Charlton 4 (Kirk 4, Leaburn 30, 45+2, Louie Watson 49) Aston Villa U21 2 (Moore 73, Alcock 81).

A tiny but appreciative gathering at The Valley on Tuesday evening watched a hastily assembled Charlton side spike Aston Villa’s young guns during a first half of effortless superiority. Buoyant, bouncy and above all as free as the river-tinged air, the Addicks – mostly kids themselves – toyed with the Midlanders before packing them off at the break four goals down and effectively out of this EFL Trophy tie.

It couldn’t last, of course, and the second period told a different story. Villa’s pride was stung and they hauled themselves back into contention with two fortune-favoured goals. And had Tommi O’Reilly not messed up a 50th minute penalty, they might have come close to pulling off an unlikely recovery. Instead they finished a well beaten team.

Those opening 45+7 minutes were a joy to watch as an assortment of accurate passes zipped around the well-watered turf. Villa were run ragged as their hosts played with the handbrake off and clearly expected to score from every attack. Their youthful exuberance was paternally supervised by the presence, in central midfield, of Scott Fraser, the fulcrum through which Charlton’s approach play was regulated. Hardly a veteran himself, Fraser’s foot-on-the-ball calmness provided balance between uncontrolled and measured aggression. He must surely be the first name on Michael Appleton’s teamsheet, a regular choice whatever system is employed. It makes sense to pick your best players, then adapt your system to suit them. Class, after all, is permanent. Systems are merely ephemeral.

It was Fraser who, inevitably, set Charlton on their way with a gorgeous 4th minute assist. Picked out by Tennai Watson in one of those “pockets of space” you hear about, he delivered a precisely judged cross to the far post which Charlie Kirk sidefooted on the volley past Fil Marschall. A ballwatching Kyrie Pierre, caught on the back foot, had almost the entire first half to concoct an explanation for his boss Inigo Idiakez at the interval. Good luck with that, Kyrie.

The bewildered Villans lasted until the half hour mark before capitulating again. They were finding Miles Leaburn’s combination of muscularity and ball-shielding difficult to handle and Kerr Smith struggled as the big centre forward backed in and rolled him as they disputed Tennai Watson’s ball in to feet. Smith’s awkward challenge, made with his wrong foot close to goal, brought down Leaburn Jr, who picked himself up to dispassionately convert the clearcut penalty.

Alongside Fraser in midfield, meanwhile, Louie Watson’s stop-go bursts of acceleration were posing problems for the visitors. An elusive bundle of creative energy, the Luton Town loanee was impossible to pin down. It was reasonable to question, however, whether an occasional goal was part oh his impressive pass-and move repertoire. The fresh-faced kid duly delivered in the 39th minute with his first in Charlton’s colours by smoothly controlling Fraser’s low pass with his back to goal, then turning away from Josh Feeney and drilling a crisp drive inside the right post.

In first half added time, young Louie masterminded Charlton’s fourth goal, which seemed to have placed his side well out of reach of the outclassed Brummies. His pass enabled Leaburn to again roll the persecuted Smith and find Marschall’s net with a left-footed daisycutter. The apparent coup-de-grace ended a painful session of boys against fellow boys (with the odd man or two tipping the scale for the home boys).

An early warning that the second half might not be similarly plain sailing was served when Louie Watson blotted an otherwise spotless copybook by crudely hauling Smith to the ground as he moved on to Rico Richards’ right wing cross. Villa’s general haplessness was neatly summed up by O’Reilly’s spotkick which clipped the bar on its way into a virtually empty Jimmy Seed Stand. The visitors seemed intent on making life as simple as possible for the Addicks but possibly fearing Idiakez’s irritation, persevered until they finally broke through with 20 minutes remaining.

The goal, through which they reduced the arrears was as lucky as it was scruffy. O’Reilly’s close range miskick might have been comical if it hadn’t set up Kobei Moore to finish unconvincingly past a wrongfooted Ashley Maynard-Brewer. With Charlton effectively finished for the evening, substitute Todd Alcock’s inswinging left wing corner found the far top corner, with Charlton’s Aussie keeper straining vainly to keep it out. Technically a goalkeeping error, of course, which conveniently overlooks the treacherous flight of Alcock’s delivery.

Charlton’s low key second half failed to erase the pleasure of their earlier performance. When they are on song and in this mood, they rank alongside the best teams in League One. Anyone who endured the limitations of Burton Albion and Cheltenham Town on telly 24 hours previously, must surely have concluded as much. This hardly guarantees them 12 points when they meet Burton and Cheltenham but a stewards’ enquiry might be due if they wind up with any less. With the skill and resolve at his disposal, Appleton is entitled to demand at least a top six finish. Not to mention, further progress in the EFL Trophy, in which they face Sutton Utd at The Valley on Tuesday November 14th. Here’s hoping their league commitments don’t get in their way!

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Laqeretabua (Tennai Watson 24), Elerewe, Ness, Fraser (Kedwell 74), Tyreece Campbell (May 65), Louie Watson (Tedic 65),
Chem Campbell, Asiimwe, Leaburn (Aneke 65), Kirk. Not used: Molyneux, Jones. Booked: Louie Watson, Tedic.

Aston Villa u-21: Marschall, Chrisene (Munroe 54), Richards (Pavey 83), Iroegbunam (Alcock 58), Rowe (Borland 74), Tommi O’Reilly, Feeney (Aaron O’Reilly 83), Ealing, Smith, Moore Pierre (Broggio 58). Not used: Wright. Booked: Iroegbunam.

Referee: Neil Hair. Att: 1,223 (129 visiting)

Shrewsbury Town 0 Charlton 0.

Kevin Nolan reports as Charlton continued their inch-by-inch improvement in Shropshire.

The promising shoots of improvement which faintly flourished in three games since Michael Appleton took charge struggled to survive numerous tests at Shrewsbury on Saturday. But survive they did and stretched Charlton’s unbeaten league run to four games, three of them under the new gaffer’s direct supervision.

So defensively vulnerable before Appleton arrived, the Addicks managed their first clean sheet since August 5th, an achievement which owed as much to Harry Isted’s brilliant if eccentric goalkeeping as it did to any obvious defensive re-organisation. But there was a new, corporate determination not to concede, which Isted backed up with a handful of quite remarkable saves, none better than the miracle he performed to deny Kieron Phillips in the last of eight added minutes. A goal then would have cemented Charlton’s unwanted reputation as regular last gasp suckers.

Apart from an early save which kept out Morgan Feeney’s point blank header from Tom Bayliss’ free kick, Isted wasn’t unduly troubled during a dull-as-ditchwater first half. Feeney did his bit by ballooning the rebound over the bar before both these moderate sides settled down to share responsibility for the scruffy exchanges. The Shrews were marginally less culpable for the mutual fecklessness but were hardly showstoppers themselves. The statutory forty five minutes plus five perversely added were suffered almost in silence by 5,669 (556 visitors) disbelieving eyewitnesses, none of whom could rouse themselves to exchange the usual, pointless insults.

Appleton’s men were fumbling their way to the interval before Isted again distinguished himself seconds before the break. He was criminally exposed when Tom Flanagan blasted Carl Winchester’s careful cutback goalwards but clawed clear the defender’s fierce drive. From Brandon Fleming’s resultant corner, Max Mata’s diving header was netbound until the inspired goalkeeper kept it out at full stretch. His first half contribution had been outstanding but his best work lay before him.

Though singularly unimpressive, Charlton had somehow stayed in the game and showed immediate improvement upon resumption. Four minutes into the new half, Tyreece Campbell received a short corner on the right and crossed left-footed for Lloyd Jones to outjump Mata and head powerfully for goal. Twisting athletically in the air, Marko Marosi contrived to tip the ball to safety. Marosi reacted again when substitute Chuks Aneke connected with a clever lay-off from Tennai Watson, blocking Aneke’s shot before beating Alfie May to the rebound.

The private duel between Isted and Marosi tipped in favour of the former, who made a jaw-dropping save to keep the visitors level midway through the second session. Caught loitering outside his penalty area as Town broke quickly after clearing a right wing corner, his faulty position was alertly spotted by Winchester. From inside his own half, the heads-up Shrew launched an accurate effort at goal, which sent Isted into undignified, panicky retreat, catching up with Winchester’s soaring lob as it seemed certain to bounce into his unguarded goal. One last desperate swipe conjured the ball up and over the bar as the keeper tumbled into the net. Brilliant from Winchester, even more brilliant if somewhat scatty from Isted.

A rousing game had somehow emerged from the first half dross and Aneke might have won it when he met George Dobson’s cross with a meaty header which Marosi turned over the bar. There was still time for Isted to preserve Charlton’s precious point with possibly the piece-de-resistance of a personally vindicating performance. Confronting Phillips as the substitute prepared to routinely convert Winchester’s headed pass, he managed to block the apparently sure thing with an outstretched foot.

Even the booking he received for idiotically fouling Mata marginally outside his penalty area failed to mar Isted’s all-conquering afternoon in Shropshire. It was almost inevitable that he earned extra kudos for sprawling to save Winchester’s free kick. On this form, nothing was impossible for Charlton’s often underrated goalkeeper. Just as well, though, that his manager has no hair to tear out. It could have gone horribly wrong…

Shrewsbury: Marosi, Feeney, Dunkley, Flanagan. Fleming, Winchester, Perry, Kenneh, Bayliss, Udoh (Phillips 78), Mata. Not used: Benning, Anderson, Bowman, Burgoyne, Sobowale, Bennett.
Booked: Dunkley.

Charlton: Isted, Tennai Watson (Asiimwe 81), Hector, Jones, Thomas, Taylor (Louie Watson 44), Dobson, Tyreece Campbell (Aneke 62), Blackett-Taylor (Fraser 82), May, Leaburn (Tedic 62). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Ness. Booked: Thomas, Isted, Tedic, Watson.

Att: 5,669 (556 visiting).

Stevenage Town 1 (Reid 34) Charlton 1 (Blackett-Taylor 90+2 pen)

Making sense of this curate’s omelette of a game wasn’t easy on a dodgy livestream that obstinately refused to co-operate. I mean, be fair, they take your money but just don’t deliver. Well, they didn’t exactly take our money but we still felt cheated. So did Charlton until referee Peter Wright grudgingly agreed with their appeals for an added time penalty after turning down at least three equally valid claims. If you don’t ask, you don’t get and the Addicks weren’t slow in asking.

With regular taker Alfie May a concussion absentee (only at Charlton could it be sustained during training), responsibility for the spotkick, almost apologetically awarded after Slobodan Tedic was brought down by Carl Piergianni, was assumed by an outwardly confident Corey Blackett-Taylor. Stepping up once the usual shenanigans subsided, CBT made light of the pressure by beating Taye Ashby-Hammond and the Addicks had salvaged an unlikely point – their first on the road after four previous tries – from another apparently fruitless away day. Or so it seemed.

As Blackett-Taylor’s equaliser hit the net, our picture froze for approximately the tenth time, leaving us living room witnesses unconvinced that the goal had counted. Behind Ashby-Hammond’s goal, three intrepid family members were busy celebrating but we weren’t in contact with them. You probably don’t want to hear this but our language was unrepeatable while we awaited normal service to be restored. Then there was the small matter of seven more minutes to survive before the result was official. But Stevenage hung on and probably deserved their point.

Charlton’s steady improvement in the second half mitigated -but failed to obliterate from memory – a dreadful first half performance that ranks among the worst inflicted on their loyal travelling supporters (an admirable sold-out away end of 1380 at Stevenage). It wasn’t so bad back home where we could look forward to regular interruptions but then again we had to do without the witty commentary of Terry and Greg and put up with a pair of twerps, who fancied themselves as Abbott and Costello (ask your grandad if you’re struggling) and spent their time bigging up the local heroes while sneering at their vastly inferior visitors. They weren’t entirely wrong, of course, but it was for us, not them, to say so.

During those 45 lost minutes, new manager Michael Appleton must have wondered what he’d taken on. His new charges were limp, languid and lethargic, their error-strewn contribution to a first period which belonged in a public park on Sunday morning at times bordering on epic. Worse yet, they were totally devoid of anger and anger (call it “edge” if you prefer) is an often overlooked ingredient in the best of sides. Pep Guardiola spends much of his time being angry, as does his star-studded side. They use anger as fuel for their on-field engine and you don’t catch them “playing with smiles on their faces”, as advocated by football’s Pollyannas who don’t include hard-nosed winners like Roy Keane or Graeme Souness. Smiling at them was never a good idea.

Their modest achievement, meanwhile, in restricting Stevenage to a single-goal advantage said more about the home side’s own ineptitude than it did Charlton’s first half resistance. The city slickers might even have reached the interval on scoreless terms but for a lapse into less-than- resolute defending just past the half hour mark. Admittedly the one-two exchange between Nathan Freeman and Finley Burns was expertly executed but, with George Dobson lured out of position, Lloyd Jones’ half-hearted attempt to check Jamie Reid’s run was easily brushed aside. Reid’s low finish across Harry Isted into the far corner was unstoppable.

Appleton’s first half-time gee-up was hardly difficult to imagine. Charlton re-emerged with a different attitude and while hardly a force of nature, they were back in a game that their hosts should already have put out of their reach. A glaring miss by Reid kept them interested but it was the late introduction of Chuks Aneke that made the difference. “Don’t get mad, get even” is Chuks’ mantra and he set about hauling the Addicks back into contention. His muscular presence hustled Nathan Thompson into an unpunished handling of Isted’s huge punt but Stevenage were now a nerve-wracked, clock-watching rabble praying for a final whistle, which arrived a penalty too late.

It might have been tough love on Appleton’s part that thrust Aneke back into action but his impact was undeniable. He’s a rare handful for defences at lower league level and a talismanic influence on his teammates. His litany of injuries has derailed a promising career but, in the short term at least, it’s either wishful (or wistful) thinking that his return might re-focus Charlton’s direction-less start to the season. The new manager seems to think so. And he might just be right.

Stevenage: Ashby-Hammond, Sweeney, N. Thompson, Piergianni, Freeman, Burns, L. Thompson (Forster-Caskey 78), Butler, Roberts, Reid (List 80), Hemmings (McDonald 61). Not used: Hegyi, Neal, B. Thompson, McNeill. Booked: Butler, Reid, List.

Referee: Peter Wright. Att: 5,119 (1.380 visiting).

Oxford United 2 (Goodrham10, 85) Charlton 1 (May 63)

From the cop-out of an easy chair, Kevin Nolan squirmed uncomfortably as Charlton plumbed new depths of incompetence in making it four losses in a row.

To the sound of the bottom of a barrel being scraped, chaotic Charlton almost – but not quite – emerged from a truly dreadful, description-challenging performance with the unlikeliest of points on an afternoon it won’t be easy to forget. The first half deserves mention as among the very worst ever endured by their usual, doggedly loyal away support (979 on this inauspicious occasion), each of whom is owed a personal apology, as well as a refund of their outgoing expenditure. They shouldn’t hold their breath while they wait.

Having reached the interval incredibly only a single goal behind, Charlton could hardly do anything but improve and just past the hour mark, a flash of clinical finishing by Alfie May promised they might actually pluck a precious point from this debacle. Whether or not they deserved anything of the sort might have been the subject of lively debate but proved academic anyway because their storied vulnerability to late goals struck them down yet again. Oxford’s late winner caught them on the break at a time when they had grown cocky enough to suppose they were themselves poised to end up with all three points.

“Unfortunately we’ve been hit with a sucker punch again”, mourned relentlessly optimistic manager Dean Holden, without suggesting he has a solution to what has become a chronic problem. “It’s about re-grouping quickly – we’ll keep looking to find the answers.” Four consecutive league defeats haven’t daunted him, as evidenced by his assurance that “we’re very close to getting the next result and I’ve got absolutely no doubt our season will take off.” His breezy self confidence isn’t exactly shared by a jaundiced army of fans beginning to fear the worst. They are looking no further than Fleetwood Town’s visit to The Valley next Saturday as the crucial deadline on which the rot must be stopped.

It was all too easy to sense the self-belief draining from Holden’s starters as they blundered through a first period of painful ineptitude, during which they resembled nothing more than a random group of blokes pressed into a public park kickabout. The error count rose alarmingly and their relative survival owed more to United’s lack of urgency than to their own efforts.

It had all started promisingly enough as the city slickers briefly herded their country cousins into their penalty area and twice threatened to snatch an early lead, first through Nathan Asiimwe, who stung James Beadle’s palms with a fierce, angled drive, then again when May’s heavy touch allowed Beadle to snaffle the ball off his toe. In the 10th minute, the Addicks were punished for their temerity as Liam Manning’s side put them harshly in their place.

Picking up Elliott Moore’s forward header, bright young spark Tyler Goodrham’s clever control earned him the space he needed to crash an unstoppable drive in off the underside of Harry Isted’s crossbar. His outstanding goal promised to be the first of many as Holden’s desperately young defence struggled to keep their heads above water. But oddly, United’s overwhelming superiority failed to yield them clearcut chances and Isted was untroubled until Goodrham broke through again, dithered disastrously when an easy cutback was called for and allowed Asiimwe to clear the obvious danger. Oxford’s threat was ever present but so was their lack of a cutting edge.

Charlton resumed after the break still in touch with a game which should have been already out of reach. There were already signs of new life before May fired them level with his first goal from open play for his new club. Showing the instincts of a born predator, he hung back as Tyreece Campbell staggered through Cameron Brannagan’s challenge and picked him out. A first-time drive flicked off Stephen Negru on its way into the bottom left corner. When Miles Leaburn returns to support him, May’s statistics will surely improve.

Stung by the sheer injustice of Charlton’s equaliser, United applied themselves to the task of restoring order. Brannagan’s fierce free kick burst through a porous wall and was awkwardly parried by Isted, then Negru beat the Addicks’ offside trap but could do no better than toe-end a dropping ball into the keeper’s grateful hands. The pressure was hardly intense but, with five minutes remaining, finally told.

Charlton had actually weathered the worst and were giving as good as they got when the inevitable boom was lowered. A flurry of setpieces, among which were the unlikely long throws of May ( a daft tactical ploy which removed their best finisher from the penalty area) encouraged them forward and left them exposed to the quick counter. They were critically outnumbered as Ruben Rodrigues led the charge, with Goodrham and Stanley Mills in close support. In desperate pursuit, George Dobson’s tackle checked Rodrigues but the visitors were ill-served by the ricochet, which favoured Goodrham
and set him up to score unconvincingly past the last-ditch advance of Isted.

Their late concession was the logical conclusion to a mind-numbing exercise in futility in a season which has already offered plenty of competition. It places Charlton just two points above the basement in League One, a division where they seem bogged down, not to mention part of the furniture. Holden’s brief is clearcut; turn them round and win occasionally. Meanwhile, stop talking them up as a good side when clearly, at least temporarily, that’s not what they are. And more immediately… beat Fleetwood. Just about everyone else does!

Oxford: Beadle, Stevens, Moore, Negru, Brown (Leigh78), McGuane, Brannagan, Goodrham, Rodrigues, Bodin (Mills 65), Harris (O’Donkor 89). Not used:
McEachran, Eastwood, Smyth, Murphy. Booked: McGuane, Brannagan, Mills.

Charlton: Isted, Elerewe (Chem Campbell 42), Ness (Hector 46), Jones, Dobson, Asiimwe, Anderson, Edun (Thomas 83), Blackett-Taylor, Kanu (Tyreece Campbell 46), May. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Payne. Booked: Hector, Jones, Dobson, Asiimwe, Anderson, Kanu.

Referee: Adam Herczeg. Att: 8.898 (979 visiting).

Charlton 2 (Blackett-Taylor 62, Kanu 89) Aberdeen 3 (Asiimwe o.g. 3, Shinnie 22, Polvara 33)

That old familiar combination of hope and expectation hung in the air as a sizeable, cheerful home contingent turned from Charlton Church Road into Floyd Road on its way to The Valley. There were obvious grounds for optimism against which no amount of bitter experience stood a chance. The new signings looked shrewdly chosen, pre-season performances and results were encouraging; the general feeling was that there was a place for everything and that everything was in place to launch a successful campaign under new stewardship. And to complete the feel-good factor was overwhelming relief that Sandgaard’s ersatz anthem had been consigned to the dustbin.

Inside the Valley, the grass never looked greener and the stadium positively radiated rude health. If a football ground can ever be said to sparkle, then the Addicks’ ancestral home fits the bill. Not that 1,613 tactless visitors from the Granite City of Aberdeen, Charlton’s last pre-season opponents before the serious business gets underway next Saturday, were impressed. They informed us routinely that Charlton was a sinkhole (sic) and they couldn’t wait to go home. They weren’t exactly gracious guests and, as it turned out, neither were the eager beavers unleashed by new boss Barry Robson on Dean Holden’s bewildered troops. Embarrassing corridors were cut through the home side’s resistance as the rampant visitors established a three-goal lead in little more than a half hour of irresistible aggression. The Dons could even afford to miss a first half penalty, such was their overpowering domination.

The writing was on the wall as early as the third minute and it made unpleasant reading for the local heroes. Dante Polvara’s right wing cross was intercepted by Nathan Asiimwe but neatly headed into his own net by the over-eager youngster. The Addicks were still absorbing the setback when Ashley Maynard-Brewer made the first of a string of superb saves to deny Bojan Miovski. Charlton’s steadily improving Aussie keeper went on to stand between his disintegrating side and a rout of seismic proportions. If nothing else, Saturday’s shambles established the identity of Charlton’s No. 1 goalkeeper.

Maynard-Brewer was helpless to prevent Aberdeen doubling their lead midway through the opening half. Luis Henriques de Barros Lopes – known to his mates as Duk – proved too strong for young Lucas Ness as they battled for possession to the left of Charlton’s beleaguered rearguard. His hard-drilled cross was nimbly turned home by Graeme Shinnie and the visitors were cresting a wave of superiority. They should have made it three almost immediately when Michael Hector clumsily tripped Polvara inside the penalty area but Shayden Morris smashed his spotkick against the right post. Morris’ miss became somewhat academic when he redeemed himself by laying on an easy tap-in for Polvara to slide in Aberdeen’s third. All three goals had exposed the Addicks’ porous left flank, a statistic which will no doubt be addressed by Holden and his analysts during the week before Leyton Orient arrive on Saturday. It’s certain to feature in Orient’s team talk.

As the Dons cooled off, a recovery of sorts was organised by their victims. Maynard-Brewer’s defiance, which featured a marvellous double save from Leighton Clarkson and Ester Soklar, helped restore order, as did the unstinting efforts of George Dobson in the face of imminent collapse. It almost escaped attention that when Morris’ penalty rebounded off the woodwork, the Addicks’ indefatigable captain beat several predators to the loose ball and headed it to safety. A small point but one made to emphasise Dobson’s unwavering commitment to Charlton’s cause. In the middle of alarming first half chaos, he stood as firm as he reliably does.

While never qualifying as a “game of two halves”, Charlton’s post-interval improvement was heartening. The blistering pace within their ranks began to concern the visitors, Scott Fraser probed their weakness and, critically, the defence tightened up. The Dons were no longer having it all their own way, though Maynard-Brewer’s heroics were required to keep his side in the game. The 62nd minute arrival of substitutes Karoy Anderson and Tyreece Campbell was both timely and effective.

The irrepressible Campbell, a replacement for the disappointing Charlie Kirk, made an immediate impact. His searching ball from the left was swept in by Blackett-Taylor and an unlikely but nonetheless stirring rally was underway. Alfie May had been a tireless chaser of lost causes and came close to converting a rare chance before giving way to Daniel Kanu with six minutes remaining. And it was Kanu, who claimed the 89th minute goal which arrived too late to affect the outcome but at least rewarded Charlton’s fighting spirit. Sent clear down he right by the lively Jack Payne, his shot was probably heading wide until Jack MacKenzie toe-poked it past Kelle Roos. It was an own goal by any definition of the term but was understandably claimed by young Dan and is unlikely to be disputed by Mackenzie.

This untidy but ultimately spirited performance brought down the curtain on Charlton’s pre-season preparation. They are as ready as they ever will be and come 5pm next Saturday we will know if that’s enough. Orient, not Aberdeen, are sure to provide a more relevant answer to that urgent question. Meanwhile, buckle up for another uneven ride!

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Jones (Thomas 62), Hector, Ness, Dobson (McGrandles 78), Camara (Anderson 62), Fraser (Payne 78), Kirk (Campbell 62), Blackett-Taylor, Asiimwe, May (Kanu 84). Not used: Isted, Jayiesimi, Henry, Egbo, Mitchell, Chin.

Referee: Gavin Ward. Att: 5174 (1,613 visiting).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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