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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peterborough United 0 Charlton 0

Kevin Nolan reports from his living room dug-out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portsmouth 1 (Ogilvie 45+3) Charlton 3 (Rak Sakyi 23, Fraser 49, Dale o.g. 90+4).

With his feet up at home, Kevin Nolan watched Charlton start as they mean to go on in 2023.

It’s part of human nature to turn to what we know and trust in times of trouble. A sympathetic ear and a helping hand are never more appreciated than during dark times.

It got pretty dark for Charlton during a gruesome, grisly first half at Oxford last Thursday. An experimental, spiritless side performed as though strangers to each other, their body language evoking those 19th century wretches heading for Botany Bay. New manager Dean Holden had got his selection horribly wrong but, to his credit, reacted promptly to restore order. His interval adjustments changed the dynamic and the Addicks emerged from the debacle with a few, tattered vestiges of pride.

The fact remained, however, that defeat at the Kassam Stadium made it eight league games without a win since Shrewsbury Town were beaten on October 22nd. Charlton had slipped down the table and a once unthinkable relegation battle loomed before them. They badly needed a break and the fixture list was about to hand them one. Next up, on New Years Day, were Portsmouth, and more understanding, empathetic opposition was impossible to imagine.

Pompey are Charlton’s most frequently faced opponents and over many years gave as good as they got. But their recent record, particularly at Fratton Park, is the stuff of nightmares. Seven consecutive defeats, eight in the last nine encounters, make the Addicks as welcome as foxes in a hen coop. Added to which, their televised visit to The Valley back in October inspired a 3-0 drubbing in one of Charlton’s brightest performances of the season.

With a wary eye on the law of averages, Holden took his men down to the South Coast and could hardly have hoped for a warmer reception from their hosts, who almost fell over themselves to make them welcome. Midfield hard man Marlon Pack even repeated the personal contribution he made at The Valley and, with a pair of quickfire bookings, got himself sent off again. His altruism must not go unmentioned.

Holden’s starting line-up, meanwhile, gave Pompey more than they could handle. A buccaneering front three which featured wingers Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Corey Blackett-Taylor flanking muscular, mobile centre forward Miles Leaburn, tore into them from the start. They were provided with a secure platform from which to attack by sound midfielders George Dobson and Scott Fraser, both of whom, along with Albie Morgan, were outstanding.

After an even opening, during which Ronan Curtis’ long range effort was spectacularly saved by Ashley Maynard-Brewer, the visitors took the lead midway through the first half. A move started by one of Dobson’s many interceptions was continued by Leaburn, who fed Rak-Sakyi to his right. The sprightly Crystal Palace loanee feinted to move outside but switched the ball to his favoured left foot before nonchalantly slotting it past Joshua Griffiths into the far bottom corner.

Smart saves by Maynard-Brewer at Dane Scarlett’s feet and from the same player’s firm drive protected Charlton’s lead until three minutes into first half added time, when a lapse in concentration while defending a left wing corner undid all their good work. Skipper Sean Raggett returned Scarlett’s inswinger from the far post to Connor Ogilvie, who was given enough space by Sean Clare’s momentary switch-off to hook a neat finish into the right corner.

Irritating though it was at the time, Pompey’s equaliser turned out to be a blip in Charlton’s otherwise solid defensive performance. And four minutes after the break, they were back in front through Fraser, whose fourth goal of the season crowned a virtuoso performance. Using the momentum provided by Dobson’s pass, he glided past three defenders, delayed his shot until his target became clear, then finished coolly inside the bottom right post.

Protecting the lead Fraser’s tour-de-force had given them proved surprisingly easy. Charlton’s second half game management, with Lucas Ness and Steven Sessegnon in no-nonsense mood, was pragmatic, unemotional and incident-free. Ryan Inniss, too, mercifully relieved of the burden of building from the back, was a defensive rock. The Addicks had already sealed the issue by the time a third goal gilded their lily. Blackett-Taylor began the process by combining with lively substitute Jack Payne, who quickly passed inside to Dobson. A rare goal for the inspirational captain was foiled by Griffiths but the keeper’s parry rebounded off Owen Dale into the net behind him.

“The supporters needed to see that type of performance”, commented Holden, who went on to confirm that members of his own family had watched the game from the away end. Too true they did, boss. They paid plenty of dues before you arrived. In fact, they’ve made suffering an art form this season. Shame we can’t play Portsmouth every week, really, but there you go…

Portsmouth: Griffiths, Swanson (Koroma 80), Morrison (Mingi 78), Raggett, Ogilvie, Dale, Morell, Pack, Curtis (Hackett 46), Pigott (Jacobs 46), Scarlett (Bishop 46). Not used: Oluwayemi, Hume. Booked: Hackett, Pack (2) sent off.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Ness, Sessegnon, Morgan (Payne 73), Dobson, Fraser (Henry 88), Rak-Sakyi, Leaburn Stockley 78), Blackett-Taylor. Not used: McGillivray, Lavelle, Campbell, Kirk. Booked: Dobson.

Referee: Tom Reeves. Att: 18,468 (1,380 visiting).

Oxford United 3 (Bodin 20, Taylor 24, O’Donkor 82) Charlton 1 (Leaburn 67).

Recently appointed Dean Holden was made painfully aware of the task confronting him in a first half horror show, which was suffered by nearly 1,000 eyewitnesses and an untold number of Livestream viewers. We latter at least had the option of switching off and putting a premature end to our agony. With nowhere to hide, the new boss had his card clearly marked for him.

Winners just five times in twenty three league games, the most recent of which was on October 22nd, Charlton are knee deep in a struggle to avoid the unspeakable prospect of relegation to League Two. Holden’s simple brief is to keep them above the trapdoor; any nonsense being spouted about the possibility of joining the promotion battle must be dismissed as the deranged ravings of lunatics.

Making four changes from the side which went close to beating Peterborough three days previously, Holden surprisingly benched goalscorer Miles Leaburn, main playmaker Scott Fraser and defensive pragmatist Ryan Inniss; Steven Sessegnon’s absence was no doubt due to injury. Leaburn replaced a down-on-his-luck Jayden Stockley and duly scored again. Inniss relieved a vulnerable Terell Thomas at half-time, at which time the mercurial, wide threats of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Corey Blackett-Taylor were also unleashed. Charlton’s improvement was immediate but already too late. So expect more tinkering at Portsmouth on New Years Day, which is mercifully still two days away. Meanwhile, a disgraceful first half at the Kassam Stadium needs to be looked at first.

For 45 minutes, the Addicks were a corporate mess. Not one among them emerged with individual credit, not even skipper George Dobson, whose performance fell woefully short of the wholehearted, effective contribution we’ve come to expect as normal. Without his restless ball-winning influence, Charlton visibly sagged. Devoid of fight, passion or even a semblance of commitment, they were second to everything, lost every tackle, showed no appetite and, to be brutally frank, “bottled it”. Their lack of backbone was an embarrassment and made for a stormy ride in the interval dressing room and no doubt at Sparrows Lane during the week.

Oxford’s opening goal, which the visitors somehow staved off for 20 minutes, was a microcosm of the general malaise. Thomas’ efforts to stop Cameron Brannagan’s progress down the right wing were feeble but the low cross was crisp and accurate. A ball watching trio comprising Lucas Ness, Sam Lavelle and Sean Clare showed only academic interest as Billy Bodin arrived at the far post and sidefooted into Ashley Maynard-Brewer’s gaping net. From United’s point of view, it was a goal of outstanding quality. Holden might have a different take on its component parts.

It took Karl Robinson’s blokes only three more minutes to double their lead with the help, to be fair, of huge dollop of luck. Bodin experienced little hardship in stepping inside Ness on the left before trying his luck with a drive intended for the far corner. More by luck than any judgement on his part, Matty Taylor diverted the ball past a wrongfooted Maynard-Brewer and, quite rightly, claimed credit for the goal. Not that any of the demoralised visitors were in a mood to dispute its ownership.

Holden’s comments on the debacle were predictably pithy. “It’s a first half to address, not forget”, he declared. “We need to do that quickly before the Portsmouth game. It was unacceptable. The players were made well aware of that at half-time. No doubt we saw a reaction in the second half. Jes, Corey and Miles, in particular, came on and really took the game to the U’s backline.”

Holden’s summing-up, while accurate, raises questions. Why was Leaburn, Charlton’s rare handful up front, not started against Oxford? He’s full of running and equally full of himself. And surely the pace and power of Rak-Sakyi and Blackett-Taylor should have been deployed alongside him. Both of them created clearcut chances for the hungry youngster, one of which he converted to put the Addicks briefly back in with a chance.

Blackett-Taylor’s contribution to Leaburn’s goal was starkly simple. Knocking the ball past Elliott Moore, he challenged the defender to a one-on-one foot race, left him wheezing in his wake and crossed accurately from the left byline. Timing his movement expertly, Leaburn minor headed emphatically home. He then had an almost immediate chance to equalise when Rak Sakyi eluded Marcus Browne, faked to move inside but instead played Leaburn through to his right. Aiming for the far corner, the teenage striker was denied by the faintest of touches from McGinty.

Leaburn’s near thing was Charlton’s final, desperate fling. A game kid but a little out of his depth, Richard Chin had been replaced at left wingback by even less experienced Tyreece Campbell. The new boy failed to stop substitute Wildschut’s angled shot, which Maynard-Brewer fumbled and O’Donkor prodded home on the goalline. United’s scruffy clincher was an apt footnote to a game which, contrary to Holden’s advice “not to forget”, should be promptly airbrushed from the memory and, far from “addressed”, might more profitably dismissed as never having happened. Ostriches have been getting away with it for years. It works for me.

Oxford: McGinty, Long, Moore, Bodin (Seddon 90), Brannagan (Goodham 90), Taylor (O’Donkor 81), Bate, Browne, McGuane, Murphy (Wildschut 46), Anderson (Findlay 71). Not used: Plumley, Jones.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Ness, Lavelle (Rak-Sakyi 46), Thomas (Inniss 46), Clare, Payne, Dobson, Henry, Chin (Campbell 72), Stockley (Leaburn 60), Kanu (Blackett-Taylor 46). Not used: Harness, Fraser. Booked: Chin, Leaburn, Payne.

Referee: B. Toner. Att: 8,889 (991 visiting).

Charlton 1 (Leaburn ) Peterborough 1 (Clarke-Harris)

Five days after abjectly surrendering to Bristol Rovers, Charlton challenged logic by dumping Brighton out of the Carabao Cup. Making the most of 22% possession, they defended heroically, soaked up what the Seagulls had to offer and edged a chaotic penalty shoot-out. Caretaker boss Anthony Hayes could look incoming manager Dean Holden squarely in the eye as he handed over a spirited squad. At least he could until Peterborough United had been and gone from The Valley on Boxing Day.

Play-off contenders Peterborough arrived with a curious record of ten games won, ten lost and only one drawn. They stood eighth in League One, just three points outside the play-offs group, their promising position vindication of the decision made years ago to increase from two to three points the reward for winning a game. Draws were effectively de-valued but let’s not knock them out of hand – they could be the saving of Charlton at the end of this difficult season.

Holden might not have known what to make of an awkward first half, which Posh largely controlled without tangible reward. The few chances on offer were created by the visitors, the first of them a rasping drive by diminutive Jeando Fuchs, which cannoned off Lucas Ness’s head to Jonson Clarke Harris. From a tight angle, United’s prolific captain blasted the rebound into the sidenet.

As the Addicks struggled to gain a foothold, Ephron Mason-Clark’s pinpoint pass sent Kwame Poku clear, with Ness in urgent pursuit. Holding off Charlton’s straining defender, Poku closed in but was defied at close range by Ashley Maynard-Brewer’s brave block. Scrambling to his feet, the young Aussie threw himself in the way of Joe Ward’s point-blank attempt to convert the rebound. His superb double save was the fillip the Addicks needed to force their way into a game which was threatening to inch out of their control.

Reaching the interval still level was an achievement for Holden’s men. Shortly after resumption, they went one better by taking the lead with a goal conceived and executed by two irrepressible graduates of the Sparrows Lane assembly line.

Spinning clear of Frankie Kent’s impetuous challenge on the left, starting debutant Daniel Kanu pinpointed a fine cross which picked out his comparatively experienced colleague Miles Leaburn. Making light of Ronnie Edwards’ touch-tight pressure, Leaburn Jr. planted a delicate, glancing header into the far right-hand corner. A delighted Valley joined the exuberant teenagers in saluting a goal with special significance; it was Leaburn’s sixth of an injury-hit campaign and makes him Charlton’s leading scorer. Kanu ‘s first goal for the senior side is an inevitable breakthrough hopefully not delayed for long.

Buoyed by success, the newly uninhibited Addicks went for the jugular. Breaking from his own half as a Posh corner foundered, Sean Clare set off on a lung-bursting run and was well served by Jack Payne’s perceptive pass. Staying ahead of a pursuing posse, the surprisingly swift wingback picked his moment to shoot, beat the advancing Will Blackmore but hit the inside of the post. It was an escape which the reprieved visitors celebrated by grabbing a scruffy but not altogether unexpected equaliser.

Apart from his earlier chance, not much had been seen of Clarke-Harris, but that was to change midway through the second session. Meeting Joe Ward’s inswinging left wing corner at the far post, the burly striker’s downward header had crossed the goalline before Ness desperately hacked it clear. Posh were back level and instantly went looking for more.

Deflated by the setback, Charlton were briefly vulnerable. First Kelland Watts, then Poku, hit the bar as Posh threatened to run riot. But the Addicks weathered the brief storm and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi squandered the clearest opportunity of an entertaining game. Set up by Leaburn’s cushioned square pass, the unmarked Crystal Palace loanee drew a careful bead on a yawning goal, selected its left corner and… sidefooted weakly wide. It was a miss of jawdropping profligacy and, under different circumstances, might have unnerved the Addicks. But under George Dobson’s indefatigable leadership and with centre backs Sam Lavelle and Ryan Inniss in unbreakable form, they dug in for a non-committal but useful draw -their tenth of the season – and a point which halted a run of three league defeats. And when you can win only five of twenty two games, you need to at least avoid defeat as often as possible.

In a campaign which could be justifiably likened to trudging through treacle, our heroes are making painstaking progress in their crablike “march” to safety from relegation. But there’s a bright spot… and that’s an unexpected chance of Cup glory at Old Trafford in the New Year. You can’t say fairer than that. Or more poignantly optimistic.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Sessegnon, Lavelle, Inniss, Clare, Fraser (Henry 75), Payne (Rak-Sakyi 75), Dobson, Ness, Kanu (Stockley 75), Leaburn (Kirk 82). Not used: McGillivray, Blackett-Taylor, Mitchell. Booked: Dobson.

Peterborough: Blackmore, Watts, Edwards, Kent, Fuchs (Kyprianou 72), Taylor , Clarke-Harris, Mason-Clark (Jones 72), Poku (Taylor 89), Burrows, Ward. Not used: Bergstrom, Butler, Knight, Thompson.

Referee: Darren Drysdale. Att: 13,816 (385 visiting).

Stockport County 3 (Collar 25, 73, 80 pen) Charlton 1 (Wright 6 o.g.)

By Kevin Nolan, mercifully far from Edgeley Park.

Spiritlessly, noiselessly and unlamented, Charlton disappeared from this season’s FA Cup competition at the hands of Stockport County, who sportingly staked them to an early own-goal lead before coldly and efficiently putting them in their place with a three-goal salvo of their own.

Any mention of this result as a “shock” should be stifled at source. There was not even a vestige of surprise, much less shock, in Charlton’s shambolic surrender to their League Two hosts. County were by far the better side and strolled into the third round, where they will face Walsall at home. It’s a shame they couldn’t have finished the job at The Valley last month and spared us this embarrassment of a replay. But there are motions to be gone through and under caretaker manager Anthony Hayes, the Addicks “turned up” to take their lumps. Or didn’t turn up, as
the saying goes.

The deeper implications of this grisly evening remain to be seen. It came on the back of the failure to beat Cheltenham four days earlier, a result which accelerated Charlton’s fall from grace and cost Ben Garner his job. Thomas Sandgaard’s decision to sack yet another manager -this one after just twenty league games in charge – is another of his impatient, panic-driven impulses. You “don’t need the weatherman to know which way the wind blows” -no need, either, for Sandgaard or his Director of Analytics to confirm that Charlton Athletic are a club on the brink of freefall. There’s an air of despondency around The Valley on matchdays, which no amount of forced cheeriness dispels. We’ve seen it all before, of course, but you can push your luck only so far.

At Stockport, Charlton were hosted by a club, 22 years older than themselves, whose recent experience of ten seasons spent outside the league pyramid should serve as a bleak reminder that football is an unforgiving, merciless business which deals in facts and figures, punishes complacency and has no truck with reputation or past glories. The weak go to the wall as the Hatters, like Jacob Marley, are in the perfect position to confirm. Whether Sandgaard reacts to the warning like Scrooge, opens his wallet during the upcoming January transfer window and takes care of his underfunded clerk Hayes remains to be seen. As the titular head of what we’re constantly reminded is one big family, it’s time the owner put his money where his mouth is.

Back at Edgeley Park, meanwhile, there’s a cup replay to report. We’ll hustle through the details, if you don’t mind, because most of you were horrified witnesses to what happened and don’t need me reminding you just how useless Charlton were.

As they had been in the original tie, the Addicks were gifted a goal to help their cause. This one arrived nice and early when goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe made a dog’s dinner of dealing with Charlie Kirk’s inswinging left wing corner, pawing it against Akil Wright and into the net behind him. It was an encouraging start and Charlton were briefly inspired to build on it. First bright young thing Richard Chin fired over the bar from a promising angle, then Chuks Aneke, making a rare start, broke clear but on his less favoured left foot, was unable to apply the required finish. And that was the end of Charlton as an attacking force as County took charge and put them -and us – out of our mutual misery.

Craig McGillivray delayed the inevitable with a remarkable, instinctive save to repel Paddy Madden’s point-blank header but the Hatters were not kept waiting long to equalise. A crisp, low drive from Ryan Rydel thudded against the woodwork before rebounding conveniently for Will Collar to tap home the leveller.

It took Stockport a further 48 minutes to seal the deal, which you could say was careless of them, since there was little to beat before them. It was Collar who drilled home a crisp finish after Rydel cushioned Kyle Wootton’s cross into his path and, with the issue already settled, who converted the penalty awarded when George Dobson brought down Ollie Crankshaw. So 3-1 it was and 3-1 it stayed until the bitter end.

Just how bitter that end turns out to be we’re about to discover, most immediately at Morecambe on Saturday, where the serious business of staying in League One resumes. Without intending to sound too dramatic, it’s a six-pointer and based on Charlton’s performance at Stockport, it’s hard to fancy the Addicks. Then Bristol Rovers, with baleful Joey Barton adding to the relentless fun, are due at The Valley. It’s become a slog but then again, the Crossbar Challenge never fails to cheer me up…

Stockport: Hinchliffe, Southam-Hales (Crankshaw 67), Wright, Horsfall (Brown 82), Collar (Camps 90+1), R. Johnson, Rydel, Croasdale
(C. Johnson 90), Wootton, Hippolyte (McDonald 90), Madden.
Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Mitchell, Lavelle, Chin, Morgan (Rak-Sakyi 64), Forster-Caskey (Fraser 82), Campbell (Blackett-Taylor73),
Payne, Aneke (Dobson 46), Kirk (Jaiyesimi 64).
Referee: Scott Oldham. Att: 6,242 (345 visiting).

Plymouth 3 Charlton 2 – Papa John Trophy

Dwarfed by the World Cup and metaphorically millions of miles away in deep, dark Devon, Charlton made their exit from the Papa John Trophy, beaten 3-2 by Plymouth Argyle. A young side, bolstered by the experience of Jake Forster-Caskey and Jack Payne, played some good stuff, scored two excellent goals but were ultimately undone by two other goals which were, quite literally, donated to their conquerors.

With the score 1-1 (and Argyle’s goal looked suspiciously offside), Charlton’s robotic adherence to the philosophy of “playing out from the back” persuaded Zach Mitchell, a blossoming, ball-playing centre back, to almost absentmindedly roll the ball no more than six yards to a startled but grateful opponent, who wasted little time in slipping it past Nathan Harness.

Two minutes later, Harness himself repeated the process to another green-clad predator and Charlton were abruptly 3-1 down. Both Mitchell and Harness had the option of clearing their lines by more basic methods but seemed brainwashed to choose the riskier way out of minimal danger. Neither of them was under any pressure. But enough about Papa John. He won’t mind us using him to make a point. The malady runs through all age groups.

At senior level, it makes sense to get the ball quickly out to speedsters Corey Blackett-Taylor or Jesurun Rak-Sakyi so they can start their runs at defences before they have time to organise and double-team them. And it makes just as much sense that the ball is safer in the possession of George Dobson or Scott Fraser than it is in the reluctant care of Ryan Inniss or Sam Lavelle. During the Addicks’ recent defeat at Port Vale, transition (that’s the latest buzz word, right?) was painstaking and laborious and frequently ground to a halt before retreat was beaten back to Ashley Maynard-Brewer. Vale picked them off with ease and neither Blackett-Taylor nor Rak-Sakyi got a look-in. There was no tempo and even less momentum.

The alternative, of course, is not to boot everything pointlessly forward but surely must lie somewhere in healthy compromise. The ball over the top to Charlton’s wide greyhounds is a nightmare for defenders forced to turn and deal with the threat while facing their own goal. The much-reviled “long ball” can be a lethal tool when adapted to your strengths. No apology is due anyone for its sensible use. Short or long – they both have their place.

So here’s my cri-de-coeur to Ben Garner and his coaching staff. Spare us our frequent, sharp intakes of breath as Charlton play Russian Roulette inside their penalty area. The rewards are significantly fewer than the risks unless, of course, you are Manchester City. And even City have been known to screw up. Could we go back to a healthy blend of styles best suited to our personnel? And trust them to make up their own minds. It’s making some of us old before our time.

Charlton: Harness, Asiimwe, Mitchell, Elerewe, Chin, Morgan, Henry (Anderson 75), Forster-Caskey (Rylah 46), Payne, Kanu, Campbell. Not used: Kone, Oguntayo, Kedwell, Casey.

Port Vale 1 (Butterworth 57) Charlton 0

Kevin Nolan watched the livestream and squirmed through two hours of unrelenting drudgery. Had Charlton emerged with three points, he would have forgiven them everything. But at least he wasn’t faced with the same daunting journey home as the unhappy pilgrims who paid to get in.

From his seat in the stands, suspended Charlton manager Ben Garner was ideally placed to see what the rest of us saw and was in no mood to sugercoat what he had just witnessed. His summation of this dire, drab, dreadful game was unusually blunt.

“A horrible pitch. A horrible performance. A very disappointing afternoon,” he moaned, before expressing an unapologetically bitter opinion on his side’s spineless contribution to the grisly proceedings. “We weren’t good enough with the ball. We didn’t fight enough without it. We gave a horrendous goal away. Port Vale just want to stop you. That gave them something to hold on to and they can kill the game.”

Nothing much to disagree with there, except to point out that Charlton’s slavish adherence to “playing out from the back” made it laughably easy for Vale to “stop” them with a well organised press and an energetic willingness to close down defenders as they struggled to cross their 18-yard line. With depressing regularity, the Addicks’ risky passing began and ended at debut goalkeeper Ashley Maynard’s feet, before the laborious process was repeated. Momentum was non-existent, with passes of even modest distance actively discouraged. It’s all very avant garde but it doesn’t work at League One level where ball retention is, shall we say, a somewhat hit-or-miss proposition.

The Valiants were hardly an irresistible force themselves but they were the better side and, despite Garner’s dismissive comments, got their tactics spot-on. Clearly they had done their homework and had answers for everything, including the threats posed by Charlton’s normally menacing wide men Corey Blackett-Taylor and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. Neither speedster was allowed to turn and run at the home defence as they relish doing but encountered stifling pressure as the ball painstakingly reached them. Neither of them made an impact and faded from view.

Not that Blackett-Taylor or Rak Sakyi should be scapegoats for Charlton’s sorry contribution to this grisly nightmare of a game. Apart from the blameless Maynard-Brewer, who actually had little to do, not a single Addick distinguished himself. A case could possibly be made for Steven Sessegnon but the bar was set miserably low. Even George Dobson was off-colour and was at least partly culpable for Daniel Butterworth’s winning goal. Alongside him, Scott Fraser hardly put a foot right while Charlie Kirk’s input, following his two-goal burst at Burton, went un-noticed. Up front, the sadly out-of-form Jayden Stockley lumbered around fruitlessly and accomplished nothing.

But it was in front of Maynard-Brewer that Charlton’s shortcomings were alarmingly obvious. Neither Sam Lavelle nor Ryan Inniss would claim to be other than sturdy stoppers and neither of them is relaxed with the ball at his feet inside his own penalty area, where they are unreasonably expected to double as playmakers. Inniss’ booking for a late lunge was uncomfortably typical and might have earned him a red, rather the yellow card he received. Right back Sean Clare is prone to the same rashness.

Charlton’s second half substitutions brought faint improvement but by the time the first of them, Chuks Aneke for Stockley as usual, arrived, the Addicks were already trailing. A trio of defensive Addicks tracked Daniel Butterworth as he moved on to Nathan Smith’s pass, with Dobson leading the posse but failing to prevent his quarry from directing a low drive which beat Maynard-Brewer’s full-length dive on its way inside the keeper’s right hand post.

Aneke wasn’t his customary galvanic force but was still impossible to overlook. Turning sharply on to Dobson’s pass into feet, his left footed drive skimmed the bar. He threatened again when a rare incursion Rak-Sakyi set up a fleeting sight of goal but was brilliantly blocked by Connor Hall. It was fellow substitute Jack Payne, however, who came closest to salvaging a point from the wreckage with a venomous shot which was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Jack Stevens.

With an unwanted trip to Plymouth on Tuesday in the lightly regarded Papa John Trophy, followed by a more serious FA Cup tie at The Valley against Stockport County on Saturday, Garner has his hands full with an awkward fixture list. The plan was clearly to tackle the knockout commitments on the back of success in the Potteries but Port Vale had other ideas. An irritated Garner was disingenuous in implying that there was something faintly illegal in their tactical approach.

Vale made no bones about their intention to “win ugly” by choking the life out of Charlton. They worked feverishly to deny their visitors either space or time and put in the effort needed to achieve their ends. They had just enough about them to find the one goal which would settle this scruffy, scrappy encounter and sent the home fans away happy with exactly that outcome. Almost 900 travelling Addicks, an intensely loyal number in support of a team with just one victory in eight away games, would gladly have traded places. There’s only one way to mitigate a game of this wretchedness and that is to win the bloody thing. Everything else can be dismissed as red and white noise.

Port Vale: Stevens, Hall, Jones, Smith, Worrall (Robinson 67), Garrity, Wilson (Odubeko), Conlon, Benning, Massey, Butterworth (Politic 78). Not used: Stone, Cass, Charsley, Pett. Booked: Benning.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Clare, Inniss, Lavelle (Morgan 83), Sessegnon, Rak-Sakyi, Dobson, Fraser (Forster-Caskey 77), Blackett-Taylor (Campbell 77), Stockley (Aneke 58), Kirk (Payne 77). Not used: Harness, Elewere. Booked: Aneke, Inniss.

Referee: S, Barratt. Att 7,604 (867 visiting).