Charlton 1 (Stephens 47) 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1 (Wickham 59).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

It turned out there was a double dose of bad news awaiting Charlton fans at The Valley on Sunday. Following the splendid victory over Brighton on Boxing Day, they had anticipated an unchanged team but instead found it disrupted by the absence of outstanding full backs Rhoys Wiggins and Chris Solly.

Imminent father Wiggins had been given compassionate leave to handle gas and air for the expectant mother, while Solly was prudently rested after returning recently from a four-month lay-off. To lose one full back, it must be said, may be regarded as misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. I mean, I’m as new a man as the next bloke but there’s a limit. Of course there are more important things than football but be fair… name one!

To a lesser degree of impact, the recovery from hamstring trouble of Connor Wickham was glad tidings for visitors Sheffield Wednesday. Wickham was inevitably on hand to score Wednesday’s equaliser from a position only marginally more onside than the fans behind the goal. Which is an artistic way of saying he was miles offside.

Played on a dreadful pitch, this was an equally dreadful game, one which will slip readily from the memory of everyone unfortunate enough to witness it. Everyone, that is, except Wednesday’s caretaker boss Stuart Gray, who found it beguiling and enthusiastically shared his pleasure with the press afterwards.

It might help to explain that post-match questioning traditionally vacillates between anodyne and asinine, the answer to each question implicit in the question itself. For instance, “You must be pleased by your team’s performance etc, etc” or “Are you disappointed not to have come away with more than a point etc, etc ?” Repetitive waffle most of the time but it stops fights breaking out.

Anyway, Gray went on and on about his team’s total domination, superior mastery of the difficult conditions, better posture and teeth, so forth and so on. He was in full flow until he overstepped the mark in describing Charlton’s goal as ” stupid.” Whoa there, I thought, he’s rubbished the solitary moment of quality on show. I’m not having that. The goal was bloody brilliant so I helpfully reminded him of it. Here’s what happened.

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Wednesday hadn’t switched on following the interval when Lawrie Wilson’s quickwitted throw picked out Dale Stephens, who materialised in the penalty area, kidded Roger Johnson out of his jockstrap by feinting to shoot rightfooted, shimmied to his left and casually flicked the ball over Chris Kirkland’s advancing shoulder with the outside of his right boot. Imaginatively conceived, brilliantly executed, lots of things but not stupid. Just love those quick throws. Should use them more often, as I tried politely to point out for the future benefit of the Owls’ bristling guvnor but he had, by then, moved on to a far more searching question. Honestly, it’s hard to help some people when they take everything so personally.

By contrast, Wickham’s equaliser was scruffy, unlovely and plain illegal. Standing almost under the crossbar as Kieran Lee bundled Chris Maguire’s low cross goalward, the big striker correctly concluded it wouldn’t reach its target and applied a hurrying touch, at which critical point he was blatantly offside. Even Gray admitted that an anxious glance at the linesman was his first port of call before celebrating. Don’t blame him for celebrating, of course.

Though Gray was typically one-eyed, as caretakers often are, it was hard to disagree that Wednesday had been the better of two beleaguered sides who created, between them, less than a handful of chances. For the visitors, Glen Loovens hooked Jeremy Helan’s partially cleared corner on to the bar, Wickham almost embarrassed Ben Alnwick with an accurate 30-yard free kick and Reda Johnson’s point blank second half header was stopped by Alnwick’s feet. Hardly a siege but it shaded the Addicks’ feeble efforts, the best of which have already faded into insignificance.

During an uncomfortable closing quarter hour, in fact, the Owls looked far likelier to snatch a winner, as they did in the corresponding game last season. They were still hopeful of a late winner when, with unexpected drama, Simon Church missed a golden opportunity to claim all three points in added time.

Hardworking as usual, Church managed to get the better of Loovens as they toiled under an awkwardly dropping ball near the 18-yard line. Using a touch to elude the struggling centre back’s attentions, he drew a bead on Kirkland’s goal but blasted harmlessly over the bar. So a draw it was and a draw it remained. And now on to Ipswich on New Years Day, by which time, it’s hoped, Wiggins has mastered fatherhood and Solly has had plenty of rest. We don’t need any more selection shocks.

Charlton: Alnwick, Wilson, Morrison, Wood, Evina, Stewart (Dervite 73), Stephens, Cousins, Jackson (Green 73), Church, Kermorgant. Not used: Pope, Hughes, Sordell, Lennon, Pigott.

Wednesday: Kirkland, Palmer, Roger Johnson, Loovens, Reda Johnson, Maguire, McPhail (Maghoma 54), Semedo, Helan (Nuihu 54), Lee, Wickham. Not used: Martinez, McCabe, Mattock, Llera. Booked: Palmer, McPhail.

Referee: F. Graham. Att: 16,377.

Charlton 3 (Wilson 32,58) Brighton 2 (Ulloa 22,90).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Putting their fans through an emotional wringer as usual, on-fire Charlton bravely got the job done on St. Stephen’s Day. It wasn’t always crisp or even but with results elsewhere favouring them, this precious victory went about as deep as victories go. And, boy, was it exciting!? After spotting promotion hopefuls Brighton an ominous lead, they reeled them in through two strikes from unlikely marksman Lawrie Wilson, before apparently finishing them off with Yann Kermorgant’s superb free kick.

The word “apparently” is wisely chosen because that wasn’t quite all she wrote. It never is. It wouldn’t be daffy Charlton if torture wasn’t part of the deal and Leonardo Ulloa’s second goal in added time duly reduced The Valley to a familiar mess of molten nerves. It’s the suffering, though, not always the pleasure, that makes winning worthwhile and the roar which hailed the final whistle was one of unapologetic release. This patient crowd has been here many times before and they know an especially vital result when they see one.

It hadn’t been all that pleasant for the home fans in the early going, during which their team struggled to cope. Albion guarded the ball jealously, passed patiently and called the shots. The 22nd minute lead given them by Ulloa was no more than they deserved but these current Addicks are made of stern stuff. They stayed in the game, began hustling the visitors out of their comfort zone while seeking weaknesses to exploit. And weaknesses there were to exploit.

Ulloa’s first goal was scruffy. During a goalmouth scramble, a sly shove on Dale Stephens went unspotted, with several opportunities to clear spurned before the Argentinian threaded a low drive through a ruck of players. Charlton were in trouble but don’t believe that lazy canard that they lack fight. Pulling themselves together, they were level within ten more minutes.

There didn’t seem much menace in Cameron Stewart’s hopeful cross from the left but Kermorgant’s miscue wrongfooted the Seagulls (bit of a biological melange there, what with Kermorgant sounding like an oceangoing bird, but stay with me), leaving Wilson to rifle a rising shot into the roof of the net. Before the interval, Simon Church nodded Wilson’s cross wide at the near post as the momentum perceptibly shifted.

Albion were nearly scuppered, their earlier superiority by now drained away. The Addicks had secured a toehold in this pulsating game and were not about to have it kicked loose. Before the hour, Wilson doubled his (and his side’s) account. Popping up again at the far post, he hammered home another poorly defended cross from Stewart in a reasonable reprise of his first effort.

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Brighton weren’t quite sunk yet and came close to equalising as Ulloa headed Liam Bridcutt’s corner beyond Ben Alnwick but, to his chagrin, Richard Wood, for the second week running, cleared off the line.

Wood’s goalline heroics gained added importance seconds later after Rhoys Wiggins’ brilliant solo run was cynically halted by Keith Andrews’ brutal challenge five yards outside the penalty area. The combative midfielder’s punishment fitted his crime because Kermorgant left Peter Brezovan standing with a beautiful free kick curled neatly inside the left post. And that was that. Except, of course, it wasn’t.

Bewildered by the turn of events, the Seagulls hit back desperately only to find that fortune for once favoured Charlton. In breathtaking sequence, Ashley Barnes struck the bar, his fellow substitute Inigo Calderon smashed the rebound against the left post, Ulloa’s follow-up effort deflected agonisingly wide. They’ve been grousing around S.E.7 recently that the rub of the green hasn’t been going Charlton’s way. It might be an idea to keep a lid on any moaning for a while after they blissfully rode their luck on St. Stephen’s Day. Their amazing escape at 3-1 made Ulloa’s added time strike no more than a mere consolation.

Heroes were not hard to find among these red-shirted warriors though head and shoulders above them all was Kermorgant, a Breton juggernaut who proved unplayable at times. Peerless in the air, his touch with either foot is velvety, his perceptive picking of a pass all but perfect. As dominant an influence when defending in his own penalty area, his recent recovery from injury was particularly well timed.

Running Kermorgant close was Wilson whose goals, only his third and fourth for the club, crowned tireless spadework up and down the right flank. Wiggins was superb, Chris Solly’s excellence can be taken for granted, Church went through his customary wall for the cause while Stewart fused teammates and supporters together with one magnificently gallant block near the end. There was praise for all hands but that Jordan Cousins, what’s that all about? Not 20 until March, he’s supposed to be bowed by the pressure of relegation but this kid revels in it. Gifted and skilful, he’s not above putting his foot in, where the situation demands it. Nor is Stephens, come to think of it. He’s learning from the youngster every week.

Meanwhile, though we’re not quite at the halfway point yet, it’s time to pin colours to the mast so here goes. Charlton are not going down this season. Not this bonny band of battlers. You have my marker on it.

Charlton: Alnwick, Solly, Morrison, Wood, Wiggins, Wilson (Pritchard 90), Stephens, Cousins, Stewart (Evina 83), Church (Dervite 83), Kermorgant. Not used: Pope, Green, Sordell, Cook.

Brighton: Brezovan, Saltor (Calderon 46), Upson, El-Abd, Lopez (Barnes 63), Crofts, Andrews (Agustien 76), Bridcutt, Ward, Buckley, Ulloa. Not used: Kuszczak, Dunk, Orlandi, Ince. Booked: Saltor, El-Abd.

Referee: Mick Russell. Att: 17,404.

Bolton Wanderers 1 (McNaughton 45) Charlton 1 (Kermorgant 11).

Kevin Nolan reports from the Reebok Stadium.

Though still mired in all that unpleasant relegation stuff, the good news is that Charlton show no signs of meekly surrendering the Championship status they secured so spectacularly in 2012. Clearly determined to sell themselves dearly in the land of tripe and Trotters, the point they brought back down South with them could proved priceless when the final accounts are audited next Spring.

Certainly in the short term, the Addicks are entitled to be pleased with both performance and result at Bolton, though their future seemed a little tricky when Yann Kermorgant’s excellent opener was nullified in first half added time. Not only was the timing of Kevin McNaughton’s equaliser psychologically damaging but it arrived on the end of a worrying period of pressure by Dougie Freedman’s side. A second half battering loomed but that was to underestimate the visitors’ spirit. They had no plans to go under quietly.

Without a recognised forward on the bench, as consequences of Joe Pigott’s untimely injury and Marvin Sordell’s ineligibility, Chris Powell coped pragmatically. Happy to welcome back Chris Solly for his first start since August 24th, he pushed Lawrie Wilson into midfield at the expense of Danny Green, preferred Richard Wood to Dorian Dervite in central defence and named Simon Church instead of Bradley Pritchard alongside Kermorgant. With skipper Johnnie Jackson suspended, make do and mend was again the order of the day. It helped that Solly played as though he hadn’t missed a game.

The early running was made by Powell’s uninhibited men. Put through by Kermorgant, Wilson shot unconvincingly wide, before his enterprising run set up the charismatic Frenchman, whose snapshot brought Andy Lonergan tumbling down to save at his left post. One more minute and the confident Londoners took the lead with a goal of quality.

Picking up Dale Stephens’ inconclusively cleared corner, Rhoys Wiggins’ blistering turn of speed drove a coach-and-four between Chris Eagles and Andre Moritz on the left. A quick glance confirmed Kermorgant’s menacing position near the penalty spot before the aggressive full back’s low cutback was swept first time inside the right post.

Charlton’s advantage should have been promptly doubled by Wilson, who lamely shovelled Cameron Stewart’s centre off target at the far post. Their dominance couldn’t last, of course, as the Trotters (that blissfully archaic nickname wouldn’t last long if either of those hair-dyed mugs at Cardiff or Hull got their moneyed mitts on it), gradually pulled themselves together.

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Under Freedman, Bolton play crisply to feet – on second thoughts, make that trotters while there’s still time – pass and move patiently and belie their humble position in the league. Eagles was a mobile handful, his dangerous progress into the box encouraged by momentary misunderstanding between Stephens and Wood but Ben Alnwick bailed out his colleagues by smartly saving the winger’s effort. As Wanderers improved, Chung-Yong Lee headed Eagles’ centre down and beyond Alnwick but Wood cleared alertly off the line, before Joe Mason’s clever backheel from Lee’s delivery was bravely stopped by Alnwick. Eventually, the mounting pressure told, with beleaguered Charlton mere moments away from the sanctuary of a welcome pie and mushy peas.

His goals as rare as an straight answer from Boris Johnson, McNaughton was Wanderers’ unlikely saviour. Latching on to Eagles’ square pass, he skilfully made space for a curling drive, which sailed into the top right corner. Rattling around in the cavernous reaches behind Alnwick’s goal, 327 doughty pilgrims from the Southland must have feared for their heroes’ fate in the second half. As it turned out, they had no cause for worry.

Any misgivings appeared justified, admittedly, when Mason glanced McNaughton’s cross towards the bottom left corner but Alnwick, plunging athletically to his right, saved magnificently. It was by no means one-way traffic and Lonergan responded to Alnwick’s heroics by straining to tip Kermorgant’s quickthinking volley over his bar, then saving bravely at Church’s feet as they disputed Jordan Cousins’ low delivery to the near post.

The last word(s) belonged to Bolton, with Matt Mills heading Moritz’s corner inches too high, then Spearing bringing 327 hearts into as many mouths with a last gasp volley, which dipped dangerously on its way to clearing the bar by inches. But this was a point richly deserved by Charlton, whose worried fans might see it as an early Christmas present. Who knows, there might be more to come on Boxing Day. You’re supposed to open ’em then, anyway. So come on, chaps, you know it’s better to give than receive. Meanwhile, Merry Christmas to one and all. Well, nearly all. There are limits.

Bolton: Lonergan, McNaughton, Mills, Ream, Baptiste, Eagles, Danns (Hall 83), Spearing, Lee (Davies 73), Moritz, Mason (Beckford 79). Not used: Lee-Barrett, Knight, Pratley, Kamara. Booked: Danns, Hall.

Charlton: Alnwick, Solly, Morrison, Wood, Wiggins, Wilson, Stephens, Cousins, Stewart (Dervite 90), Church (Evina 83), Kermorgant. Not used: Pope, Hughes, Green, Pritchard, Cook. Booked: Morrison, Wilson.

Referee: Philip Gibbs. Att: 14,923.

Charlton 0 Derby County 2 (Ward 32, Bryson 87).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Yet another home defeat -their fifth of this arduous season- leaves Charlton teetering unsteadily on the brink of the Championships’s relegation trapdoor. Their already parlous plight was hardly eased by the success of their closest pursuers in closing the gap between them. As if in mitigation, though, the four teams immediately above them thoughtfully obliged by also losing.

Facing the division’s hottest in-form team, the Addicks acquitted themselves reasonably well without suggesting they had it in them to upset the odds. Their spirit was willing enough but their quality couldn’t match it. Once Derby moved into an admittedly fortunate lead just past the half hour, the destination of these three points was all but assured.

Without his suspended captain Johnnie Jackson, Chris Powell surprisingly handed forgotten man Danny Green his first league start of the campaign while, even more surprisingly, preferred Bradley Pritchard to Simon Church in a novel position behind lone forward Yann Kermorgant, which I believe might well be that mysterious “hole” the tactical experts waffle on about. The manager’s boldness went unrewarded by telling contributions from either newcomer, both of whom were quietly substituted midway through the second half. Kermorgant, meanwhile, was disturbingly colourless.

Currently in fourth place, Derby were no great shakes themselves but knew enough to record their seventh victory on the road. They impassively soaked up what their uninspired hosts had to offer, patiently bided their time and counterpunched them into submission. Hardly dynamic but highly effective, they followed to the letter the tried-and-true formula to beat Charlton.

Initially motivated and determined, the Addicks dictated the opening exchanges, with Michael Morrison burying a firm drive into Lee Grant’s midriff before Dale Stephens skied Cameron Stewart’s cross over the bar. Green’s unintentionally treacherous free kick sent Grant scrambling across his line to touch the ball over the bar but, with sickening inevitability, it was County who snatched an all-important lead against the run of play.

Frequently over-eager in putting his foot in where it doesn’t belong, Dorian Dervite was suckered by wily Ram Chris Martin into an unnecessarily physical challenge six yards outside Charlton’s penalty area. Making the most of his opportunity, Jamie Ward’s free kick caught a wicked deflection in an irresolute wall, wrongfooted Ben Alnwick and found the net. Funny, ain’t it, how the better a team is, the luckier it gets?

That familiar sinking feeling swept The Valley, fuelled by the knowledge that the Addicks had failed to score in five of their nine previous home games. Kermorgant’s improvised effort to surprise Grant from a prone position was unlikely to improve that grisly statistic and it was the Rams’ freescoring midfielder Craig Bryson who went somewhat closer to doubling his side’s lead before the interval. His blistering drive was bound for the top right corner until it was spectacularly saved at full length by Alnwick.

With the Midlanders content to protect their advantage, Charlton again set the second half pace. Stephens awkwardly stabbed Lawrie Wilson’s centre wide, while Kermorgant’s miscue became trapped between Morrison’s feet as he turned to shoot at close range.On the hour, Ward blasted Martin’s precise cutback against the bar when hitting the target seemed easier, his miss serving to prolong local agony.

The withdrawal of Green and Pritchard for Callum Harriott and Church respectively suggested the adjustment of an honest mistake and Charlton were briefly invigorated. Kermorgant’s precise cross from the left reached Morrison at the far post but was nodded wastefully wide, then Church broke clear to drive against the advancing Grant. Enough was enough, concluded the complacent visitors and Bryson’s elegantly dinked 87th minute coup-de-grace, after Ward and Conor Sammon combined to play him clear, belatedly settled the issue.

No doubt at his wits end, Powell has tried everything to turn the tide. All he-and his troubled charges- can do is to keep on keeping on. What you see is what you get, there’s nowhere else to turn. But they can do it, they can pull clear of the relegation dogfight under their manager’s decent, unhysterical stewardship. He needs the fans to close ranks behind him, even those who vocally question his every decision. He was obliged to watch helplessly as last season’s successful squad was weakened, not a penny was made available to him, the club’s invisible board seems to have cut him loose while they’re busy touting their wares. He’s still the man, though, truer and better than any of the fairground barkers being touted as possible replacements. Neil Warnock anyone? I don’t think so! Ian Holloway? Spare me!

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Charlton: Alnwick, Wilson (Sordell 85), Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Green (Harriott 65), Cousins, Pritchard (Church 65), Stephens, Stewart, Kermorgant. Not used: Pope, Evina, Wood, Solly. Booked: Stephens, Kermorgant.

Derby: Grant, Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth, Hendrick, Eustace, Bryson, Ward (Kean 88), Martin (Sammon 85), Dawkins (Russell 74). Not used: Legzdins, Davies, Bennett, Cisse. Booked: Keogh.

Referee: Andy Davies. Att: 16,871.

Yeovil Town 2 (Morrison o.g. 72, Miller pen 76) Charlton 2 (Stewart 37, Jackson 45).

Kevin Nolan reports from Huish Park

As usual in these fraught circumstances, there are conflicting ways of looking at the outcome of this critical relegation clash, one which leaves its contestants in exactly the same trouble at the foot of the Championship table as they found themselves prior to kick-off.

From Charlton’s perspective, a point gained on the ground of their closest pursuer seems, at casual glance, to be far from the shabbiest of results. If they hadn’t carelessly squandered a two-goal lead in the process, they might actually have allowed themselves a faint glow of satisfaction. Appearances are, of course, often deceptive.

It’s spirited Yeovil Town, who will draw greater encouragement from this stand-off. Facing comprehensive defeat after being outclassed for over 70 minutes, they had made no impression until, out of the blue, they luckily reduced their arrears. The effect was galvanic on both sides. The Glovers sensed they were still in with an unexpected chance, their visitors inexplicably panicked and this see-saw game flip-flopped on to its head. Within four more minutes, a penalty unnecessarily conceded by substitute Andy Hughes was converted by his victim, Ishmael Miller, and with shocking suddenness, the Addicks were reduced to clinging on desperately to salvage a point from the shambles. Their cause was hardly helped by the straight-red card dismissal of skipper Johnnie Jackson, of which more later.

It had promised to a be a pleasant stroll for Charlton before the interval. After the Westcountrymen had begun brightly enough, with John Lundstram skimming the bar from long range and Miller forcing a smart save from Ben Alnwick, the visitors took over. A series of fluent attacks, combining crisp passing and clever movement, tore Town to shreds; the handy lead they enjoyed at the interval seemed poor reward for their superiority.

Unpredictable left winger Cameron Stewart made all the difference. He started a brief dissection of Luke Ayling by cutting inside the right back before forcing Christopher Dunn into a flying save to keep out his dipping drive. Moments later, he improved on that effort by firing his side into an already overdue lead.

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Sent haring along the touchline by Alnwick’s laser-guided throw, Stewart used Yann Kermorgant’s shrewd running off the ball to make space for the uncomplicated shot he buried into the bottom right corner from 20 yards. This time Dunn stood no chance.

Having benefited from his goalkeeper’s imaginative distribution, the on-fire Stewart was intelligently prompted by centre back Dorian Dervite, who aggressively advanced into Yeovil’s half and sent him down the flank again. Rounding Ayling effortlessly, his precisely measured cross from the left byline left Jackson with the simple task of heading home at the far post. At which point, the Addicks were rampant, the Glovers a tattered mess.

Nothing in the second half’s opening exchanges altered the feeling that the issue was all but settled. In fact, had Dunn not reacted sharply to parry Simon Church’s enterprising overhead effort, Charlton would have moved out of sight of their struggling hosts. So it was a shock when their victims hit back.

Willowy wide man Joel Grant hadn’t made any inroads up against Lawrie Wilson but finally got the better of him and crossed instantly from the left touchline. Moving to the near post to deal with the danger, Michael Morrison succeeded only in turning the ball into his own goal. It was an unfortunate setback but it hardly explained how or why the erstwhile hunters became abruptly the hunted. Their transformation was absolute.

Four minutes after Morrison’s misfortune, substitute Andy Hughes clumsily tripped Miller a foot inside his penalty area. There seemed little need for such excess so far from goal but Miller was clearly not one to look a gift horse anywhere but squarely in the eye. He ruthlessly equalised from the spot.

There was even worse to come for the shellshocked Londoners. Impeded by Ed Upson as he burst into Town’s half, Jackson lost balance and lunged into Ayling as he sought to retain possession. Ayling did him no favours with his agonised reaction but there was no disputing the captain’s sending-off. As he departed, he almost crossed with substitute Chris Solly, whose return following four months of injury and rumour, would otherwise have stiffened his sinews.

So Charlton continue their long trudge to freedom through a minefield of pitfalls, many of their own making. It’s tough at the bottom. Well, fourth from bottom. And who knows, with a slice of luck from time to time, climbing to the security of mid-table. Nolan expects.

Yeovil: Dunn, Ayling, Webster, Duffy, Davis (McAllister 59), Edwards, Lundstram (Dawson 46), Upson, Grant, Morgan (Hayter 46), Miller. Not used: Foley, Stewart, Hoskins, Ralls. Booked: Ayling, Webster, Duffy.

Charlton: Alnwick, Wilson, Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Stephens, Cousins (Hughes 69), Stewart (Wood 90), Kermorgant, Church (Solly 82). Not used: Pope, Evina, Green, Sordell. Booked: Alnwick, Wilson, Kermorgant. Sent off: Jackson.

Referee: Craig Pawson.Att: 6,053.

Reading 1 (Sharp 13) Charlton 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from Madejski Stadium.

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More than a hundred years ago, Mark Twain bitterly expressed his contempt for statistics. There are three kinds of lies”, he declared, “lies, damned lies and statistics.”

The wily old codger had a point but nobody can be right all the time. Even he would have to concede that statistics prove, among other things, that the world is round, a cat has nine lives and that both of the Mayor of London’s sizeable feet are more often than not found in his even more sizeable mouth. And they can also help in putting together a valid, number-crunching analysis of Charlton’s faltering progress through the season so far. Do your best to keep up with me as I present the case for the judicious use of statistics.

The Addicks’ sixth 1-0 defeat at Reading lends substantial weight to the mathematical equation that if you score at least once against them, preferably early in the first half, you’re better than evens to beat them by the only goal of the game. They just can’t score themselves, this latest blank being their eighth of the season in nineteen tries – that’s somewhere between a 40% or 50% ratio, according to my abacus. And if it’s goals you’re after, steer clear of Charlton because there’s been only 35 scored in 19 games. These are numerical facts, which I invite you to absorb while I extricate myself from a statistical morass of my own making.

Armed with the figures, it was safe to assume that this second 1-0 setback within four days was all but certain as early as the 13th minute, when dependable lower league goalscorer Billy Sharp put Reading into the lead. Picking up a loose ball after Dale Stephens’ poor touch and unconvincing attempt to redeem his error conceded possession dangerously near Charlton’s penalty area, Sharp moved smoothly into shooting range before placing a crisp drive into the bottom left corner.
Sharp’s clearheaded finishing inserted daylight between two otherwise evenly matched sides. It looked even more decisive when Charlton’s Simon Church failed to match his marksmanship before the interval.

Church had been his usual, hardgrafting self, willing to run himself into exhaustion for the cause. Minutes before Sharp pounced, his ceaseless running had panicked Reading right back Stephen Kelly into a poorly judged challenge as they disputed a raking delivery down the inside left channel. It felt like a penalty, looked like a penalty, probably was a penalty. Not so ruled referee Darren Sheldrake, which meant it wasn’t a penalty. Apparently Sky TV
disagreed with him, which will console Chris Powell no end.

Undeterred by his ill-fortune, Church was presented with an excellent opportunity to balance the books as the first half entered added time. Played through a square defence by Yann Kermorgant’s finely measured pass, he outstripped his pursuers, let fly on the run but placed his shot too close to advancing goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Based on bitter experience – not to mention the statistics we’ve already expounded – there was justification in concluding that his miss would prove costly.

Not that the Addicks went quietly. Impressive willpower forced them on top as the Royals’s self-assurance began to waver, though Garath McLeary almost derailed the process by clipping the bar soon after the break. But the running was generally made by the resurgent visitors and when, with 20 minutes left, Powell went for broke with the bold introduction of three attacking substitutes, a clear statement of intent had been made.

With a massive point to prove, Marvin Sordell was one of the newcomers. There is clearly a talented player lurking beneath the diffidence he has shown in Charlton’s colours and he was eager to make an impact. Twisting, turning, protecting the ball expertly, he surely did enough to nail down a start in Saturday’s crucial engagement at Yeovil. Likewise, the almost completely forgotten Danny Green threw himself, with renewed enthusiasm, into the fightback. Benched skipper Johnnie Jackson was the third sub but though his influence was felt, he fluffed his lines with a botched attempt to exploit Kermorgant’s set-up.

To be honest, Charlton came up with little else but effort despite the modest pressure they exerted. There were bits and pieces but nothing clearcut. Which is where we came in.

So to Yeovil on Saturday, where the natives will be even more restless than usual after two impressive wins recently. A re-vamped line-up, geared for attack, might be the way forward in the West Country but we’ll see. Something has to change before freefall sets in. With his keen insight into the proletariat’s pastimes, that’s something that London’s flaxen-topped Fat Controller (wasn’t he hilarious when he rugby tackled that bloke during a football game?) will be keeping an eye on. Meanwhile, I’ve just finished my last two propositions with prepositions, liberties which betray the pressure I’m feeling. I’m cracking up just when I need to impress my new sponsor most. Swear to God I can do better!

Kevin Nolan’s Match Report sponsored by Grant Saw Wealth Management

Reading: McCarthy, Kelly, Pearce, Guthrie, Cummings, McAnuff, Gorkss, McCleary (Blackman 90), Williams (Akpan 64), Pobrebnyak, Sharp (Robson-Kanu 67). Not used: Federici, Le Fondre, Drenthe, Obita. Booked: Kelly, Gorkss.

Referee: Darren Sheldrake. Att: 18,149.

N.B. This report is the first filed under the new sponsorship of Grant Saw Financial Management, managed by canny Glaswegian Ian Starkey from his premises at the Royal Standard in Blackheath. I haven’t actually met Ian and there are those who might recommend, from his point of view, that we leave it that way but his interest and involvement are sincerely appreciated. I look forward to sharing many a riveting conversation with him concerning financial planning and wealth management, two topics which keep me awake at night.
My encyclopaedic knowledge of Glasgow Rangers, which dates back to Willie Waddell and George Young, will no doubt cement our new relationship and I look forward to a fruitful future.

Charlton 0 Ipswich Town1 (Smith 5).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

As an exercise in utter frustration, Charlton will have to look long and hard before finding a better example than this desperately disappointing game. The points were effectively on their way to Suffolk after five of the more chaotic minutes in Valley memory. During the eighty five which remained, nothing of deep significance happened, a state of affairs which suited conservative Ipswich down to the ground. Their work already done and dusted, the visitors felt no pressing need to exert themselves and chose to grind it out. Followers of Charlton on the road might recognise the process.

Into those opening five minutes, though, was crammed enough action to send heads spinning and all of it took place in sleepwalking Charlton’s penalty area. No more than fifty seconds had elapsed when sureshot David McGoldrick was played through to confront Ben Alnwick but was outguessed by the advancing keeper, who turned his low shot away for a right wing corner; Aaron Cresswell’s left-footed delivery was met by Tommy Smith’s head but Alnwick smuggled the ball clear for another right wing corner; Daryl Murphy’s header powered Cresswell’s inswinger goalward but Alnwick again saved magnificently, then miraculously kept out Christophe Berra’s point-blank effort to convert the rebound.

Having singlehandedly stood off the rampant Tractor Boys, Alnwick was entitled to a little support. No such luck. Cresswell crossed over to the opposite flank to pick out Smith with a pinpointed outswinger which left the rampaging centre half the easy task of heading down into the centre of goal. Scarcely a defensive muscle moved; in fact, scarcely a defensive muscle, apart from the overworked Alnwick’s, had moved since kick-off.

It was the mother of all nightmare starts but, to be fair, was completely out of character for a defence which has now conceded a miserly 20 goals in 17 league games. That impressive statistic is undermined somewhat by the miserable total of 14 goals scored at the other end. Five of Charlton’s games had ended 1-0, three of them defeats. Even at such an early stage, this one seemed destined to make it four. And that’s not hindsight talking. A cursory glance through their “chances” tells a depressingly futile story.

Soon after Smith scored, Yann Kermorgant crossed from the left for Dale Stephens to glance a header wide; Rhoys Wiggins set up Jordan Cousins to shoot harmlessly off target; Lawrie Wilson’s hard-driven low cross eluded Simon Church on its untouched journey to the far touchline; on the half hour, Wiggins provided the Addicks’ stand-out attacking moment with a fiercely swerving cross-cum-shot which Dean Gerken awkwardly pawed to safety off his right post. It didn’t exactly amount to a relentless siege.

Ponderous and slow in their build-up, with square and backward passing the order of the day, the second half was similarly dire but let’s again record Charlton’s “highlights.” Johnnie Jackson had a brief sight of goal but hesitated and the fleeting chance was lost; Wilson’s skyscraping centre was awkwardly touched over the bar by Gerken; Cameron Stewart cut in from the left to shoot firmly with his right foot but was foiled by Gerken’s plunging save; Cousins sliced hopelessly wide; Michael Morrison haplessly missed headed contact with Kermorgant’s cross. And in added time, Charlton’s torment was exacerbated by a refereeing howler.

Fussy referee Duncan was perfectly placed to spot the coldbloodedly professional foul, with which Cole Skuse halted Kermorgant’s progress in the centre circle but, with his wits about him, might have sensibly allowed an advantage which ended with Stewart promisingly placed to equalise. His premature whistle instead awarded Charlton a meaningless free kick and proved, beyond reasonable argument, that crime often pays when you know what you’re about. But nothing disguises the inconvenient truth that Charlton were comfortably beaten by an average side which rarely found it necessary to shift out of low gear.

So after Tuesday’s victory over Doncaster, it was a case of an important step forward, followed quickly by another sickening knockback. A knockback which apparently was a tactical triumph for Town boss Mick McCarthy, who watched the Addicks in midweek, wove a cerebral web to ensnare them and delivered a meticulously conceived masterclass, which featured the cunning plan of scoring early, then winning 1-0. Ain’t it great when all your schemes come together, especially scoring early, then winning 1-0?

Here’s another version of events. When you win, you’re a coaching genius; when you lose, you’re a coaching blockhead. Much of what remains is cobblers. It’s all about the result and even though many of us admire the tough, outspoken McCarthy, especially since he was disgracefully abused in 2002 by that quisling whose name, like that of Jesse James’ assassin, doesn’t belong alongside his, let’s not get carried away. Ipswich won. Fair play to them. They were marginally the better of two moderate sides. The work of a Chess Grandmaster it wasn’t. But what a cruel kick in the guts for Charlton it was!

Charlton: Alnwick (correction on the pronounciation, by the way – it’s Ann-ick), Wilson (Sordell 86), Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Stewart, Stephens, Jackson (Green 69), Cousins, Kermorgant, Church (Pigott 69). Not used: Pope, Hughes, Evina, Wood. Booked: Morrison.

Referee: S. Duncan. Att: 16,645

Charlton 2 (Stephens 39, Church 60) Doncaster Rovers 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

Recalling their miserable experience almost exactly three months ago, it was easy to understand Doncaster Rovers’ obvious reluctance to repeat this fixture. Put yourself in their place – The Valley was the last place they wanted to be on one of these cold, cheerless November evenings. But that’s how it goes. You have to deal with it. Which they didn’t. They were technically present but they didn’t turn up.

To recap the circumstances for readers oblivious to the fortunes of Doncaster and Charlton, Rovers were leading 3-1 when an unseasonal deluge caused the game on August 31st to be abandoned at half-time. Their position wasn’t quite as strong as the scoreline suggests because they had been reduced to ten men and had their 3-0 lead reduced by Simon Church’s goal shortly before the interval. An awkward second half awaited them but you’d have to say their prospects were promising.

None of which counted for much second time around. Despite missing numerous chances, Charlton exploited their second bite at the cherry to cruise home comfortably. Possibly feeling sorry for themselves, Donny lost by a racing distance .
In managing to double their home wins this season, Charlton were confident and assured enough to toy with their visitors. Only one minute had elapsed when Lawrie Wilson’s impudently contrived chip sent Church in to face Ross Turnbull in the first of their two critical one-on-one confrontations. The striker’s first touch was immaculate but his low right-footed shot scudded wide of the target.

Undeterred by the miss, the Addicks swarmed all over their visitors. A quickthinking dummy by Dale Stephens over Rhoys Wiggins’ low cross provided Yann Kermorgant with the space he needed to beat Turnbull with a crisp snapshot which rebounded off a post.

Dummies were clearly in vogue with Kermorgant’s instinctive deception setting up Johnnie Jackson to unleash a full-blooded rocket. Turnbull reacted superbly to touch the effort over the bar though, as it turned out, the defiant keeper had merely delayed the inevitable. Six minutes before the break, the Addicks grabbed an overdue lead with another candidate for their goal-of-the season competition.

Adjusting his feet perfectly as Bongani Khumalo’s looping header (always direct your defensive headers away to the side of your goal, kids) cleared Cameron Stewart’s centre to him outside the penalty area, Stephens sent an expertly cushioned volley dipping neatly into the top left corner. The legality of the goal seemed unimpeachable but Donny boss Paul Dickov questioned it anyway.

On his sunniest day, Dickov seems a punchline short of a good laugh but his passionate protests to fourth official Kelly were sincere. Something about offside during the build-up apparently. To be fair, the feisty boss’s eventual acceptance of Charlton’s superiority was graceful and he won press room friends with his restraint and dignity. Never thought I’d hear myself saying that.

Football’s accepted wisdom, despite Doncaster’s passivity, demanded a clinching goal and Federico Macheda fired a warning shot across the home team’s bows with a twisting, turning run, which he ended with a fierce drive narrowly over the bar. There was little else to recommend the South Yorkshiremen and the chances continued to arrive -and be missed – by the home side.

Church failed by agonising inches to convert Stewart’s searching cross, then Wilson forced a fine flying save from Turnbull, with the excellent Jordan Cousins drilling the rebound too high. But on the hour, Church sealed the issue.
Jackson’s precisely measured pass sent the gutsy Welshman sprinting through a square defence to confront Turnbull again. Holding off his pursuers, he kept his nerve, shot on the run as the keeper narrowed the angle and found the left corner off the base of the left post.

With the visitors showing signs of collapse, Stewart’s ferocious shooting came into its own. His left-footed drive produced yet another fine save from Turnbull before this two-sided player used his other foot to crash another cannonball against the bar. Five minutes from time, Charlton’s debutant keeper Ben Alnwick (pronounced Al-ick , we’re reliably informed), who had replaced warm-up injury victim Ben Hamer shortly before kick-off, registered his first genuine save for the club by spectacularly turning aside substitute Theo Robinson’s corner-bound drive.

Routine though it turned out to be, this was a vital victory for Charlton. Once again, a defence which has conceded only 19 goals in 16 league games, did its bit and on this occasion was supported by a display of bright, uninhibited attacking. Must do better with their chance-taking, it’s true, but there’s renewed optimism around the club these days. Anyone would think it’s for sale.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson, Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Stewart (Green 90), Stephens, Cousins, Jackson (Hughes 90), Church (Sordell 81), Kermorgant. Not used: Pigott, Evina, Harriott, Wood.

Referee: S. Hooper. Att: 14,140.

QPR 1 (Austin 40) Charlton 0.

Kevin Nolan reports from Loftus Road.

Nouveau riche Queens Park Rangers left it closer than expected before edging past cash-strapped Charlton in this so-called local derby. A superb strike from prolific Charlie Austin proved to be the difference between sides widely separated by finance. Rangers’ banking business would be welcomed by Coutts; the Addicks were probably customers at the Co-op before it fell from grace.

Funny club, QPR. Funny peculiar, that is, although sometimes funny unintentionally as well. To be fair, until recently nobody had an unkind word to say about them, chiefly because nobody had a word of any kind to say about them. For over a century, they flew inoffensively under football’s radar. That changed abruptly when Laurel and Hardy acquired the club in 2007.

Stanley Jefferson Ecclestone is a tiny Englishman with expertise in F-1 motor racing, whose interest in football was piqued by the arrival of all-seater grounds; prior to that seismic event, microscopic Stan struggled to see what was going on.

Oliver Norval Briatore, a portly Italian with more dubious affiliations to the motor racing industry, fondly imagined he was the brains behind Stan. Ollie left F-1 amid allegations of race fixing and not much of him has been seen since.

That’s all motor oil under the bridge now, of course, with Stan and Ollie’s ephemeral legacy two inglorious seasons in the Premier League. The world’s eight-richest man, Lakshmi Mittal, was briefly involved but the torch has now been passed to Tony Fernandes. Though the rank-and-file fans and staff remain average, likeable Joes and Josies, it’s safe to say the owner/operators know the value of a pound at Loftus Road.

Fans and bigshots alike didn’t get much for their money in this monotonous game. Without extending themselves unduly, the Rs claimed three precious promotion points against modest opponents content to limit the potential damage of a crushing defeat. The upshot was a low-key affair which was settled by one flash of inspiration from a player, who has made an irritating habit of victimising Charlton.

Last season for instance, while with Burnley, Austin settled an otherwise scoreless clash at The Valley with a spectacular strike from all of 30 yards. Now earning a more substantial crust in West London, he duplicated the feat in almost identical circumstances. Picking up a routine pass from Joey Barton, he stepped inside Jordan Cousins, took brief aim, then crashed an untouchable drive beyond Ben Hamer into the top right corner. That’s precisely what QPR paid for when they pried him from Burnley and re-located him in the Smoke.

With capable help from Barton, Austin’s 40th minute goal settled Charlton’s hash. Apart from a venomous shot, which Hamer brilliantly saved, he was well policed by Michael Morrison and Dorian Dervite and it was Barton’s more industrious influence in central midfield which kept Rangers ticking – and in front.

As much tortured poet as common-or-garden footballer these days, the one-time enfant terrible is a reformed character (though he did fit in a booking for old time’s sake) and seizes every opportunity to remind us of it. Even so, you’d still back him to bash up any of those poncey French philosophers. Sartre wouldn’t stand a chance. Nor would Piaf.
Not that the hardworking but limited Addicks posed much threat to QPR’s superiority. They mustered only two shots on target, the better of them a stinging effort from Cousins seconds before Austin scored, which Robert Green parried with difficulty. Simon Church provided the other one after picking up Hamer’s hefty clearance, rounding Benoit Assou-Akotto but rolling the tamest of efforts at Green.

Midfielders Dale Stephens and Bradley Pritchard combined to exchange a couple of other chances. Stephens accepted Pritchard’s first half pass but stood embarrassingly on the ball prior to shooting; played momentarily clear by Stephens’ defence-splitting ball early in the second period, Pritchard’s loss of confidence was palpable as he was snuffed out.

By far the busier keeper, Hamer kept the contest nominally alive with a string of fine saves. He followed his sharp stop from Austin by expertly fielding Gary O’Neil’s rebound effort, dived athletically to turn Matt Phillips’ daisycutter aside, then later on beat Barton’s netbound free kick to safety. He deserved the luck he received when substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips’s improvised chip left him helpless but hit the bar.

With this most daunting of fixtures behind them, the Addicks’ priorities will turn to the more promising visits of Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday and Ipswich Town on Saturday. You could almost group them together as twelve-pointers. At least Austin won’t be playing.

QPR: Green, Simpson, Dunne, Hill, Assou-Akotto, Phillips (Johnson 77), Barton, O’Neil, Kranjcar (Wright-Phillips 65), Jenas (Henry 46), Austin. Not used: Murphy, Traore, Onyewu, Young. Booked: Barton.

Referee: Dean Whitestone. Att: 17,397 (1,820 Charlton).

Charlton 2 (Stewart 45, Jackson 70) Leeds United 4 (McCormack 17, 48 pen, 73, 90).

Kevin Nolan reports from The Valley.

On a dank, drab afternoon, not to mention a sodden pudding of a pitch, Charlton produced their best attacking display of the season, scored two fine goals but still lost to Leeds United. Their downfall can be traced to an inability to control in- form striker Ross McCormack.

The sharp, mobile Scot’s finishing was in a class of its own, his open-play hat-trick as clinical as it gets, the penalty he slammed past Ben Hamer a foregone conclusion. Supported by the superb goalkeeping of Paddy Kenny, he was the difference between these sides; a difference, it needs to be said, enhanced by more dubious methods.

McCormack’s tour-de-force made it almost possible to overlook the darker side of Leeds’ contribution to this sometimes rollicking match. Almost but not quite. A team with gamesmanship in its DNA turned every trick in a repertoire indelibly associated with Elland Road to secure a rare away win. As early as the 38th minute, Kenny set the black arts in motion with a booking for timewasting. His colleagues, meanwhile, broke up play by rolling, writhing and whining in regular, pain-wracked agony. Rarely can a football team have suffered such wretched ill-health. And it was all done on the watch of new manager Brian McDermott, whose record at his former clubs seemed scrupulously devoid of such sharp practice. Leeds don’t change but apparently he does. Still, when in Rome….!

Scoring more than once for the first time in nine games, Charlton chose an inopportune occasion to sag defensively. They should draw heart, however, from a bright, often imaginative performance which, had McCormack and Kenny not skilfully interfered, would have earned them only their second home win of a struggling campaign.

With Callum Harriott’s flair preferred to Bradley Pritchard’s diligence on the right flank, the Addicks started with the confidence of a side unbeaten in five games since October 1st. Lively Harriott had already gone close twice before McCormack struck for the first time.

A foul by Jordan Cousins on Rodolph Austin in the centre circle began the process; Tom Lees’ soaring free kick was astutely nodded over a flummoxed Lawrie Wilson by Dexter Blackstock, leaving McCormack to take a steadying touch before rifling a left-footed drive past Ben Hamer.

Spurred on by Rhoys Wiggins, Charlton hit back spiritedly. The first of the left back’s series of low-driven crosses was awkwardly cleared for a corner by Jason Pearce, a second was turned on to the outside of a post by Simon Church. The Welshman’s sweetly struck half-volley from yet another of Wiggins’ fine deliveries seemed certain to bulge the net but was brilliantly parried by Kenny.

The visitors looked likely to survive to half-time until Cameron Stewart spectacularly equalised in added time. Johnnie Jackson’s free kick was headed out to the winger, whose explosive 25-yard volley left Kenny helpless on its way into the top left corner. While United wilted briefly, Harriott shaved the bar with a curling drive, marvellously improvised from the right flank with the outside of his left foot.

Three minutes after the break, Harriott’s promising display took a turn for the worse. Responsibly tracking Danny Pugh’s aggressive run into Charlton’s penalty area, he stuck a defensively untutored foot in where it didn’t belong and tripped the left back. McCormack made easy work of converting the clearcut spotkick. Erratic referee Stroud got that one right but, unfortunately for Charlton, had been less eagle-eyed when turning a tolerant eye to the blatant first half trip which felled Church in the area. You’ve seen ’em given – about 99% of the time!

Still irrepressible, Harriott promptly went close to making amends. His viciously swerving drive was magnificently fingertipped over the bar by Kenny while, unmarked at the far post, Dorian Dervite should have done better than make a hasty hash of stabbing Jackson’s corner over the bar. But Charlton weren’t kept waiting long for a second equaliser.
Church’s twisting run along the left byline twice left Lees and Lee Peltier bewildered in its wake before the striker’s low centre was forced home by Jackson, who had typically found a yard of space in a congested six-yard box.

The setback was McCormack’s cue to strike again while the Addicks were still basking in their success. Drifting clear as Hamer hesitated in dealing with Luke Murphy’s free kick, he dispatched a venomous volley inside the right post. It was United’s third shot at goal but their hitman wasn’t finished yet.

With the paltry addition of four added minutes proving that artful timewasting pays off, it was cruelly ironic that it was McCormack who used them to score again. Wiggins’ irritated foul on Austin gave the insatiable Scot the opportunity to curl a sumptuous free kick into the top left corner. His fourth goal put a buoyantly overdue spring in the visitors’ step. Their touching return to the rudest of health gave encouragement to us all and should be exhaustively recorded in the pages of Lancet without delay.

Charlton: Hamer, Wilson (Pritchard 86), Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Harriott (Kermorgant 67), Cousins, Stephens, Stewart (Sordell 86), Jackson, Church. Not used: Alnwick, Hughes, Evina, Lennon. Booked: Morrison, Wiggins.

Referee: Keith Stroud. Att: 17,601.