical of the Dubliner’s all-out commitment. It would have been churlish to alert the discursive Holloway (there was probably a thrust to his rambling Charlie and the Chocolate Factory story but it eluded me) to the fact that his skipper wasn’t actually the better right back on show. Not while Chris Solly was around to stick tricky former Addick Lee Martin in his pocket and demonstrate, not for the first time, that he has no peer in the Championship. Funny how the diminutive defender goes under the radar of rival managers. Until, needless to say, Huddersfield arrive at The Valley in February when the visiting manager, for whom he was once the first name on his teamsheet, will have few illusions about his quality.

Pope, meanwhile, stayed impressively focussed. An early save from Ed Upson, whose header met Lee Gregory’s cross, was relatively routine but as the Lions began to edge the closing stages, he came into his own. In the 81st minute, Martin set up Jermaine Easter for a crisp, low crosshot which was bound for the bottom left corner until Pope, at full stretch, fingertipped it to safety. If that save owed everything to agility, his nimble adjustment of feet to smother a treacherous deflection off Easter’s artful fellow substitute Ricardo Fuller was all about instinct and concentration.

After Pope’s competence had kept his side level, there was still time for Tucudean to come within a whisker of stealing the points for the Addicks. Vetokele’s persistence and Harriott’s chipped pass enabled the ballplaying Rumanian to elude Forde but a backtracking defiance of Webster and Dunne denied him the touch he needed to force the ball over the goalline.

Holloway was again right on the money in describing this spirited, no-quarter given, no-quarter asked game as a splendid advertisement for the Championship. What it lacked in quality it made up in honest commitment and uncomplicated endeavour. Now it’s down to Charlton to crank it up a notch, score a long overdue goal and remove an irritating monkey from their back next April. Good Friday – let’s face it, they won’t get to co-opt a more significant anniversary than that.

Charlton: Pope, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Fox, Coquelin, Gudmundsson (Wilson 88), Buyens (Harriott 27), Jackson (Tucudean 83), Cousins, Vetokele. Not used: Phillips, Gomez, Bulot, Onyewu. Booked: Bikey.

Millwall: Forde, Dunne, Beevers, Webster, Malone, Williams, Upson (Easter 63), Martin, NcDonald, Woolford (Gueye 85), Gregory (Fuller 66). Booked: Beevers, Gregory.

Referee: Graham Scott.
Att: 19,189 (3,125 visiting).

WORLD Number One Novak Djokovic was victorious in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals yesterday without having to hit a ball.

His opponent Roger Federer announced earlier in the day that he was withdrawing from the final after seemingly hurting his back in a thrilling match with fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka.

That decision to withdraw, which continues to be the cause of rumour and speculation, prompted ATP boss Chris Kermode to call up Andy Murray for an unexpected return to the O2 for a one set exhibition match for the benefit of disappointed fans against tournament victor Djokovic.

Murray then teamed up with legend John McEnroe for a further exhibition match, going up against Pat Cash and Tim Henman in an entertaining and light hearted end to the tourament which has been staged at the O2 since 2009.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals return to the O2 in November 2015 at which point the current agreement to host the event at the north Greenwich venue will come to an end.

Fed’s no-show caused disappointment for tennis fans

Andy Murray and John McEnroe did their best to entertain in an exhibition match against Tim Henman and Pat Cash.

Photos: Gerard Chaustow

Reading 0 Charlton 1 (Vetokele 38).

Kevin Nolan reports from the Madejski Stadium.

A stubborn, brave rearguard action, punctuated by intelligent counter-attacking, provided the perfect formula for Charlton’s magnificent victory in Royal Berkshire. A wonderful winning goal in the first half proved enough to do the trick and though there were rough spots along the way, Bob Peeters’s remarkably resilient team were good value for their second away win of the season.

The goal itself was a beauty, fashioned and completed by two players on top of their game. The spade work was done by Chris Solly, the surgical finish applied by Igor Vetokele, a striker who needed just one chance to settle the issue.

A third contributor, Callum Harriott, played his part initially by resolutely retaining possession under pressure before working the ball out to Solly, seemingly trapped on the right touchline by Jonatha Obita. Nimbly stepping inside the winger on to his left foot, the peerless full back whipped in a deliciously flighted cross. Timing his leap to perfection, Vetokele did his bit by bulleting an unstoppable header across Adam Federici into the top left corner to notch up his eighth goal in just fifteen starts.

While an overwhelming 12-0 corner count implies intense one-way traffic towards Stephen Henderson’s goal, there was more than meets the eye about the Addicks’ resistance. The Royals enjoyed a decisive edge in possession but a defensive shield restricted them to scuffed chances, bits and pieces, odds and ends. Until Jamie Mackie’s ferocious angled drive was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Henderson, there was little else to directly trouble the calm keeper -and that blockbuster arrived as late as the 80th minute. Before then, a series of blocks and interceptions, most of them orchestrated by intimidating roadblocks Tal Ben Haim and Andre Bikey, kept the strikes on goal to a minimum. With the majority of those12 corners disappearing into the faultless hands of Henderson, it became clear that for all their swarming aggression, Reading were delivering rather less than they promised.

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Most of the home side’s hopes were apparently based on the belief that Obita’s left wing trickery held the key to breaking down Charlton’s defensive organisation. On any normal afternoon, the simple tactic might have worked but, in the imperturbable Solly, Obita more than met his match. He was the unwilling foil in a masterclass of the full back arts, channelled exactly where his tormentor wanted him, encouraged in the forlorn hope that he had the beating of his immaculate marker. And when Solly turned the tables to lay on Vetokele’s winner, there was something of the matador’s satisfaction in a clean kill.

Buoyed by their 3-0 midweek demolition of Rotherham United, the Royals began confidently and Glenn Murray should have made more of Chris Gunter’s inviting cross than the mess he made of glancing it wide of the left post. Ben Haim made a key intervention to deal with Obita’s cutback, then Oliver Norwood’s inswinging corner flicked to safety off an involuntary foot.

In response, Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s crisp drive popped harmlessly out of Federici’s hands and Harriott lamely prodded Vetokele’s clever pass wide. The Addicks were improving but their goal, when it arrived, came as a mild surprise. Central defender Michael Hector helped them stay in front when he headed Obita’s corner off target.

Still a threat as the years advance, Murray cut in after the break but his shot deflected off Bikey’s head for yet another fruitless corner. On 56 minutes, Norwood came closest so far to opening his side’s account with a low drive which beat Henderson but rebounded off the base of an upright. Roared on by a studiously polite crowd – none of that incestuous Addams family rudeness in these posh shires – Reading continued their increasingly desperate search for an equaliser but it was their beleaguered visitors who broke clear in a bid for a decisive second goal.

Played through by Gudmundsson’s devastating through pass, substitute George Tucudean closed in on Federici but shot against the advancing keeper’s body. Seizing on the rebound, Tucudean tried again but was again thwarted by Federici’s mastery of the angle. His misses might have proved costly had referee Neil Swarbrick agreed with Murray’s claim that Ben Haim’s clumsy challenge on him inside the penalty area was a foul. Ben Haim breathed again, as did skipper Johnnie Jackson who cynically took a booking for the team when hauling back an escaping Norwood.
And so Peeters’ underestimated side marches on, upsetting the odds as they go. They kicked off this match quoted disrespectfully at 5-2 against a team three points worse off and owners of a comical 22-26 goal difference. Needless to say, I wasn’t on them.

Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Hector, Kelly (Blackman 77), Williams, Norwood, Mackie (Pogrebnyak 86), Cox (Robson-Kanu 76), Obita, Murray. Not used: Akpan, Taylor, Andersen, Cooper.

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Fox, Cousins, Gudmundsson (Bulot 87), Buyens, Jackson, Harriott (Tucudean 80), Vetokele (Coquelin 63), Not used: Pope, Wilson, Gomez, Onyewu.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick. Att: 16,989 (1449 visiting).

Leeds United 2 (Mowatt 49, 67) Charlton 2 (Gudmundsson 62, 81 pen)

Kevin NOLan reports from Elland Road.

Charlton did it the hard way at Elland Road last night. Behind twice in the second half following superb strikes by young Leeds midfielder Alex Mowatt, they found a way back, survived the damaging loss of key defender Rhoys Wiggins and eked out their ninth draw of the season with ten men. It’s onwards but not so much upwards as sideways for this obstinate team.
A riproaring second half turned this game on its head. The first period had been spent in what can be described as a state of armed neutrality. The 2014-15 Championship is made up of twenty four roughly well-matched sides, with no runaway candidate for the title and only Blackpool dangerously adrift at the bottom. This sleeping giant of a game made that point eloquently.

Back briefly to that first half dross, which featured only one real chance apiece, neither of which exactly stirred the blood. At least, United’s effort alerted the visitors to the potential of Mowatt’s lethal left foot. Just past the half hour, he received from Adryan, let fly from 25 yards and forced a spectacular flying save from Stephen Henderson. At the other end, Johnnie Jackson’s outswinging corner was nudged past Marco Silvestri by Andre Bikey but easily cleared off the line by Stephen Warnock. At least, Jordan Cousins’ vital interception of Marco Antenucci’s byline cutback provides an opportunity to mention the often unglamorous hard work Charlton’s irrepressible 19 year-old gets through.

Before moving on, though, let’s deal with the typo that is Adryan. In my innocence, I’d assumed that the printers had run into a bit of trouble involving their “Caps Lock” key because both programme and team sheet listed him as “ADRYAN”. Happens to me all the time. You can’t imagine how often I end up with names like JORdan Cousins. But no, turns out the twerp thinks of himself in capital letters. Shame he wasn’t born into a family of Pratts. As it was, he was eventually substituted by Casper Sloth. Honestly, I’m not smart enough to make this stuff up.

The second half was four minutes old when Mowatt struck first. A foul on Warnock by Cousins was yellow-carded and conceded a free kick which was taken short by the ex-England left back and reached Mowatt via Pratt. Erm, perhaps best to make that ADRYan. Uncomfortable on his right foot, the teenaged prospect switched the ball to his favoured side before curling it splendidly into the top left corner.

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Reacting promptly to the setback, Bob Peeters sent on Saturday’s saviour Igor Vetokele for ineffectual George Tucudean but possibly more significantly replaced an already booked Yoni Buyens with new Arsenal loanee Francis Coquelin. The 23 year old French midfielder immediately set about purging the depressing memory of Emmanuel Frimpong, another Gunner loanee apparently related to Judi Dench. Or did I get the wrong end of that particular stick? Anway, Coquelin looks like a good ‘un.

The changes instilled new heart and just past the hour, a helpful stroke of luck aided Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s first equaliser. Combining with Wiggins, he reached the left byline, from which vantage point his hopeful shot struck gold via two deflections, the right post and prone goalkeeper Silvestri. A bit messy but greeted deliriously by 313 noisy travelling fans undisposed to second guess its quality.

The persistent Mowatt wasted little time in restoring the Yorkshiremen’s lead. Moving on to Warnock’s pass, he made space for a marvellously curled drive into the same top left corner he had earlier in the half. Some left foot, this kid owns.

The Addicks -and Gudmundsson in particular – were down but not quite out yet. The increasingly rampant Wiggins surged forward to force another of Jackson’s outswinging corners which the skipper zeroed in among a mob of straining adversaries. Possibly panicked by Charlton’s man mountain defenders, whose bulk had been augmented by 6’4″ debutant Oguchi Onyewu’s 78th minute arrival, Guiseppe Bellusci overdid the rough stuff on Tal Ben Haim and was spotted by laser-eyed referee Graham Salisbury (no homer this lad). The gift penalty was efficiently converted by Gudmundsson, stepping up for the sidelined Buyens, and apparently doing what comes naturally to him in training. Silvestri was given no chance with the left-footed spotkick into the bottom right corner.

Charlton’s silver cloud came with an unfortunate black lining. In winning the critical corner off Sam Byram, Wiggins picked up what might be a recurrence of the metatarsal injury which sidelined him earlier in the season. From behind the goal, he was a biased witness to Bellusci’s foul on Ben Haim and also to Gudmundsson’s nerveless penalty before painfully limping off. An MRI scan will determine today how long the Addicks must cope without their outstanding left back. Morgan Fox will be confidently expected to plug the gap.

With all three substitutes used, the 10-man visitors had a daunting total of 15 minutes to manage without Wiggins. As United surged forward, Byram’s intended cross swirled treacherously over Henderson’s head was clawed to safety by the backpedalling keeper; Antenucci buried a drive into Henderson’s midriff; Lewis Cook skimmed a last gasp drive inches wide of the left post. The Addicks were clinging on but only the most curmudgeonly observer could begrudge them their hard earned point. Not even the all-singing, all-dancing, all-capitalised ADRYAN. See, I finally got there!

Leeds: Silvestri, Byram, Bellusci, Warnock, Bianchi (Montenegro 90), Cook, ADrYaN (Sloth 73), Mowatt, Cooper, Antenucci, Doukara. Not used: Stuart Taylor, Berardi, Tonge, Charlie Taylor, Dawson. Booked: Biachi, Bellusci.

Charlton: Henderson, Wilson, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins, Cousins. Buyens (Coquelin 61), Gudmundsson, Jackson, Harriott (Onyewu 78), Tucudean (Vetokele 52). Not used: Pope, Moussa, Fox, Ahearne-Grant. Booked: Buyens, Cousins.

Referee: Graham Salisbury. Att: 18,698 (313 visiting).

Charlton 1 (Vetokele 65) Sheffield Wednesday 1 (Drenthe 27).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

With 25 minutes to go and with Charlton fighting back spiritedly from a 1-0 deficit, the replacement of Franck Moussa by Igor Vetokele hardly qualified as a last throw of Bob Peeters’ dice. His side had put a dismal first half performance behind them and had previously dominant Sheffield Wednesday on an uncomfortable rack. But that single goal and a dwindling clock were beginning to press down on the restless manager.

Top scorer Vetokele was being eased back from a brief injury absence, his match fitness still a matter for concern. Needs must as the devil drives, of course, and the Angolan international was sent off the bench to do a specific job. Namely to haul the Addicks level and salvage at least a point from unpromising circumstances. Three minutes after his introduction, he duly delivered in style.

Charlton’s important equaliser actually owed rather more to left back Rhoys Wiggins’ aggressive enterprise than Vetokele’s simple sidefooted finish from six yards. It was the latter’s name, though, which made the Sunday papers, with no corresponding record of Wiggins’s outstanding contribution. That’s because scoring still remains the hardest task in football, a fact that explains the fervour with which his disciples had welcomed their messiah on to the field.

But back briefly to Wiggins and the disorganised mess he made of Wednesday’s rearguard. The bewildered pair of Liam Palmer and Jose Semedo were statuesque onlookers as he accelerated smoothly between them before hammering over a hard-driven low cross. Knowing when to stand still, as born goalscorers invariably do, Vetokele was poised to stab home from what Wednesday manager Stuart Gray, without a shred of evidence to support him, described as an offside position. Yeah, right…

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Gray seemed on more solid ground shortly afterwards when Andre Bikey, caught for once on the wrong side of Atdhe Nuhiu, compensated by nudging the big forward to the ground. Gray’s understandable conviction that his side was denied a clear penalty was promptly undermined by his irrelevant assertion that “2,000 Wednesday fans behind the goal” were reliable witnesses of Bikey’s supposed villainy. Leads you to believe that some managers wouldn’t recognise objectivity if they tripped over it in a dictionary.

Totally outplayed during a first half of misplaced passes, defensive dithering and feeble attacking, Charlton struggled through almost half an hour before ex-Everton hotshot winger Royston Drenthe, accurately described by Gray as “unplayable” punished their ineptitude.

A series of purposeful runs had already persecuted Wiggins by the time Drenthe cut inside from the right, eluded a posse of panicky pursuers and shot precisely beyond a full length Stephen Henderson into the bottom right corner from outside the penalty area. It was no more than the Yorkshiremen deserved and they might have doubled the lead seconds before the break only for Chris Maguire, with the whole goal to aim at after being set up by Nuhiu, to shoot tamely wide. It was a bad miss that Wednesday would rue – though that looked unlikely at the time.

With the first half a painful experience, the Addicks showed admirable resolve in turning this one-sided game on its head. They closed down space, plugged escape routes and pinned their erstwhile tormentors back in their own half. There was probably no managerial genius involved, more a simple willingness to run faster, work and try harder, reach down for an extra inch or ounce. Football still boils down to such basics once all the systems, formations and sophisticated tactics have had their say. If Charlton had shown their positive second half attitude from the outset, Wednesday might have been blown away. As it was, they found themselves hanging on and grateful for a point they would have regarded as poor reward a bit earlier.

So rampant in the first half, Drenthe’s gradual disappearance from the action, which led to his withdrawal with a quarter hour left, was symptomatic of his team’s disintegration. Wiggins particularly enjoyed the switch in mastery, making his point perfectly with the buccaneering burst which laid on Vetokele’s equaliser. And Vetokele himself might have crowned the rally with a late winner. Running intelligently on to Jordan Cousins’ gloriously flighted through pass, he outpaced Glen Loovens but shot narrowly wide on the run. But this can be considered a point earned, rather than two lost. Now if Peeters can get them to start as they mean to go on, they might really be on to something.

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins, Moussa (Vetokele 65), Buyens, Jackson (Wilson 81), Cousins, Tucudean, Ahearne-Grant (Gudmundsson 46). Not used: Pope, Harriott, Onyewu, Fox.

Wednesday: Westwood, Palmer, Loovens, Lees, Mattock (Dielna 34), Maguire, Semedo, Helan, Drenthe (Taylor-Fletcher 73), Maghoma (Coke 62), Nuhiu. Not used: Kirkland, May, McCabe, Lee.

Referee: Andy D’Urso.

Also on Greenwich.co.uk: Charlton vintage collectibles

Fulham 3 (Parker 6, Rodellega 12,89) Charlton 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from Craven Cottage.

Caught cold by Fulham’s mustard keen start, depleted Charlton slipped to their second league defeat of the season. After finding themselves two goals down within twelve disastrous minutes, they rallied gamely but were always chasing an already lost cause. It’s distressing but unavoidable to report that not for the first time, their determination to pass, rather than hoof their way from one end to the other, began their downfall. The theory is unimpeachable; the practice includes an all-too human element.

A wildly misplaced header from deputy left back Morgan Fox, which sent Stephen Henderson into desperate retreat to scrape off Hugo Rodellega’s head, had already provided early notice of the Addicks’ carelessness. The warning was overlooked by the trio of defenders, among whom was numbered the normally reliable Chris Solly, who indulged in keep-ball passing near the right touchline but dangerously close to Charlton’s goal. With the line tight to his back and with space diminishing around him, Solly’s uncharacteristically slipshod infield pass was alertly intercepted by Scott Parker. A few seconds was enough for Parker to punish the error.

An all too rare goalscorer, Parker naturally picked on his old club to break a mini- drought. Driving hard into the heart of a wavering defence, his crisply delivered diagonal pass gave Ross McCormack the momentum he needed to outmanouevre Fox and whip in an inviting low cross. Having continued his run in anticipation of the return, the midfield maestro slammed home an unstoppable shot off the underside of the bar. His public celebration was restrained and confined to the home supporters; his private satisfaction in answering the abuse he was receiving from the away end was left to the imagination. This quintessential professional keeps his own counsel and lets his football speak for itself. And in his supposed dotage, what a superb player he remains.

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Still absorbing the damage done by their former alumnus, Charlton fell further behind six minutes later. Barnstorming acceleration by Lasse Vigen Christensen on to McCormack’s pass sent the midfielder clear to cross on the run from the left. An acrobatic attempt to clear by Tal Ben Haim succeeded only in diverting the ball to McCormack, whose quickwitted control with head and thigh set up a ferocious half-volley which Henderson did marvellously well to save at full length. From six yards, Rodellega’s conversion of the rebound was routine.

Swept aside by the opening onslaught, the visitors were in imminent danger of complete collapse. Instead, they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and painstakingly started all over again. Too late, of course, to make a significant difference in the short term, but important for morale further down the line. A series of scrambles in and around Marcus Bettinelli’s goal followed. Fox’s hard low cross was crucially intercepted by Nikolay Bodurov as George Tucudean closed in dangerously, then it took took the combined efforts of Bodurov and Dan Burn to smother Johnnie Jackson as he sought to convert Solly’s equally menacing centre. The turnaround was encouraging but, in brutal fact, the Cottagers were never in serious trouble.

A surprising second half continued the recovery trend. An overwhelmingly favourable corner count and an increased sense of urgency kept the visitors camped in Fulham’s half. Clearcut chances were admittedly few, the best of them Tucudean’s downward header from Jackson’s corner, which Bettinelli kept out comfortably enough and the crisp drive from Franck Moussa which zipped two feet the wrong side of Bettinelli’s right post. The introduction of Johann Berg Gudmundsson for a largely ineffective Moussa and eager beaver Karlan Ahearne-Grant for a struggling Fox added impetus to the revival but it became painfully clear that an epic recovery was highly unlikely. As if to ram home the point, the Cottagers took the liberty of adding to their lead a minute from time.

Christensen had been a thorn in Charlton’s side with his purposeful running and unquenchable energy. Summoning up a final surge with McCormack to his left and Rodellega making up ground on the right, he chose his moment perfectly to play the latter in to check on to his left foot and curl a beauty inside the far post.

A closing word, in passing, about Charlton’s lurid away strip which has so far been responsible for zero goals and nul points in two nauseating outings. On second thoughts, better forget it. Who needs aggravation from Jean Paul Gaultier and his fashion industry chums? I mean, be fair, there’s probably no truth in the rumour that the colours were mixed in the dark.

Fulham: Bettinelli, Hoogland, Burn, Bodurov, Stafylidis, Kavanagh, Parker, Christensen,, Ruiz (Woodrow 76), Rodallega (Roberts 90), McCormack (Zvevrotic 87). Not used: Kiraly, Hutchinson, Smith, Williams.

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Fox (Ahearne-Grant 67), Wilson, Bulot (Morrison 77), Cousins, Jackson, Moussa (Gudmundsson 59), Tucudean. Not used: Pope, Harriott, Munns, Thomas.

Referee: K. Stroud. Att: 17,923.

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Charlton 2 (Tucudean 29, Jackson 51) Bolton Wanderers 1 (Moxey 54).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Charlton did it again on Tuesday evening. They entertained second-from-bottom Bolton, invited a wave of steady pressure from their struggling visitors (which included an adverse corner count of 13-2) and won 2-1. Their reactive tactics are making nervous wrecks of their fans, not to mention self-confessed heart attack candidate Bob Peeters, but somehow they continue to get the job done.

For three blissful second half minutes last night, there was even the briefly tantalising prospect of a comfortable victory to savour. Skipper Johnnie Jackson’s reliable left foot had just doubled the lead provided by George Tucudean’s wonderful opener and the customary, palpable tension eased. You hear tell of teams winning by exotic margins like 3-0 or even 4-0, with their crowds actually managing to enjoy themselves. So The Valley was still settling back for a novel experience when, wouldn’t you know it, an ex-Crystal Palace left back called Dean Moxey threaded Jay Spearing’s partially cleared corner inside the right post through a thicket of legs. With over a half hour left, that familiar old pit-of-the-stomach apprehension was back.

It was all very infuriating but there just has to be some method in Charlton’s apparent madness. As usual, they started in reverse, with Bolton’s outstanding midfield general Lee Chung-Yong forcing an unconvincing save from Stephen Henderson, then providing an opening for Jermaine Beckford to shoot tamely at the in-form keeper. Jackson’s careless loss of possession to Kevin McNaughton conceded the first of Wanderers’ spate of corners as the Addicks gave ground. The nerves were beginning to kick in when, on the half hour, the enigma that is George Tucudean lifted the siege and the mood with a quite marvellous goal.

Shadowed by Moxey as he made himself a target forYoni Buyens’ delicately flighted pass through the inside left channel, the Bulgarian’s finely feathered touch made all the space he needed to swivel outside the outmanouevred defender and shoot crisply across Andrew Lonergan into the far bottom corner. Having already irritated the home fans by making a habit of crumpling under the most innocuous of challenges, Tucudean was their new darling as he earned a booking for joining them in illegal celebration. He’s not your bustling Nat Lofthouse type but he can play a bit and his talent must be cut some slack.

No doubt stung by perceived injustice, the Trotters kept their heads admirably, stuck to their constructive guns and went looking for equality. Centre back Matt Mills headed Spearing’s corner narrowly over the bar and the former Liverpool starlet’s daisycutter tested Henderson’s alertness from distance. The visitors’ domination of possession, however, didn’t really amount to much trouble for a home defence, in which seen-it-all Andre Bikey and Tal Ben Haim were in typically obdurate form and Lawrie Wilson stepped in as a capable deputy for right back Chris Solly.
Five minutes after the interval, a second goal, as admirable in its own way as the opener, sent the stadium into temporary nirvana. Tucudean was again at the heart of it, his brisk one-two exchange with Franck Moussa carving open Bolton’s floundering defence before a shrewdly weighted pass sent Jackson clear to his left. From 15 yards, the captain coolly drilled a low shot past Lonergan; there was never any doubt that he would score, as he had on 45 previous occasions for the club.

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Bolton’s seventh corner, awkwardly conceded by Rhoys Wiggins and swung out from the right by the persistent Spearing, soon halved the two-goal advantage. Charlton’s chronic weakness in dealing with setpieces was exposed again as a scruffy sequence of weak clearances allowed Moxey to whiplash a low drive into the bottom right corner.

His side’s calm reaction to adversity was rightly pointed out by new Bolton manager Neil Lennon, a figure of boiling hate for many, a viciously maligned hero to others. He’s no better nor worse than any other bloke, really, but the myth has taken over from reality and gained unstoppable momentum by now. Anyway, his hardworking chaps certainly didn’t look like a side destined for relegation, not with the skills of Chung-Yong and ceaseless industry of Spearing driving them onwards. They beavered away gamely and were entitled to curse their luck when Wiggins popped up under his crossbar to clear Beckford’s looping header off the line following, it hardly needs saying, another of Spearing’s corners. The chunky midfielder’s late low drive zipped past Henderson’s right post as an increasingly frazzled Valley bayed for referee Hooper’s final whistle.
The sight of a completely sold-out Jordan Cousins, a player from whom all-out effort is taken for granted, slumping to the turf in exhilaration and exhaustion, spoke volumes for this determined, bloodyminded team. Resurgent Fulham might have their work cut out for them on Friday; but so will their tightrope-walking visitors from down river. Should be interesting -and anxious – again.

Charlton: Henderson, Wilson, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins, Bulot (Fox 78), Moussa (Ahearne-Grant 86), Buyens, Jackson, Cousins, Tucudea (Harriott 90). Not used: Pope, Morrison, Ansah, Munns.
Booked: Tucudean, Buyens.

Bolton: Lonergan, McNaughton, Mills, Dervite, Moxey (Ream 81), Danns, Pratley (Clayton 81), Spearing, Feeney (Mark Davies 63), Chung-Yong, Beckford. Not used: Kenny, Hall, Vela, Craig Davies.
Booked: Chung-Yong.
Referee: S. Hooper. Att: 13,433 (473 visiting).

AFC Bournemouth 1 (Wilson 3) Charlton 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from Goldsands Stadium.

A disorganised rabble, bizarrely dressed up as orange-flavoured ice lollies, turned out for Charlton at Bournemouth and tamely surrendered their frankly deceptive unbeaten record. It had to happen some time, of course, and there was some consolation in knowing that technically at least they were the last Championship side to have their colours lowered, Nottingham Forest having lost their lunchtime fixture at Cardiff earlier in the day. So the losing cloud was ringed by a silver lining. Some cloud. Not much of a lining.

After falling behind to Callum Wilson’s third minute goal, these desperatedly disappointing Addicks managed to create just one genuine chance in their hapless search for an equaliser. Admittedly, the spectacular save Artur Boruc made to divert Johann Gudmundsson’s terrific free kick to safety midway through the first half was world class but it stood alone during an afternoon the keeper could safely have spent with his feet up and a cigar on. It’s certainly hard to recall anything else that inconvenienced him.

It was a second minute error committed by Gudmundsson, gifting Matt Ritchie a clearcut shooting chance from 25 yards and indirectly leading to Wilson’s opener, that began gormless Charlton’s downfall. Stephen Henderson’s excellent reactions kept out Ritchie’s low drive at the expense of a corner but his relief was shortlived. Ritchie’s inswinging delivery from the right was retrieved from beyond the far post by Marc Pugh, who skinned Jordan Cousins before whipping in a dangerous low cross from the left byline. Sharp as a tack recently, Wilson flicked past Henderson from close range and though there were lengthy motions to be gone through, the Addicks were already on their way to their first defeat.

Bournemouth’s clever young manager Eddie Howe, though pleased with the result, will be questioning how his dominant side neglected to polish off their passive visitors. A three or four goal margin wouldn’t have flattered them.

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Ritchie’s alert interception of Gudmundsson’s careless square pass was clearly part of Howe’s tactical plan to disrupt Charlton’s often ponderous build-up from the back. Wilson, supported by eager beavers Ritchie and Charlie Daniels consistently threw awkward spanners into the machinery. Henderson was denied opportunity to play short to his back four, Andre Bikey and Tal Ben Haim were forced to resort to long ball clearances, plan A wasn’t supported by a viable plan B. In the ensuing mayhem, the Addicks’ midfield found themselves ineffective onlookers, while up front, Igor Vetokele could last only 45 minutes, leaving far too much asked of richly promising 17 year-old full debutant Karlan Ahearne-Grant.

There was another explanation for the Cherries’ failure to press home the early advantage given them by the prolific Wilson. In Henderson, they came up against a bang in-form goalkeeper, who defied them with a string of superb saves. His early defiance of Ritchie was followed by a sprawling effort to keep out Andrew Surman’s raking drive and instinctive bravery at Wilson’s feet. He also showed his savvy in forcing Wilson wide when sent through by Simon Francis, without fouling the nippy forward, and was rewarded when the danger man managed only to hit the sidenet from a diminishing angle. Henderson also deserved the luck he received when Wilson hit the base of a post following Ritchie’s short free kick. Under less pressure in the second period, he managed another superb stop from Ritchie’s blockbuster, with Harry Arter ballooning the rebound.

Charlton actually improved slightly in the second half, without suggesting they had enough about them to rescue even a point. Vetokele and Johnnie Jackson had been withdrawn during the interval, the former due to some niggling injury or other, the latter possibly to protect him from a second yellow card but just as possibly as a reaction to an anonymous first period. Gudmundsson joined them on 67 minutes, yet again failing to go the distance.

With their goals rationed to one per game, the Addicks are facing the first serious questions of a reasonably successful season. An outstanding back four, anchored by the inspired goalkeeping of Henderson, has kept them afloat but their midfield is too easily overpowered. And a counterpunching style, which invites the opposition forward in the hope of catching them on the break, contains the seeds of its own destruction. The bulk of the action at Bournemouth took place in Charlton’s half. That’s been the case in nearly every game this season, in several of which they’ve been outclassed.

Still, one defeat hardly represents a crisis and they have the opportunity to bounce back at home to Bolton on Tuesday evening. We’ll know a bit more about them after that game. It might be nice, though, if they actually took it to the Trotters. Make the opposition soak it up for a change. Bit revolutionary, perhaps, but worth trying.

Bournemouth: Boruc, Francis, Cook, Elphick, Daniels, Arter, Surman, Ritchie, Pitman, Pugh, Wilson. Not used: Camp, Harte, Gosling, Smith, Stanislas, Fraser, Rantie. Booked: Surman.

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins, Gudmundsson (Wilson 67), Buyens, Jackson (Moussa 46), Cousins, Vetokele (Harriott 46), Ahearne-Grant. Not used: Pope, Morrison, Fox, Tucudean. Booked: Jackson, Solly, Henderson.

Referee: James Linington. Att: 10,360 (1,388 visiting).

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Charlton 1 (Vetokele 11) Birmingham City 1 (Davis 53).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

A seventh draw of the season, five of them by this routine 1-1 scoreline, accompanied Charlton’s unbeaten record into the international break. They deserved no more than a point but then, despite the post-game bellyaching of Lee Clark, neither did Birmingham City. That’s not to deny the Midlanders were the better side but though they gave their hosts a severe going-over, they couldn’t add to David Davis’ second half equaliser. With just 11 previous goals to their credit, Davis’ excellent strike predictably maintained their one-goal-per-game ratio.

No jolly japester even in his merrier moments, Clark’s latest onset of monosyllabic gloom focused on the 30th minute incident which denied the Blues an earlier equaliser. While the details are in the eye of the beholder (bearing in mind, of course, that managerial beholders are often boss-eyed), the legalities of the so-called flashpoint seemed fairly clearcut.

Defensively undermined when Paul Caddis skipped through their ranks to cut back from the right byline, the Addicks were wrongfooted by elusive teenager Koby Arthur, who stabbed a low shot past Stephen Henderson. Unhappily for the visitors, Clayton Donaldson, while loitering behind Henderson on the goalline, couldn’t resist helping the ball on its way into the net. It was a figment of Clark’s imagination to detect two defenders (one of whom was certainly not Henderson) playing Donaldson onside. His spleen might have been better vented on the emptyheaded selfishness of his centre forward, who was required to do no more than stand stock still, instead of sticking his oar in. The “goal” was correctly disallowed.

In asserting City’s overall superiority, Clark was on more solid ground. His busy side belied their lowly league position with a chirpy, cohesive performance, combining pace, movement and no little imagination. The aggressive running of wingers Arthur and David Cotterill gave Charlton’s outstanding full backs Chris Solly and Rhoys Wiggins regular problems, Davis was a creative bundle of energy inside them, while overlapping full back Caddis constantly found space in support. Too often, however, their neat approach play foundered in sight of goal. Like Charlton, goals don’t come easy to them. And there was always the formidable barrier presented by human roadblock Andre Bikey and his reliably professional sidekick Michael Morrison to negotiate.

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By now settled into a familiar groove, the Addicks willingly conceded territory in the expectation that their resistance would pay dividends further down the line. With the exception of the usual lapse -this one committed by Yoni Buyens- their game plan worked. Well, sort of.

It was the home side who seized the early initiative. Goalstarved in five games since his blistering start to the campaign, Igor Vetokele fastened on to Jordan Cousins’ pass, sidestepped David Edgar but narrowly missed the far post with a cutely curled effort. The talented Angolan wasn’t required to wait long before ending his drought.

An unproven force since breaking into the starting line-up, Frederic Bulot made progress on the left flank before delivering a perfect cross. Surprisingly effective in the air, Vetokele made mincemeat of City’s marking to head firmly past Darren Randolph.

Charlton were off and running although Buyens seemed at pains to cancel their advantage. Caught dawdling aimlessly in his own half by Arthur, he was reduced to spectating as the kid set up Donaldson to chip inches over the bar. Too much of Buyens’ playmaking is limited to meaningless exchanges in positions too deep to matter. His undoubted passing ability hasn’t, if memory serves (and it doesn’t always these days), included any decisive deliveries which destroy opposing defences and provide the assists he needs to compensate for his own lack of goals from open play.

A minute after the break, Vetokele’s persistence created a chance which Lawrie Wilson awkwardly shovelled over the bar but City promptly took control. Cotterill’s free kick picked out Paul Robinson at the far post but, despite moving in the opposite direction, Henderson’s instinctively outflung left hand kept out the old warhorse’s header.

The Brummies were hard to discourage and drew level five minutes later. Cotterill’s outswinging corner skidded out to Davis, who turned sharply to find the bottom right corner with a superbly struck daisycutter.

The situation was ripe for the the visitors to take over but, against the odds, Bob Peeters’ resilient men responded positively. Unlikely raiders Chris Solly and Bikey each embarked on sinuous solo runs without producing equally unlikely finishes. In response, burly substitute Wes Thomas broke clear, slipped inconveniently and fired into the sidenet. So the game drifted into 1-1 stalemate, as statistics suggested it would. Woulda been 2-1 Birmingham, though, if Donaldson had resisted temptation, a point his mournful manager might be making in a painful, private interview. Should be a barrel of laughs!

Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Morrison, Bikey, Wiggins, Wilson (Tucudean 70), Buyens, Jackson (Moussa 58), Cousins (Fox 90), Bulot, Vetokele. Not used: Pope, Harriott, Ahearne-Grant, Thomas.

Birmingham: Randolph, Caddis, Edgar, Robinson, Grounds, Davis,Cotterill, Gleeson, Arthur (Thomas 79), Donaldson. Not used: Doyle, Packwood, Hall, Johnstone, Lee. Booked: Gleeson.

Referee: Paul Tierney. Att: 16,369 (1,500 visiting).