You only sing when you're ploughing.

Is there a true, honest to God, football fan that truthfully begrudges losing to a better team? At QPR last Saturday the home teams quality shone though even though they had a (relatively) off day and yet they still picked up the three points. We battled, gave it our all, but still left with nothing to show for our endeavors. Were we bitter? Of course not, we had our pride intact and lost to a team whose salary reflected their ability. So seven days later that pride and belief, which had already been showcased in a tip-top performance against Doncaster on Tuesday, would again come to the fore and we would rejoice in a much needed second successive home win.

Trouble is, it didn't really go according to plan. Nobody could question Chris Powell in fielding the same eleven that ripped Doncaster to shreds midweek, and perhaps you could even argue that lady luck didn't really shine her torch on us today, but nothing hides the fact that for the first five minutes this afternoon we were still mentally in the dressing room.

Even before Ipswich got their goal Ben Alnwick was called into producing two good stops. I even said to those around me that it was probably good for the keeper to be called into duty early before he possibly had the chance to be a touch complacent.

It was to be the only goal, but my gripe is at the fact that Ipswich were never really in the game after that. We certainly didn't lose to the better team, maybe just the braver one.

Our ball into the final third of the pitch was always delayed, players looking for the safe option rather than taking a more direct approach. I can't quite remember seeing quite so much head tennis in the middle of the park, never resulting in Charlton gaining any ground. There was even occasion in the second half when we broke away with seemingly menace only for this attack to result in a sideways pass between our two centre halves less than twenty seconds later!

Ipswich had done their homework well, Jordan Cousins, for example, when receiving the ball on the edge of the box always had two blue shirts on him before he had a chance to swing his leg. The two visiting centre backs kept Church in their pockets whilst dishing Yann Kermorgant a rather tough lesson under the watchful eye of a (rare these days) card shy referee.

Charlton wasted move after move, it was only Rhoys Wiggins that nearly came close at the end of the first half when the keeper struggled to deal with a shot at his near post and nearly claimed an own goal. Danny Green looked lively replacing Jackson, he reminded me a little of Scott Wagstaff last season who needed to shine when the chance came his way. Pigott replaced Church with no real effect, I do wonder why this young lad is not on loan to gain experience and is instead ahead of Michael Smith in our front line pecking order. There was even another cameo for Marvin Sodall although for what good is anybody's guess.

Conceivably one of our clearest opportunities came near the death as Cameron Stewart received the ball via a diagonal cross from Cousins after Kermorgant was cynically hacked down in the centre circle. With only the keeper to beat the referee blew the whistle for the foul on Kermorgant bringing play back to the centre of the pitch. An unbelievably late call, what part of the word advantage he doesn't understand is beyond reason, if I believed that match fixing still occurred these days I'd suspect Ipswich of sweetening this ref with a box of organic home grown root vegetables prior to kick off.

The resulting free kick obviously failed to recreate any chance we may have had and only succeeded in infuriating an already tense situation into a complete free for all. As the players all 'bundled in' the referee should have stepped back and admitted to himself that the blame for these fisticuffs lay solely at his feet.

After the game in West London I predicted we would destroy Doncaster before returning to 'normal service' today. Unfortunately I was proved right, we were over ninety minutes perhaps the slightly better of the two sides yet we never looked like we wanted to be, or more appropriately, believed we should be.

I shall however finish on a positive. Ben Alnwick has been superb for these past two matches. I sincerely hope Ben Hamer has to fight for his place in the team upon his return. If he walks straight back in it will be a travesty, although Hamer is a country boy himself so perhaps he may try the fresh vegetable trick with the gaffer.

Worked hard, showed potential and ultimately achieved a good grade.

After ten months of moments of both ecstasy and, more often than not, agony, we're down to having just the one English domestic football match left to play, the most lucrative of them all. The Championship play-off final is a fixture close to the hearts of all Charlton supporters, the greatest day of them all for those of us too young to remember the FA Cup final of  '47, and this season's encounter bears more than a passing interest to those in and around SE7.

Our bitter rivals, Crystal Palace, will endeavour to defeat Gianfranco Zola's Watford to gain entry to the ludicrous Premier League on Monday. It's a game I for one am glad Charlton aren't involved in this season.

Having walked away with the League One title the previous year, some expected the Addicks to follow in the footsteps of Norwich and Brighton, taking the Championship by storm. However, whispered financial insecurities over the summer left supporters a little concerned that survival was a far more obtainable goal than promotion. The traditional comings and goings in the transfer market were few and far between although Charlton did manage to keep hold of the nucleus of the title winning squad including player of the year Chris Solly, despite interest from some of English football's big names. Lawrie Wilson joined from Stevenage as Charlton beat Peterborough for his signature, whilst former Glasgow Rangers wide man Salim Kerkar also signed after a successful trial period. Perhaps Chris Powell's shrewdest piece of business was capturing French defender Dorian Dervite. Dervite has been an unsung hero stepping up to the mark when called upon both in the heart of the defence and also playing just ahead of the back four when Powell experimented with a 4-5-1 formation. He's been known to come up with the odd goal as well, just when we've needed it.

The season started as many have with disappointment and cup heartache, a Charlton phenomenon we'll forever have to endure. League One Leyton Orient, a side we had become very familiar with, fought for a draw and ultimately beating us in a penalty shoot-out, Jackson and new boy Wilson missing our first two. This was always going to be a season when we had to concentrate on the league anyway.

The opening day was at St Andrews; Birmingham full of play off misfortune and determined to go one better this time around. Charlton started their league campaign where they left off the last one, the better side for the majority of the match and snatching a late goal through Leon Cort. A momentary lapse of concentration at the back saw Birmingham equalise with almost the last kick of the ninety minutes, they celebrated like they had just won whilst we were left reeling and in no doubt that mistakes this season would be punished with a regularity we were not accustomed to. A harsh but perhaps needy lesson. Three days later Leicester came to The Valley, one of the promotion favourites. Both Wright-Phillips and Yann Kermorgant got off the mark and although the visitors pulled one back it was a solid Charlton performance on a frenzied and charged night. Our first victory, third in the table and we'd played two of the most fancied sides in the division off the park at times. This Championship lark was going to be easy, a day later we signed Ricardo Fuller who had been let go by Stoke. Buoyant is probably the most apt adjective I can think of looking back for the late summer of 2012. August was rounded off with a draw at home to Hull, another much fancied side, in torrential rain. Five points from nine, were we punching above our weight or had we really found our natural level? Chris Powell was certainly the man of the moment.

September came and with it a change of fortunes. Nottingham Forest gave us a footballing lesson, probably the best we would see all season, the 2-1 scoreline and a late rally of Charlton pressure both deceiving and ultimately flattering us greatly. What better a fixture to bounce back in then, than the much anticipated visit of Crystal Palace. The Eagles packed the away end with great support both vocally and visually, it was unfortunate that a few idiots from both camps decided to punch and kick their way to the station afterwards. A tight affair, Palace inflicted a successive defeat on us although in fairness we had a perfectly good goal ruled out earlier from Bradley Wright-Phillips. These incidents never hurt as much as they do in a local derby; the following week was hard to stomach at work as Palace fans seemed to creep out of the woodwork. The first Palace league win at The Valley in my lifetime, this was lamentably a notable landmark in a season full of sharp milestones.

The Palace flares did look good though.

After a third consecutive defeat, this time at Derby, another club supported by a friend happy to heap more mockery upon me, we found ourselves just outside the relegation zone a drop of eighteen places in four weeks. An early indication of how tight the division would stay all season.

The next couple of months saw complete extremes of emotions. Bradley Wright-Phillips was dropped as it became apparent he really didn't cut it in the second tier as was Danny Hollands. Two stalwarts of the title winning team that struggled to step up a level. The club captain, Johnnie Jackson, was also struggling to adjust as Chris Powell changed line ups and formations in an attempt to bring some stability to the team. Rhoys Wiggins had picked up a nasty injury in that clash against Palace, whilst Kermorgant also found himself in the treatment room for a month with an ankle injury. Chris Powell was always going to be tested as a manager and now he was, in the toughest of manners. He came in for criticism from some, his substitutions were badly timed and largely ineffective whilst it was obvious to many that he certainly had, and forgave, his favourites. If ever a manager was going to have to be brave and take a risk or two...

An encouraging and unexpected win at Blackpool was followed by probably the poorest performance of the season. Barnsley were the guests, football for a fiver was the event and 26,185 paying fans expected us to rise to the occasion to give first time viewers and long forgotten returning fans a spectacle. It was a drab game with very little atmosphere, the Tykes won with a single goal and there wasn't the merest hint of anything to encourage anyone to come again for the full asking price.

Those hardy souls that did return were treated to even worse in the next fixture, a 4-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough. Two away draws in between have given many false hope, the season wasn't even three months old and already The Valley was looking anything but the fortress we could depend on.

The high flying and re-branded Cardiff City were next, as if it couldn't get any worse! The crowd was much smaller than three days previously, many couldn't face going through all that again but those rugged enough to handle what Charlton could throw at them were in for a treat, the sort of night that will live long in the memory and told to future generations. Three minutes in, Cardiff had taken the lead, we slumped back in our seats resigned to another unwelcome battering. The only real surprise was that it took Cardiff twenty minutes to double their lead and as that goal went in I was so very tempted to make my way back down the pub to warm up. Something was different that night though, a feeling in the crowd that I last remember when we entertained West Ham in a thrilling 4-4 draw. This is one of those atmosphere's you couldn't recreate on a Saturday, it only happens under the floodlights but it was like an electrical charge running through the stands. We started to sing and sing and it just got louder and louder, akin to a mantra, we became a unit bound by a desire to not see our team capitulate but instead fight back with bravery and dignity. Bang bang, Johnnie Jackson rose to the call with two quick fire goals before the break to leave Cardiff shell-shocked. Malky Mackay's half time team talk must have been a stuttering and stumbling passage of disbelief whereas Powell's was obviously a rousing and proud speech. The Addicks returned to the battleground and knocked seven shades out of Cardiff for twenty minutes netting three times, the mother of all comeback's! Except for Huddersfield of course. The officials decided six minutes of stoppage time was needed, mainly for goal celebrations, and Charlton did their very best to give each and every one of us a cardiac arrest. Oh Charlton why do you always tease me so! Twice during those six minutes Cardiff found the net and looked very likely to finish the job before the referee finally brought the proceedings to an end.

We had beaten the league leaders 5-4, what could possibly touch me now? I was delirious. Even a Crystal Palace packed East Croydon station as I waited for a connection didn't really dampen things, albeit that they had also won and were rejoicing in now being top of the league, replacing Cardiff. Darn.

Momentum carried itself over from that game, we won three and drew one in the next four entering December with a much anticipated trip to The New Den. Things were looking 'dench' as our new loan signing Emmanuel Frimpong would say. The Arsenal lad would, it transpired, become subject to mockery for his actions off the pitch and completely forgotten for those on it. Another loanee that failed to make an impact at the same time was Danny Seabourne of Southampton although experienced and much traveled Rob Hulse, also 'borrowed' by us looked the real deal to me. Unwanted by QPR, the striker was keen to make an impression in the hope of a job offer from Powell. Hulse would later sign for Millwall where he was as popular with the natives as a Charlton supporter brandishing a flare. A lucky escape perhaps?

The game at Millwall won't be remembered for the football but for how Charlton and their 'geeky' fans stood up to the Lions. Charlton never backed down even when things got intimidating, many noses were put out of joint so much so that the Metropolitan Police, and the clubs for that matter, were worried that certain factions would seek retribution come the return fixture. Much was of course made of how all parties dealt with this, many feeling like Charlton fans were made to feel like second class citizens on our home patch in an effort to escort Millwall off the premises as quickly as possible. Those that like a bit of politics had a field day! We only took one point off Millwall in the end over the two games.

From that moment on Christmas had a distinctly miserable feel to it as the Addicks struggled to gain a measly two points from the next fifteen, the only highlight being Danny Haynes peach of a goal against Derby which would ultimately go on to be voted the clubs goal of the season.

As 2012 rolled into 2013 we sat in 18th place in the table. The confidence of the previous season was a distant memory, as was the 'homely' feel of League One. It would be fair to say that, with a couple of obvious exceptions, I wasn't really enjoying being back in the second tier of English football. I'm in no way a glory hunter, I certainly don't only watch the club when they are winning, but i missed the friendliness of third division football. The Championship is a lot more stressful both on and off the pitch.

New Years Day gave me a perfect opportunity to visit Vicarage Road, a ground I hadn't been to for many years. I could never have picked a better time to reacquaint myself with the place. Now Watford didn't play a nice game to be fair, I'm only going to support them on Monday because of the opposition. Full of Italian loanee's they played up, fell over and generally cheated in an attempt to win, much like the real McCoy on the other side of Europe. They may not have endeared themselves to us but Charlton did the complete opposite refusing to go down and winning the match by playing football. No matter how much we thought we loved our club, we loved them a little more after the game. Twice we went behind, twice we came back eventually running out 4-3 winners. Johnnie Jackson scored the winner, his face full of passion, it was a face he would pull again before the season was out. An early kick off meant a good long celebratory drink afterwards, first in Watford and then back in Euston. I was in the dog house for days afterwards once I'd returned home!

This form was taken into our next league match, Blackpool's visit to The Valley. There was the small matter of the third round of the cup between these two fixtures, we entertained Huddersfield and in true Charlton tradition we were abysmal so I shan't dwell on it. Not only did Blackpool mark our first double of the season but also our first home Saturday 3pm win of the campaign too. Had we turned over a new leaf? The 2-1 victory saw a goal for Scott Wagstaff who had returned from a loan spell at Leyton Orient with the bit between his teeth. If ever a player was out to prove his worth to his manager this lad was showing it. He would keep his place for the next three games including a win at Ewood Park. The last of these was our trip to Selhurst Park, a sad day for the club as the Eagles inflicted a second defeat upon us whilst our fans shamed themselves both inside and outside the ground with acts of needless vandalism. The actions of the police didn't help matters but even so.....

One point out of four South London derbies. I started this piece mentioning agonies don't forget.

February saw the long overdue return of Rhoys Wiggins, Cedric Evina had done a good job filling in but our first choice left back certainly gave a feeling of stability in our defence. We needed that stability as Ben Hamer was starting to feel the pressure, his mistakes became more apparent and, with it, more costly. David Button was given his chance between the sticks. Again our away form carried us through with the second double of the season at Leicester whilst Sheffield Wednesday, Forest, Burnley and Millwall all triumphed in SE7.

Chris Powell once again dipped into the loan market picking up Jonathan Obika from Tottenham and Mark Gower from Swansea. Last season's top scorer, Bradley Wright-Phillips was now enjoying a spell at Brentford (which would culminate with an appearance at Wembley) and may well have played his last game for the Addicks. Callum Harriott had been given the nod for the first team and raised his game pulling full backs here there and everywhere with his youthful exuberance. His performances along with the forgotten man of Charlton, Andy Hughes, were to transform our season end run in.

Bolton Wanderers came to The Valley at the end of March, another much fancied side in a rich vein of form. This game, at the beginning of the final straight, was I believe the turning point, not just because it was the start of our unbeaten climax to the season, but also because it finally showed the belief of the the players, the management and the supporters. After the poor showing against Millwall a week previously, we were again two down and this time after only twenty minutes. The visitors went defensive with a substitution, we immediately capitalized pulling a goal back and then never let go. Bolton had two players sent off but that was merely a statistic, with Andy Hughes dominating the midfield on his long awaited return to action. The 72 minutes he played that afternoon were nearly enough to win him the 'player of the year' award on their own!

A credible draw at Brighton midweek and another very spirited win against Leeds followed, we were up to twelfth and although not mathematically safe, I felt we had done enough. The Leeds game also saw the start of  something that will go down in Charlton folklore, Jonathan Obika and his last minute winner. The Bolton game left us elated, this last minute victory over Leeds even more so. We had snatched this after an old boys club had tried to steal the points from us. Luke Varney, governed by Neil Redfearn had thought they'd done enough equalizing with less than ten minutes to play. Obika duly became a hero!

The trip to Barnsley that followed really didn't need any last minute heroics from anyone. For the first time during my years supporting the club we scored six goals in a game, and as if that wasn't enough they all came from different individuals. That will teach anyone to come to The valley and spoil the day for all those kids! We were up to ninth and some were calculating the possibilities of a top six finish. We then gatecrashed Cardiff's promotion party as we held the best side in the league to a draw before entertaining a very troubled Wolverhampton Wanderers.

If ever a side looked resigned to their fate it was Wolves. Wasteful in attack, void of ideas in midfield, the very real threat of a second successive relegation stared everyone in the face. The pitch at The Valley had looked in awful condition for a few weeks by this time, Wolves needed to grow accustomed to it as it will mirror many they'll visit next season in League One. Charlton being Charlton have never taken the obvious route and after going a goal up threw Wolves a lifeline and the opportunity to claim a vital point. The visitors finally sensing the gravity of the situation took it with both hands only for that man Obika to once again kick a visiting team in the teeth at the death. As loan signings go there have been few with that much impact.

A draw at Middlesbrough and a comfortable win over bottom club Bristol City saw the Addicks finish the season unbeaten in their last eight and top of the last 'current form' table. Chris Powell said himself that he wished there were another ten games to go. Without doubt it instills great confidence for the start of the next campaign.

Behind the scenes there had been much gossip surrounding the owners and the staff. We often saw rumours stating Powell's frustration and unhappiness at both the funds available and those not supplying them, although at least he still found himself employed. Many at the club lost their jobs, some that had been central to the Charlton cause for many years. There were also sounds being made of foreign business consortium's being in attendance at The Valley on a matchday but this has since been rubbished. Of course we have no idea how the books look, or for that matter the future intentions of those pulling the strings. We can however assume that survival has meant everything to the club, if the worst had happened and we'd gone straight back down I fear a very big nail would have entered our coffin. It's just a feeling, I could of course be wrong.

In a season of many hero's it was Chris Solly that once again picked up the accolade of 'Player Of The Year'. Johnnie Jackson must wonder what he has to do to get his name on that particular trophy, he turned his season completely around after struggling to adapt for the first few weeks, scoring twelve goals in the process, many of them priceless and game changing. As faces start to leave throughout the summer I pray the skipper's isn't one of them. I do wonder if we can continue to hold on to Chris Solly, West Ham are still keen and his signature must now be worth a pretty penny, whilst Aston Villa were as we know keen on Dale Stephens back in January. It's hard to say if that was genuine interest or more of a panic scenario due to their precarious situation at the time.

Young Callum Harriott has signed a new deal which is great news for the club, as has Dorian Dervite while Danny Haynes and Scott Wagstaff will both be leaving. Haynes has been unfortunate not only during his time with us but for most of his career with injuries while it really is a little sad to see Waggy go. A youth product who has played at all levels for Charlton and seems to have been around the club for so long already obviously isn't a part of Powell's bigger picture. With the utmost respect to Ricardo Fuller, Matt Taylor, Salim Kerkar, John Sullivan and Yado Mambo (we never got a chance to sing that song) who all also leave this summer, none of them were Charlton through and through. It's a sad day when one of your own move on to pastures new.

So we now know all of our league opponents for next season except one. I'm a tad biased, i follow more Watford fans on twitter (two) than I do Palace fans and besides I want another chance to claim bragging rights over drinkers in my local pubs. What fun would it be to see Palace lose every week in the Premier League anyway? Like I said at the beginning, I'm glad we are not involved, it would be far too early for this squad to get promoted but, fifteen years on from the greatest of days in my living memory, I don't begrudge any supporters their day out at Wembley tomorrow.

 

A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.

Yesterday The Valley was the epitome of gallantry and chivalry if you work on the basis of the late American actress Lana Turner's quote having any truth to it. The Jimmy Seed, to a degree, and the away dressing room (Dean Saunders especially) really would have appeared the most courteous and polite of wolves as there impending doom and successive relegation seem still a distant yet inconvenient blip on the horizon. If we were in the bottom three with just three matches left and Chris Powell didn't demand we throw everything including that well battered kitchen sink at the opponents I'd be pulling my hair out and spitting whole parakeets, let alone just bloody feathers.

The first forty five minutes were a typical end of season stroll in the sunshine, going through the motions, wish we were already on the beach, kind of affair. Two teams that were comfortable in mid table safety happy in the knowledge that they had perhaps over achieved in some eyes considering how little money they had or where they were only a month or two before. The good turn of form came just at the right time for these two sides and they can cruise into the summer break content with a job well done. Hang on, one of them are precarious at best, down the swanny at worst? You'd have never known.

Wolves nearly did take the lead in the one and only moment of note, action wise, during the first half. Karl Henry saw Hamer off his line and from just inside our half tried a speculative effort which very nearly bore fruit hitting the bar, and catching our number one out completely. His casual manner nearly his undoing as his panic almost caused a collision with the upright and I'm certain the keeper would have come off the worst.

We were forced into an early change as Andy Hughes was replaced by Mark Gower after only twelve minutes. Hughes has been the cornerstone in the side during this recent rich vein of form, I've no idea why he came off but with only two games to go it could well spell the end of his season. At his age and with his contract up it could even have been the final action of his spell at the club, or even at any club. I hope not.

Danny Green came on during the second period and things started to liven up just a little. The wide man has had very little opportunity and been well down the pecking order, so he used yesterday, as Scott Wagstaff did back in January, to show the gaffer he's still worth his paycheck every week. He played many dangerous balls into the box but the corner he supplied for Charlton's opener was one of the worst of the afternoon. It was only due to some comical defending that Dorian Dervite was able to latch onto a loose ball and give the Londoners the lead. The wolves at the opposite end of the ground no longer looked patient, more distraught.

They did get themselves back into it as Ben Hamer, for the second time during the afternoon, found himself flat footed and perhaps dare I say it a tad complacent. A long throw into the box was flicked on towards Kevin Doyle, the Wolves captain unmarked and apparently invisible. Hamer looked positioned to deal with the flick on but oblivious to Doyle. Two awful goals and we were once again all square. The away support was a little lighter in result though as stewards were quick to pounce upon supporters celebrating the equaliser.

Late drama has become almost expected in SE7 recently, Leeds bearing testimony to this only two weeks ago. Yesterday's game may well feature on the Dave television channel soon for it was the perfect repeat. Once again Charlton scored a winner at the death, once again substitute Jonathan Obika scored it, carving his name into Addicks folklore for all time. Danny Green had a good effort blocked by the visiting defence, foiling a committed goalkeeper, the ball fell to Obika who kept his head to finish decisively. For the third time in as many matches the home support were delirious! Many would wish the season still had two months left to run on this form!

For me though it was to be my exiting farewell. Two games left, first at Middlesbrough and then the visit of Bristol City, both of which out of my reach with first work and then a wedding being the culprits. Who gets married on the final day of the season!!??!!

Thankfully for us there will be nothing riding on it, the play offs are only just mathematically possible with the aid of a protractor and Bristol City already know their fate and have a sell sell sell policy put in place. Good job I'm not a gentleman then as it's most definitely going down to the wire for the Wolves.

Just as a footnote, the picture at the top of this post is of the teams walking on to The Valley pitch prior to kick off. Now I know we have a couple of mascots for the little kids (well they like that sort of thing the little 'uns), Floyd and Harvey, but I remember them being a cat and a dog. So can anyone tell me what that red thing is in the stand behind the tunnel? Yes that's the thing, the one with the huge eyes that looks like a deserter from Monsters Inc.

Red Saturday

The advertising world has one main mission in its existence, to promote a product so well that either the product itself or it's catchphrase become an everyday phrase or saying. Part of the English language itself if you like.

When it works it drives you up the wall. There is a jingle from distant times past, 'Nice people to do business with' that I hum almost daily all these years later. I've no idea what company's television commercial contained it but it certainly left an impression on me. Mobile phone network Orange have certainly caught themselves a whopper of a catchphrase with their Orange Wednesday. It's not just a catchphrase, it's an event. The Blackpool Gazette must list it as one of their most overused headlines after a midweek Tangerine victory. Therefore I have no remorse in my blatant and shallow robbery. Yesterday was a Red Saturday, the first in SE7 this season.

Leicester, Cardiff and Peterborough had all previously come to The Valley this season and lost, yet not one on a Saturday afternoon. In fact, it was Hartlepool on the final day of last season that were the most recent team to suffer a Saturday defeat in Charlton.

As the game kicked off many may have thought a victory was the last thing on Charlton's agenda. The victory at Bloomfield Road back in October is one of the stand out results of the season so far, Blackpool were, don't forget, play off material last season. With their charismatic manager Ian Holloway now at Crystal Palace fortunes this season have proved to be a lot different, stability under new boss Michael Appleton seemingly essential to get their season back on track. So when news broke in the days preceding the game that the new gaffer had accepted an approach from Blackburn, belief we could do 'the double' over Blackpool rose considerably.

Fielding a 4-5-1 formation, we a looked a little slow in the freezing conditions. Blackpool were sharper with their passing and quicker with their movement, if anything it was ourselves who were there for the taking in the early exchanges. Matt Taylor had returned to the heart of defence due to Cort's injury and Dervite's suspension whilst Scott Wagstaff was enjoying a very rare start after returning from his loan spell at Leyton Orient.

Blackpool couldn't capitalize on their dominance despite an early brush with the woodwork, Hamer was rarely tested throughout, and I was starting to believe a rather demoralizing 0-0 draw was in the making. From somewhere out of  the blue though a chance was carved out as Solly played a through ball into the box. A visiting foot connected and changed the balls course, falling to Johnnie Jackson to roll the ball home from the edge of the area, catching the entire Blackpool defence on the wrong foot.
 
As many supporters were heading for the food kiosks to purchase a much needed warming Bovril, Charlton pounced again. Kermorgant was on the end of a cross, meeting it with a powerful header which the Blackpool keeper could only parry and it fell to Wagstaff who fed on the scraps like an abandoned dog not knowing where its next meal would come from. Speaking to an Orient supporting colleague, young Waggy didn't have the greatest spell at Brisbane Road. His confidence will have sky rocketed after this.

A 2-0 lead at half time certainly took our minds off the Arctic temperatures and gave one of the dreariest forty five minutes of football an almost unbelievable glow. There was a fair bit of stoppage time added on, due mainly to a head injury sustained by Matt Taylor. He played a large percentage of the first half giving a fine impersonation of Stuart Balmer with a white bandage wrapped around his head. Whether this was in fact worn for a medical reason or just seen as a cheeky opportunity to don some needy head wear for the conditions remains to be clarified, but I will say that Taylor wasn't at all afraid to head the ball once back on his feet!

I fully expected Blackpool to throw everything at us during the second half having come so far but alas, moments of note were fewer and farther between than before the interval. It was to be the substitutions that would adhere in the memory.

Chris Powell brought on young Callum Harriott who impressed from the start. The youngster had made some noises for us in League One last season but was one to suffer in the step up last summer. Opportunities hadn't just been limited, they had been non existent this term, so when he started a collection of step overs on an eclectic run into the box to win a corner the Covered End erupted.

My own personal memory will consist mainly of Bradley Pritchard's contribution to the resulting corner. As Harriott ran back towards the half way line to take up a defensive role, the aged and experienced head of Pritchard ran back to take Harriott's position and he sent the young substitute back up into the mix. I fully believe this is the first occasion in Pritchard's Charlton career that he's carried any kind of superiority 'clout'. From where I was sat he looked like he enjoyed it too!

The other substitution of note was the departure of stalwart striker Kevin Phillips. Sections of the upper north stood and applauded as he walked off much to my bemusement. I wondered if it had anything to do with that day in May '98, Phillips being to my knowledge the last remaining man still plying his trade at a professional level. I shouldn't look so deep into the actions of The Valley faithful. It was only in the pub afterwards that I discovered the player replacing him and the recipient of the applause was Nathan Eccleston, the young striker who was on loan here a couple of seasons back.

Eccleston would give Blackpool a moment of hope in the final minute of the match as he struck a peach of a volley from the edge of the area to pull a goal back for the visitors. It was all too little too late. A poor spectacle of a game finished with three important points in the bag, a first league double under our belts and the horror of the FA Cup showing the previous week forgotten about.

This season I'd quite happily take victorious unattractive football with great regularity as we aim to solidify our membership of the Championship. Here's to many more Red Saturday's!

Jitterbug

'Everybody Jitterbug' sang The Toy Dolls in homage to a dance craze from yesteryear. The dancing in Charlton today was all done by way of celebration in the Jimmy Seed stand from the visiting supporters.
The home side contributed by means of providing the jitters. And plenty of them.

Jonathan Forte isn't a name we'll forget in a hurry in SE7. His first half hat trick helped stun The Valley faithful into a state of shock as Charlton left the field four goals down at half time.

After the first home defeat of the season at the hands of Colchester on Tuesday, i did wonder how we would react. It could of gone either of two ways but none of us expected the rout we saw today.
Notts County are putting together a strong bid for a play off spot and were never to be taken lightly, but we are top of the league, by head and shoulders, and should not collapse like we did for forty five minutes today.

County came out of the traps brighter than Charlton and the Addicks looked complacent even before the first goal. Another shot from distance, lacking in the quality of Tuesday's however, put the Magpies in front. Two minutes later Forte got his first as the visitors seemed to bypass our defense completely and the hit man got on the end of a ball from out wide.
Number three was a contender for the next football nightmare compilation as Matt Taylor and Ben Hamer lacked any communication letting Forte get in between them to capitalise.
Another cross five minutes before the break and Forte got on the end with his head this time, completing a deserved treble.

The covered end was silent. That 6-1 defeat to Leeds sprang to mind and i wondered, providing we didn't do something drastic, whether i was going to witness something for the record books, just all for the wrong reasons.

Chris Powell's half time team talks must be something truly out of this world. It could be worth pretending we're behind before a ball is even kicked at ten to three next week.
Charlton came out and attacked the covered end like their lives depended on it. First Bradley Wright-Phillips, then young Scott Wagstaff (a thirteen minute substitute for the injured Danny Haynes) both netted within ten minutes of the re-start to half the deficit.

We sang we would win 5-4, and for a while we believed we would. In fact, if a blatant penalty appeal had been given for a foul on Wright-Phillips, it may well have been the greatest comeback many of the 17,000 would have ever witnessed.

After such a glum feeling during the first half, i relished the buzz of the second. Our glorious old stadium was absolutely electric as our two goals went in. It was on par with a draw a few years back against West Ham (4-4 i think?) for atmosphere. The place was alive!
Although it didn't happen and we dropped points for the second week running, i still left the ground content. If the second half had been no improvement on the first this post would have a different feel altogether but we showed the fight necessary to keep our season on track.

After the penalty claim, we did seem to resort a little to a hopeful long ball into the box interspersed with some nice build up play, just lacking in quality with a final ball. Things understandably seemed a little rushed on the pitch as the clock ticked away and it was obvious the players were frustrated, but it's refreshing after last season to see the team feeling the pain of defeat as much as the paying supporters in the stands.

I really hope this is a blip. Scunthorpe away next Saturday won't be the easiest of fixtures to turn things around but if we hadn't just suffered these two defeats we would have gone up there fearing nothing.

We are of course Charlton and we have never done anything the easy way. The job isn't done yet no matter how comfortable the table still looks. That infamous Charlton end of season slump is a scary thought but I'm sure this current side is too good for that. The second half today showed that, didn't it?

Come on you reds!

Monkey business

A brace from Bradley Wright-Phillips plus one apiece from Danny Hollands and Scott Wagstaff secured a very comfortable 4-0 away win in the north east at Hartlepool United. That monkey wasn't just hung, but skinned and eaten for dinner to boot.

Yesterday for me was a shining example of the difference between this squad and that of last season. After the midweek win at Wycombe, and the soaking up of pressure at the end, the Addicks travelled north full of confidence. A long trip to a mid table side would have caused us a mountain of problems previously but not any more. Again we took control early on and Hartlepool never really recovered.

Chris Powell kept faith with the side that beat the chairboys, Andy Hughes keeping his place in the centre of the park. It's a good situation to have when the early season starlet, Dale Stephens, is going to struggle to regain a starting eleven place.

Rhoys Wiggins who only a couple of months ago was getting a little bit of flack from the Valley faithful has started to show why the gaffer was so keen to buy him. He races forward and poses a threat with each venture, how he must thrive in having a left back as his boss.
With the front two starting to sing from the same songsheet, and a midfield more than willing to pitch in with the goalscoring duties, this Charlton side has not only taken shape but gelled into a well oiled machine.

Stronger tests than a poor Hartlepool side will come but with confidence sky high, we have the ability to play any side in this division off the park. We had our first set back up at Stevenage and now we have seen exactly what this team is made of with nine points out of nine, ten goals and two clean sheets. Yes, i still have to pinch myself.

A little distraction came today with the draw for the first round proper of the FA cup. Cups and Charlton really haven't gone together in recent times and I'd absolutely love a little cup run and a chance to do battle with a glamour club. The thought of seeing The Valley full in a third or fourth round tie is a wonderful image, and no side in the country would relish that task the way we're playing at the moment

First however we have the small matter of FC Halifax Town of the Blue Square North at The Shay.
We had to endure tough battles against non league opposition in the past, who could forget Dagenham drawing at our place or the trip to Northwich (not for the want of trying). Just last season Luton, who i still find it hard to think of as non league, gave us a scare and took us to a replay.

It's not the nicest of draws but at least The Shay is one of the best grounds outside the league and won't feel too different an environment than some of the League One grounds we've become far too accustomed too.

On the subject of the FA cup, Sutton United's name was still in the hat today. One time FA cup giant killers, the reward if they can overcome local rivals Leatherhead is a home tie to Kettering Town, a side i last saw down Gander Green Lane back in the GM Vauxhall Conference days.
Like i say though, there's the small matter of dispatching Leatherhead first. The Tanners who are bottom of the Ryman League Premier division gave a battling performance on Saturday to earn a surprise 3-3 draw.

Although it wasn't in our favour i do still love the FA cup and these sort of performances. When the first round proper does kick off next month you can guarantee there will be an upset or two.
Lets just hope it's in Sutton and not Halifax!

Stung in the old paint pot.

Whether it was the Sky cameras or Chris Powell being nominated for manager of the month, one things for sure, Charlton were totally outplayed tonight by Brentford.

Sky's arrival at The Valley helped keep the crowd down to just under three and a half thousand despite tickets at just a fiver once again. The always depressing sounding Garry Birtles struggled with the pronunciation of Evina as much as Charlton struggled with good quick passing football from the Bees.

The ginger Pele made a return to the defense tonight and looked shaky from the off. Another starter was Mikel Alonso. The Spaniard looks very off the pace, as you would have to expect a little.
A goal in the opening two minutes  to wake up those of us still getting comfortable followed by a penalty twenty minutes later gave the visitors a two goal lead well before the break. The above mentioned were both to blame for the goals.

Big Miguel Llera returned to SE7 as he's on loan to the west Londoners from Blackpool. He soon got his name in the book like the old days and gave Danny Green the chance to pull something back with a free kick on the edge of the box. A stunning shot forced the first save of the game from the Brentford keeper.

Paul Hayes had a chance after a rare defensive error shortly afterwards but his early shot was high and wide.
Then it was Alonso's turn. Johnnie Jackson's free kick was cleared out the area to the Spaniard who shot for goal. The ref quite rightly awarded a Brentford throw.

A very poor first half. The second forty five started slightly better with the introduction of Euell but it didn't last. Our performance soon deteriorated to the same level as the visiting fans conga in the Jimmy Seed stand.

On the hour the visitors wrapped it up. Always threatening, Diagouraga finally got his goal after plenty of confusion. The lino had flagged for offside but the ref overruled him quite correctly too as our own Waggy had had a touch the assistant didn't see.

After this it was too late even for Yann Kermorgant to salvage something. Scott Wagstaff tried his luck five minutes from time forcing the keeper to make, i believe,  his second save of the game but if that's the best effort i can find to praise it says it all.
Charlton fans were leaving ten minutes before the final whistle and no one could possibly blame them. We were all ready for the ref to blow a long long time before he did.

Chris Powell said before the game that we don't do well in cups. How right he is. Yes it's a weakened side but then so was Brentfords. Rules state we needed to field six regulars and the others that came in are first team squad members. An unwanted distraction or not, this was not a performance worthy of a Charlton XI.
It's disappointing, we want to win them all, and Wembley may just have to wait a little longer for us.
Back to the important stuff on Saturday then and put this firmly in the back of our minds.
On the bright side that could be our last ever showing in the paint pot cup!

Love and Pride

Football returned to SE7 today with a bang! For the first time in what seems like forever, Charlton played great football, dominated and then killed the match off with great professionalism.
That's what my heart yearns for now, love and pride.
After the problems of last nights awful dramas on the M25, the AFC Bournemouth side plus 1200 supporters made it to south east London. Only to wish they probably hadn't.

Chris Powell started with, on the whole, the eleven we expected. With Hamer injured, Elliot kept his place behind the sticks. In front of him were ex cherry Wiggins, Taylor, Morrison and Rigsby (Chris Solly). I did wonder if there may have been a little surprise of Simon Francis after his good pre season form. Fortunately the gaffer didn't do this to us.
Another former Bournemouth favourite, Danny Hollands, lined up in the middle alongside Dale Stephens. Captain Johnnie Jackson and Scott Wagstaff completed the midfield. Waggy starting as Danny Green was of course suspended, as was Powell who had to watch his team for the stands.
Paul Hayes and Wright-Phillips completed the side.
New boys Sullivan, Pritchard and Hughes were all on the bench alongside Paul Benson and the Doc.

Bournemouth fielded Danny Ings after the weeks rumours on twitter of the striker being another Valley bound cherry. Also in the starting line up was former Addick Harry Arter. After an hour Mark Moleley made an appearance for the opposition. L'Oreal models don't appear to work Saturday's then. Needless to say, Robbie Savage references were aplenty!

We've been used to the covered end booing and getting on the backs of the individuals of late. I'm pleased to announce that we appear to have turned a corner. I didn't hear one comment of abuse today. That has to be a first. Poor old Rhoys Wiggins however faced a constant stream of heckling with every touch from the visiting supporters, and i can confirm it was still going on all the way to London Bridge. We too were in good voice, song of the day had to be the covered end singing 'Charlton's feeder club' mockingly at the Jimmy Seed. Quality.

As for the game, well every single Addick put in a performance to be fair. It's lovely to see all eleven men put in a shift together whilst all being on the same wavelength.
Dale Stephens who had a fantastic full debut opened proceedings after some fine work by Solly. This was closely followed by a superb effort from Wiggins which was goal bound until it was turned around the post by their keeper. How he must have wished that had gone in, the best way to shut them up would have been a screamer like that.

The second half got off to an amazing start. The skippers corner was cleared into the path of Stephens who appeared to be in the middle of everything. The midfielder layed it off to Wagstaff who may well have already scored the goal of the season. Twenty yards out and he volleyed it into the top corner. We went wild.

Bradley Wright-Phillips was fouled in the box with a quarter of an hour to go and the ref pointed to the spot. Never in a month of Sunday's could you claim it was anything other than a clear cut penalty. Johnnie Jackson dispatched it in the manner we are accustomed to, putting the Addicks out of reach.
You could see clearly in his face what today meant to our captain as he celebrated in front of the north stand. This result was important for us faithful fans. It was a whole lot more to those footballers that had not been having the happiest of times recently at their place of work.

Benno got a run out when he came on for Hayes. Pritchard made his debut replacing Waggy a little later and got to experience playing in front of more than 300 people in a competitive match. Even the ginger Pele made a cameo coming on for BWP as we switched to 5-4-1 for stoppage time.

Dale Stephens stood out as a real quality signing, he looks assured alongside Hollands. As my good mate Dean said, Jackson doesn't look so special playing alongside these two which is without doubt a good thing!
Morrison looked a good prospect at the back. I'm not getting carried away as there is obviously a long way to go for him, but i do see signs of the Eddie Youds about him. And it's not just his haircut! He's a big lad who's not afraid to go in with all guns blazing. Yes, he'll get it wrong at times, but we need a hard man at the back. Michael could well fit the bill.

Solly did well both defensively and going forwards, whilst Wiggins did better than i expected, all things considered. This was a great team performance, something we didn't see at all last season. The opposition will improve and little cracks will appear, but for the moment let's enjoy a Saturday night like we haven't done for so long. I may even watch the football league show.....

Finally a quick note to say what a pleasure it was to meet Chicago Addick in the Rose of Denmark before the match. As the author of one of the best Charlton blogs, it was a real pleasure to put a face to the name.

So on then to cup success Tuesday. It's a grand old team to play for, it's a grand old team to see..............

Less than 48 hours to go.......

The time is nearly upon us. It's now less than forty eight hours until the start of the most anticipated season for Charlton since the dizzy heights of the Premier league.
The squad has been assembled, the pitch has been laid and even all 27,111 seats have been cleaned by a team of extraordinarily devoted volunteers. There is just a little bit of set piece (attacking AND defending) practise to do and then newly appointed club captain Johnnie Jackson can lead out the eleven Addicks at 3pm on Saturday to begin our assault on the League One summit.

Scott Wagstaff today signed a new contract which finally puts to bed any rumours of his departure. The 21 year old has signed for another year as is delighted to be staying in SE7 until 2013.
Another youngster pledging his future to Charlton is Diego Poyet. Name familiar? Of course he's the son of a bright young manager who knows all about getting out of this division! The young England under 16 star will sign his first professional contract for the club on his 17th birthday in April. Paul Hart, who knows a thing or two about young footballing talent, has been very impressed by what he's seen so far. Definitely one for the future.

The continuing saga of Robbie Elliot goes on with the number 44 shirt being appointed to him. Chris Powell has said that it's by no means an indication of is future, more a personal choice by the player himself. A lot depends on whether the two parties can come to some kind of agreement as far as contracts go, but it is apparent that neither Chris Powell nor Robbie himself are keen on, or indeed looking for a potential new employer for the shot stopper.

Two players training with the club, yet to know about their future are Jason Euell and Grzegorz Rasiak. The Polish striker did play for ninety minutes and score in the friendly at Carshalton Athletic on Tuesday night. It is no secret though that Powell is keen to add another striker to the squad before the end of the transfer window. It is doubtful either one will sign anything before kick off though as Powell has stated how all his thoughts prior to Saturday are now one hundred percent fixed on the Bournemouth match.
Christian Dailly however will not be signing any type of contract in SE7 before or after the weekend. It was anounced today that discussions with the defender have broken down and the Scot is now highly likely to continue his career elsewhere. One paycut to many i fear.

Rumours of Danny Ings and anyone else for that matter can take a backseat for now as the main event steps into the spotlight. Has it really sunk in yet that competitive football IS BACK on Saturday?

It's easy to get carried away with thoughts of the 'p' word, but twenty three other clubs must be having similar dreams, no matter how realistic they may be!  Chicago Addick has written a wonderful piece on our competitors and challengers this season. Sometimes it's easy to forget others will try and rain on our parade and want some of the glory for themselves!

I've planned with my boss to get out of work early on Saturday so i can make the Rose of Denmark before two o'clock. For pre match refreshments I've arranged to meet up with some fellow Addicks for a quick pint or two as there is going to be plenty of atmosphere to soak up. To say I'm excited really doesn't do it justice. I fear Friday night i won't get a wink of sleep, just like a child on Christmas eve!

See you all at The Valley. Come on you reds!!!!!!!