Inver respect of Paddy.

If I lived in the Highlands of bonnie Scotland I'd jump at the chance of spending a weekend away in the bright lights of London to watch my football club. About a hundred or so of the Inverness Caledonian Thistle faithful did just this and made the very long journey to South London as their club took up the invitation for a pre-season friendly which Charlton then doubled up as a testimonial match for former winger and Valley groundsman Colin Powell. It's a shame so few of the home 'faithful' did the same.

The club opened the East, Lower West and Lower North stands but in all honesty could have squeezed us all in just the one. Having looked at the club web site it appears nobody is actually keen to publish the exact attendance. Watch me get all political but I'd love to imagine the crowd would have been equally as low if we'd hosted Real Madrid at sixty quid a head.

The two teams gave Colin Powell a guard of honour, those present clapped and cheered gallantly, I know he is a player from a long time back now, and only the groundsman, but it was still pretty embarrassing. A little like our search for a striker.

Adamo Coulibaly has signed for Lens after looking rather impressive for us on his week's trial. Lens of course have that missing ingredient, the money to pay him, although I believe very early contract discussions broke down due to the hindrance of awkward communication with an agent. Next up on the trial stakes, Simon Church a striker released by Reading.

I firmly believed I'd see this Welsh striker for at least an hour yesterday, I never expected the lad to be missing completely. We lined up with that defensive old 4-5-1 formation which I fear we'll see home and away this season with unwelcome regularity. This didn't bode well for our pursuit to fill the vacant number nine and ten shirts with less than a week to go until the competition proper starts. Would there be a better opportunity for the gaffer to cast his eye over a potential signing? It hit me like a bullet at three o'clock Saturday that this really is it, we haven't as they say got a pot to urinate in.

Church did eventually appear today for a 'strong' Charlton XI at Ebbsfleet alongside another trialist, former Tranmere Rovers forward Adam McGurk. The Northern Irish front man had been on trial with Birmingham prior to this but they didn't see him as worthy of a contract. I very much doubt they'll be an announcement on either of these two from us either, Chris Powell has lost out on his targets through no fault of his own and it does appear like he's clutching at straws as we sieve through the dregs of what's left, no offense intented. I'm starting to feel a little jealous of the New York Red Bulls for their acquisition and celebration of Bradley Wright-Phillips now.

Yann Kermorgant may well feel the same. With every ball he won and every nod down he completed he looked more and more frustrated. Fitness and injury avoidance were obviously contributing factors but there was no-one to pick these balls up and take them goal-wards.

If this was Powell's preferred starting eleven (Saturday obviously, not today) for next week then there was little inspiration. Cort surprisingly wasn't at the back, Dervite and Morrison taking up the center berth. I was impressed how we switched from four at the back to just three as we ventured forward, it was almost seamless at times, but there were occasions when communication between keeper and defenders was minimal at best. Mark Gower sat in the heart of midfield with Jackson and Stephens, they were flanked by Pritchard and Harriott. The passing was neat but the lack of ideas was a worry. Yes it's still a friendly but Inverness are a good stern quality test, they certainly showed we still have some cracks which could prove costly, especially with this lack of firepower.

Nobody can question the passion, after giving a soft goal away we threw everything forward, Kermorgant especially, showing facial expressions of hurt and irritation. It's clear they don't like losing no matter how friendly the fixture. As a game though it was a non event, unfortunately similar as a showpiece to the recognition of the day.

On the plus side, it was great to take the London Bridge train from home full of expectation of a good day of football and beer once again. We had a few ales and VAT's post game and I can happily report all is looking good, my tolerance is of matchday requirement. I'm just about there and raring to go.

Sine Wave

I know very little of mathematics, science, or engineering. My understanding of the word 'oscillation' is very limited, to me a sine wave represents one thing, supporting Charlton Athletic. There are ups and downs, highs and lows, but don't get too comfortable, fortunes change like the wind.

Going a month without a win and throwing away a winning position twice in as many weeks, Charlton had two away games in four days to try and get back on track. Against both Palace and Birmingham no-one could ever doubt our work rate, but the same old story of lapses in concentration and a failure to capitalize had left the Addicks feeling quite despondent.

This despondency carried on into the weekend as our trip to Hull proved fruitless. Again the team were credited with hard work and determination against one of the better sides in the division, yet it was a cruel moment of luck rather than skill that gave the home side all three points. Hamer came out determinedly to deal with a corner but missed the ball which landed in a posse of players and could have gone anywhere, Hull's Egyptian striker Mohamed Gedo turning the ball home. Fortune favours the brave,unless the brave come from SE7.

No time to dwell on events though, a Tuesday night fixture at another promotion candidate, Leicester City, could be the catalyst to get the season and the main priority of safety back on track.

One man who would not be heading to the King Power stadium (even the cheesiest bad guy in Hollywood or the WWE is named better) was Bradley Wright-Phillips. The out of favour striker, who may well have played his last game for the Addicks at Hull has moved across London to Brentford on loan to see out the end of the season. He was of course very close to signing for Swindon with Danny Green on the final day of the transfer window, but that fell through on a technicality. Bradley was Chris Powell's first signing as Charlton boss, he ended last season with twenty two goals and certainly became a fans favourite. Unfortunately he has found the step up a little harder than most but will, I suspect, bolster Brentford's own promotion campaign alongside another former Addick, Paul Hayes.

A Charlton striker most definitely not missing the trip to Leicester was Yann Kermorgant. The big Frenchman had a fair few boo-boys to silence and a gigantic ghost to lay to rest. He spearheaded the gaffers preferred 4-5-1 formation with countryman Dorian Dervite once again protecting the back four.

From the off the boos rang loudly around the stadium, how often had we done similar ourselves only to be silenced when Defoe and co have found the net triumphantly! Yann Kermorgant had read the script perfectly and duly obliged with a goal after twenty minutes. The resurgent Scott Wagstaff kept an almost lost cause in play, Pritchard won the ball and centered it for Yann to shoot home. Now you or I would have run to the home supporters to tell them in no uncertain terms who was having the last laugh but Kermorgant is far too level headed for that. Classy footballers let their game do all the talking. Some said we have our very own Eric Cantona but there was no post match speech on trawlers.

Very recent history has told us that this work ethic and endeavor doesn't necessarily produce results, remember the sine wave? Not only can that define our season, it's a pretty accurate match report in itself too. Almost on cue, with twenty minutes remaining Charlton's defense of a lead faltered. A quick, flowing, passing move culminated in New Zealand striker Chris Wood slotting home from the edge of the box. Chris Powell knew action needed to be taken, despite this setback the points were clearly there for the taking. Frequently abused for his use of substitutes (on here as much as anywhere else), he brought Danny Haynes on for Dervite. A minute later we were back in control.

If it wasn't for a cruel tragedy of injuries, Danny Haynes would I'm sure be plying his trade in the top flight by now. He has already produced a goal of true finesse this season against Derby County, last night he topped it. The ball came over his left shoulder, he let it bounce, gained his composure and volleyed it home from twenty five yards out. The celebration in front of the 650 away supporters told it all, passion and relief by the bucket load.

This time there was no mistake, no late drama. Charlton had won and done the double over much fancied Leicester City. That by anybody's standard is a sign of Championship quality and perfect form to take into Saturday's home clash with Nottingham Forest. It should be quite a game, Forest destroyed Huddersfield 6-1 last night.

No matter what your views are of Slater and Jimenez, the 'unknown' boardroom events going on behind the scenes, the rise in next season's ticket prices or any other controversial happening around the club, we do at least still have our Charlton. The clubs hearts beats strongly and it's still a huge part of and benefit to the local community. I'd much rather my identity and with it mid table obscurity than promotion to the 'promised land' and no soul whatsoever.

Cardiff City's re-branding did of course take the football world by storm. Supporters walked away from the club they supported all their lives and the campaign against modern football took another step forward gaining bountiful support. Yet plenty renewed their season tickets rather than voting with their feet, and for this they were 'rewarded' by the clubs Malaysian owners. Upon entry to the ground last night for their clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, each supporter was handed a free red scarf at the clubs expense. This isn't Germany, where football supporters cannot be bought, so many took the said item gladly and wore it proudly around their necks. I've even been told that supporters entering the away end were handed one too. I suppose the board feel Brighton is also a catchment area, well it works for Manchester United.

One supporter took his scarf and did exactly what any true lover of football would do. God bless him!

And now you're gonna believe us

Saturday April 14th, the day Charlton Athletic got promoted out of the third tier of English football.

It has been a long three years, we've seen the two sides we went down with, Norwich and Southampton, both have a real change of fortunes while we may have felt like we had been left behind.

Now though our day has come. Chris Powell has built his team, the new owners have backed him all the way and this season will be one that lives long in the memory. It has been a delight to watch the team play, and it's a few years since any Addick can say that.

It took a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal to see off Carlisle resulting in us sitting ten points clear of Sheffield Wednesday, (who only managed a draw at Colchester) in third with only nine points left to play for. That £240 i spent on next season's season ticket seems even better value for money now!

Three games of third division football left then to enjoy promotion, revel in the party atmosphere that will embrace these games and then go up eventually as champions.

Oh, and i can book a holiday for during the play offs.

I think a couple of beers are on the menu tonight.

And now you're gonna believe us, the reds ARE going up!

iBelieve

We've all seen the joke, apple's new must have gadget for women, iRon. If I bought an iron for my wife i doubt I'd get a single brownie point, three would be out the question.

Charlton had the Iron Saturday and came back to London with not just a useful point, but with something far more important, an end to a very short losing streak before it became a habit.

The Addicks may have only picked up one point from the last possible nine but they are still nine points clear of the two steel city sides.
Needless to say the negativity around certain sections of the support is up to it's normal level but I'm not getting sucked in. No sir, our destiny is still in our own hands and i believe we've got enough backbone to not only get automatic promotion, but lift the silverware as well. There, I've said it.

Back to Scunthorpe and an early goal for Bradley Wright-Phillips, number twenty for the season, after work on the right from Scott Wagstaff saw the six hundred travelling Londoners put the nightmare of Notts County well and truly behind them.
Scunthorpe however battled on and drew level from the penalty spot halfway through the first half. The Iron are one of those sides you really don't want to be playing at this stage of the season as they are battling for their lives down the bottom.

Another tricky opponent is Yeovil Town, Tuesday's visitors to The Valley. That could go either way, but on our day we could put four or five past them, wouldn't that get things back on track a treat!
They are on a little bit of a roll at the moment and i was surprised to see they had moved up to twelfth in the table, i honestly thought they were in the bottom six. Unbeaten in March they have won four and drawn one, just our luck to meet them now. I'll settle for a 1-0 in retrospect!

Looking at the remaining nine games, there isn't really an easy fixture among them. A lot of the sides are either fighting to survive or pushing for the play offs. Every game now will be the most important one of the season, starting with Tuesday.

It's six months though since any other club has led League One. Charlton aren't going to let that mantle slip away without a fight. Full of this belief, i got around to sending my season ticket application form off this week. I can't think of a better way to spend £240 than on the ups and downs that is Charlton Athletic football club.

Promotion, league titles, relegation, all these things suddenly became very very small yesterday unfortunately with news of Fabrice Muamba suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch for Bolton Wanderers in their cup tie at White Hart Lane.
Needless to say my prayers are, like the rest of the football world, with him and his family. It's a shame it takes something like this to happen for the rest of the world to see all football fans aren't hooligan thugs. I absolutely love supporters of all sides joining together in a footballing family to send their love and prayers, not to mention hearing both sets of fans at games up and down the country singing Fabrice's name.

Get well soon son.

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!

Bradders bounces back

Once upon a time, a football clubs front men had a tough old ride. Referee's often sided with defenders who gave out crunching tackles as regularly as hooligans making the front pages.
The likes of Norman 'bites yer legs' Hunter, Dave Mackay, Kenny Burns,  and later, Julian Dicks, struck fear into anyone venturing forward although, it has to be admitted, in the case of Graeme Souness for example, some were more than happy to give a little back.

The game is a lot less physical now and your twenty goal a season star striker is far more protected by the men in black (or yellow, green or red as it seems these days) although just as likely to go clattering down inside the penalty area!

Some things however haven't changed for strikers, and goal droughts are one of them. Every striker from Hackney marshes to Old Trafford and beyond has suffered at some point with this.
Wayne Rooney hit the headlines relatively recently with his inability to 'bulge the onion bag'. He's not the only one of England's finest to suffer, Gary Lineker, Bradley's father Ian Wright, and even I believe the goal machine himself, Jimmy Greaves,  had a lean patch or two.
It's a confidence thing of course. Once it's been more than three or four games people start to realise it just isn't happening for the individual. As the games mount up it's harder and harder to find any joy in front of goal, the manager's hoping a simple tap in or even a deflection of sorts that will be enough to see every nine year old supporters poster hero get his name back on the score sheet.

Floodgates i believe is the word. Once one goes in, however that may happen, plenty will follow. And so that's how it evolved for our very own Bradley Wright-Phillips.
November 19th at Griffin Park was goal number fourteen of the season for our number ten. Nobody then would have thought it would take thirteen more games to get his fifteenth.
Our Bradley couldn't have picked a better stage to finally end this drought though than a home tie against Stevenage in front of a staggering 26,000 supporters. This crowd of Premier league proportions was due to Charlton's now familiar and very successful  'football for a fiver' campaign.

After a poor score draw at The Valley against Rochdale, Charlton got back to winning ways against high flying Stevenage with goals from the impressive Michael Morrison and then, finally, BWP himself. If truth be told, that day Wright-Phillips could have, and perhaps should have  had half a dozen.
The only dampener on a fantastic day in SE7 was the bottle throwing incident as Bradley celebrated his goal. Fortunately the perpetrator didn't have the same measure of accuracy as our goalscorer.

Last night it was a trip to the B2net stadium (what an awful name) in Chesterfield for the re-arranged fixture from the other Saturday. League One's bottom club hosted the top one and three points for the visitors, although by no means a forgone conclusion, wasn't met by any real surprise.
An impressive seven hundred Addicks made there way to Derbyshire and witnessed what should have been Wright-Phillips first career hat trick.

For the second game in succession Chris Powell fielded his strongest (and preferred) starting eleven with both Solly and Jackson now present. Jackson, the skipper, added to his impressive tally for the season again whilst Charlton's other goals in an excellent 4-0 win were down to a now much more confident goal scorer.
Although still claiming the match ball, Bradley's third saw the final touch coming off a defender and appears from some sources to have been credited as an own goal. I doubt very much the striker will let that one go without a fight!
In fact, interviewed afterwards he said, "I lunged at it and got a touch. There was a little bit of help from the centre-back on its way in, but it's clearly my goal."
Everybody loves a hungry centre forward.

Thirteen games to go, sitting proudly at the top and fifteen points clear of third. These are great times to be a Charlton fan, and even better times to be a Charlton striker i should think.

A rather messy pair of draws

It could have been worse, we may not have responded at all. Two games, two one-a-piece score draws and two games where we've had to come from behind.

First up was Tranmere Rovers on Saturday. Prenton Park isn't a ground that springs delight on the faces of many Addicks, they have always been tough battles up there hardly ever showing much in the way of grace and flair. This season's visit was no exception.
Listening to the match on the radio and having since seen the highlights, there was little to get excited about and so going a goal behind after half an hour was of no real surprise.
What was of surprise was that Tranmere didn't start their now infamous time wasting tactics immediately afterwards! They didn't really need to though as a very pedantic referee did it for them more than once getting a free kick taken again when the ball was struck all of two or three yards from where it should have been.

A Michael Morrison equaliser on the hour gave the three hundred or so travelling Charlton supporters some hope of a revival but Bradley Wright-Phillips failed to finish the job off missing connecting with a tap in after coming off the bench. From the angle I've seen it at it really was a miss as well which, had he not been going through this lean spell, he would have dutifully dispatched with ease.
In fact, had this post been solely based on this game, i would have entitled it 'Carry On Bradley' as that incident, along with the small matter of his shorts falling down around his ankles shortly after entering the proceedings, were very fitting of those classic old British comedies.

Speaking of which angle you've seen events from, there will be many who would say, especially if they happen to reside on the Wirral, that Morrison's goal didn't cross the line. His powerful header came down off the underside of the bar to land just behind the goal line. A strong header from the defender saved our blushes, at a time when the strikers are unable to find the net. He is a real aerial threat in the opponents box and often looks like scoring the classic centre half goal. A precious commodity in the current circumstances.

Tuesday then, and we saw Rochdale visit The Valley for the rearranged fixture called off a couple of weeks ago due to the freezing conditions. I don't know how many fans they would have brought for the Saturday game but I'm guessing it's more than the one hundred ( or as it looked from the upper north, 7) that made it last night.

A rare midweek attendance for me started with a hearty fry up in the Valley cafe before a few liquid refreshments in the Rose of Denmark to catch up with the regulars plus a couple of lads i hadn't seen since last season.

An obvious absentee from the starting line up, apart from the injured skipper Jackson, was young Chris Solly. Wiggins moved to the right and Cedric Evina came in on the left. Pritchard also started with Danny Green in for the captain to add to our unbalance.
I'm not really pointing fingers as none of the team really had a good game but these two (Evina and Pritchard) did, in my opinion, really struggle last night.

Rochdale had done their homework, they had a game plan and stuck to it. I'm wondering if teams have got to know how we like to play and more importantly know how to stop us playing. Maybe Chris Powell really needs to shake things up a little for Stevenage's 'football for a fiver' visit this coming Saturday. Rochdale on the other hand looked a lot better than their league position would suggest and on this display their new manager has plenty of hope of escaping relegation.

There were two goals, four minutes apart and as i said it was the visitors who drew first blood. A break against the run of play saw Dale get their goal, albeit with the aid of a Rhoys Wiggins deflection. This time a striker did get the reply. For the first time this year Yann Kermorgant got on the score sheet with an exquisite free kick showing that in some areas of our game we can survive without Johnnie Jackson!
We do still wait for a front man to score from open play though. Clarke came on for Bradley Wright-Phillips for the last fifteen to try his hand but also to no avail.

I'm not really a fan of this modern day squad number system. I yearn for a return to the old 1-11 without names. We finished the game with numbers 36 and 40 playing up front. That doesn't inspire me much, it almost sounds like you've got some real low down fringe players having a run out!

It's a game that on paper we should have won but it's still another point towards the main prize and third place is still a long way behind with Sheffield Wednesday struggling to find form on a much grander scale than ourselves.
Stevenage will be a real test Saturday, we'll need a lot of improvement on last night. Let's hope their focus is on White Hart Lane and the cup replay rather than the league play-offs just for the moment.

It's still a strong position we're in, one that twenty three other league one sides would instantly swap with us.
Come on you reds!

Five and two

Charlton five, Preston North End two. I doubt anyone correctly predicted this score before kick off, despite the fact we had scored ten in the previous three outings.
As long suffering Charlton fans, we are still pinching ourselves that we've already hit that magic safety points target of forty. And in the first week of November as well. Goals and points galore make blogging that little bit harder as we're so used to finding new ways of expressing our disappointment and frustration, yet very out of practice at complimenting and celebrating. Rest assured though that we shall all rise to the challenge all the time Chrissy Powell's red and white army keep marching on.

Twice recently we had seen the Addicks score four in a game but not in a single half, let alone the opening 38 minutes.
Captain Johnnie Jackson was first on the score sheet finding the back of the net latching on to the rebound after the Preston keeper had denied Danny Green following great work from the reds midfielder. This was a beautiful goal. Green took on all who came his way after picking the ball up in his own half before unleashing a powerful shot. Jackson's outstretched leg guided the ball around the last defender and the keeper with wonderful accuracy .

The second came from centre half (and fast becoming a firm favourite of mine) Michael Morrison. A corner came in high on the goal line which the keeper failed to claim. The ball fell to Bradley Wright-Phillips which he fired directly at a defender and Morrison was there to guide home the rebound for his first goal for the club.

Then we had a talking point. Jackson hit his second and Charlton's third from the spot after Yann Kermorgant was brought down by the keeper. A long ball was fired high up to him, his nearest defender slipped up and let the Frenchman through on goal. Out rushed the keeper who literally upended him!
Yes a sure fire penalty, and a booking at the very least. The ref however showed no card, only he knows why. Fortunately the way the result turned out, not too much should be made of this. I understand as a human, nobody's perfect. I love the fact we don't have goal line technology or whatever and we still allow room for human error. I'd be interested to hear the officials reasons for his decision for sure, but i do get wound up when the press and sometimes the clubs go on a witch hunt after these kind of events. I appreciate events can change games, seasons or even careers but it is sport at the end of the day and in my book that requires sporting gestures.

Wright-Phillips was next up to get his name on the score sheet. A floating free kick came in from the left which found a Charlton head, that in turn found the striker who had slipped behind two Preston defenders into loads of space to nod home.

Danny Hollands made it five halfway through the second half with a diving header from a  stunning run and cross from the impressive Rhoys Wiggins. 5-0 and this really is new territory, dreamland.

Preston did pull two back at the end, their second a very impressive goal that would, under different circumstances, have got a lot more plaudits.

With Huddersfield dropping two points at home to Walsall, it  meant the 17,000 Addicks at The Valley saw Charlton go five points clear at the top of the table as we go into the FA cup break. Not only are we now safe but we're looking good for promotion back to somewhere much nearer where we belong!

My choice evening of celebration was to join thousands of others at Brockham bonfire for their traditional fireworks spectacular. Myself and Heidi had promised to take friends children to the event by way of babysitting, these events are far more enjoyable with little people oohing and aahing whilst sat on your shoulders.

Remember the numbers five and two? Well, there were £50,000 worth of fireworks set off last night whilst the huge Guy (eight feet tall at a guess) was stuffed with £2000 worth of firecrackers.
Somewhere in the region of five hundred torch bearers light what is thought to be one of the biggest bonfires in the country, an amazing sight as they march up the road.
The heat off the fire was almost too much to bear at times and we hastily made a retreat. The fireworks were once again up to the standard you'd expect for that kind of layout, paid mainly by a list of sponsors.

With no entry fee, the village rely on donations and purchases at the official catering pitches to provide the money for the charity donations that the event is all about. Last year around £20,000 was raised and i doubt yesterday it would have been any less.

It's a wonderful traditional affair with most the residents of the village participating in the build up to the night over the previous weeks. Young men involved in the building of the bonfire are following in their fathers, and in some cases, grandfathers footsteps. It may be the countryside (a city boys little joke) but it's another little tradition and way of life that's ever so English. And that is worth saluting.

And as if i needed any further encouragement to go, one of the pubs on the green had a makeshift outside bar selling a lovely pint of London Pride and very hot mulled wine for the ladies!

So like i said before it's the FA cup first round next weekend. I'll be rushing out the door at church next Sunday to get home for the kick off at Halifax on ITV. I wish the travelling support the best of luck with the early start and praise the players and the board for putting their hands in their pockets to lay on some free coaches for the hardened away day traveller.

I also will get the chance to see some cup action first hand as I'll be at Gander Green Lane to see Sutton United host Kettering Town. Romantic football for sure! This is the FA cup and i love it.

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!

Wy combe away with the points

All through my childhood and teens, Wycombe Wanderers were great rivals of my non league heroes, Sutton United. It stems back to the Chairboys time in the Isthmian League, we were two of the big fish fish in that smallish pond.

Wycombe of course have outgrown the non league pyramid and, along with Yeovil Town, have become one of the real success stories of automatic promotion between the old fourth division and the Gola league. Or GM Vauxhall Conference as it was known when Wycombe won it.

They have become in the past few years a little bit like a lower league West Bromwich Albion, a yo-yo side. True to form, this season is already looking like it's going to be an uphill battle for them to hold on to their League One status. All the makings of a banana skin for the addicks then!

Charlton however took the lead after only six minutes when Yann Kermorgant's spectacular overhead effort bounced back off the upright for Bradley Wright-Phillips to latch on to. No better way to steady the nerves than an early goal.
The striker, who is far superior than his brother if you speak to anyone from SE7, then reached double figures for the season when he found the bottom corner after receiving the perfect pass from Danny Hollands just before the interval.

Charlton wouldn't be Charlton if we didn't make things a tad nervy as the second forty five progressed. Wycombe pulled a goal back just pass the hour when Stuart Beavon netted after Ben Hamer had denied the home side twice in quick succession.

The final whistle was music to the ears of the travelling support as there were a few worrying moments in the latter stages of the game but the Londoners held on to take a very valuable three points on the road. Another tough trip follows on Saturday when we visit the monkey hangers of Hartlepool. Tonight is a great platform to mount that challenge on.

Huddersfield dropped a couple of points at Scunthorpe meaning Charlton are now three points clear at the top and five clear of the blue half of Sheffield in third.
A clear bit of daylight which is very welcome looking at the fixtures we have in November!

Chris Powell has certainly built a team that has bonded well and gelled on the field. I expect the board at Leicester are ruing the day they let him leave, now they've axed Sven Goran Eriksson.

As the twitter hashtag goes.................................#chrissypowellsredandwhitearmy

Over land and sea. Well, canal.

Charlton haven't been the only ones spending a week on the road. I have taken in Milton Keynes, Somerset and Wiltshire by motorcycle, car and narrow boat.

It has been a perfect holiday. We've had a much needed time of relaxation from work, whilst Charlton have taken four points away from home to give them some distance from the chasing pack.

It started last Tuesday when i rode up to Milton Keynes for my first away game in ages. I arrived at their stadium around six o'clock and parked the bike, for free, spitting distance from the away ticket kiosk.
With the match ticket purchased, once the window finally opened, i headed to the Red Dot bar at the other side of the ground to meet up with friends. It was a nice little place and very hospitable to travelling supporters. Definitely more suitable for a pre match pint than the bar inside the turnstile on the concourse. The entrance to that, behind screens, looked more like the entrance to a sheep dip!
The padded seats and excellent matchday programme were of quite some standard and two very high points to an MK Dons away day experience.

Charlton took around 1200 fans who sang their hearts out. If we had only taken 120 I'm sure we would have made more noise than the home support. I think the upper tier had nearly as much atmosphere up their end and that is unfinished and closed!

The first half performance from the Addicks was very flat and it was no surprise really to go in a goal behind. The always impressive Dean Lewington won a penalty which Shaun Williams duly slotted away.
In the second period Charlton looked a lot more like their normal selves. Always searching for the equaliser, it eventually came, and to new boy Yann Kermorgant. After only being on the pitch for four minutes, he headed home from a superb ball from Danny Green to give us a point to take home. A point which over ninety minutes was, i thought, deserved.

A great night, good to catch up with Charlton faces old and new, a good sing song and another new ground visited. So i rode home happy even with the knowledge that i had an early start the following morning.

After all of five hours sleep we were on the road again. This time in a packed car heading down to the west country for a few days. Although very tired, i was still buzzing about the game the night before.

We drove to Bath to meet Heidi's parents who were on a narrow boat for a week. We joined them for the last two days of their holiday, literally substituting Heidi's grandparents who started the week, and met them right in the centre of the city under the gaze of Bath Abbey.
From there we headed towards Bradford on Avon and our first of many locks.
Heidi had stumbled and sprained her ankle on arrival. This had not only swollen and badly bruised but also excused her from the hard manual work of lock operation. Under normal circumstances, the locks are effort enough. We of course had picked the hottest week of year, or so it felt, and by the sixth straight lock in a row i was in dire need of cold beer.

Considering i was only on the boat for forty eight hours, beer was certainly not in short supply. If you are ever on that stretch of water, The Brewery Inn in Seend, Melksham, is a pub known by all which serves good beer, fantastic food and a cider called Wacky which looked a little like Irn Bru in colour. Of particular interest in there, other than the steak and ale pie, were the cricket trophies hanging on the wall made out of old outhouse doors.
I've decided canal boat holidays make a good short break (especially when paid for by clubcard vouchers). I'd certainly do it again but i can imagine it's similar to caravaning. Fun in the sun yet as boring as it comes in the pouring rain.

 
On Friday we made our way to my brothers in Taunton. This was just a shortish drive from Bradford on Avon. As the boat was given back at nine that morning and my brother not getting home from work until five, we had a day to kill.
A final pub lunch by the canal after visiting the town museum rounded our stay off perfectly. We chose Glastonbury as a stop off point mid afternoon.
A wander around the festival town and it's shops ended in disappointment. It's a town that attracts a different kind of person to towns at home and i know I'm going to sound judgemental and i apologise now to anybody I'm going to offend but it didn't look like anyone there had ever done a days work between them.
Even the atmosphere in the town seemed a little odd, maybe even a little dark. It wasn't the place for us. It was a short stay and time to move on.

So we arrived in Taunton and had a very relaxing weekend at my brothers. I got the chance to play with his new shiny gadgets. An iPad 2, my first ever attempt at Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3, and a chance to experience 3D television!
Saturday morning i watched the Merseyside derby wearing special Sony glasses. As clever as it is (and impressive) I don't think i could cope with too much of it and actually preferred watching in good old fashioned two dimensional when we switched back.

To keep Heidi happy we strolled around the very good shopping centre in the town in the afternoon. It wasn't until about half past four that we returned to his house and i looked to see what was occurring at Bramall Lane against promotion rivals Sheffield United.

I think i may well have jumped in the air with sheer delight when i saw the score. Our very own David Fairclough, supersub Kermorgant popped up again to score seconds after coming on. This was followed by a goal, albeit with a little good fortune, from Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Four points on the road against two of the main competition is a fantastic achievement. We sit comfortably at the top of the table with real daylight between us and second place.
Now we have the little distraction of the paint cup and Brentford Wednesday night. I'm sure Yann the man will get a start in a much changed starting eleven. I know Chris Powell isn't overly concerned about the competition but i, like many others, would love a day at Wembley.

We returned home Sunday evening, with our new television set (my brothers old 42" flat screen (yes i know I'm blessed)) and the reality of going back to work. It's harder than normal after such a relaxing time but at least I've got the thought of a trip to The Valley on Saturday to get me through the week.

Come on you reds!

A fiver buys more than a franchise

Saturday's football for a fiver campaign has to be seen as a success. Last season we drew the crowds in and the team failed to deliver. This time around however those long lost fans got quite a bit of entertainment for their green stuff.

How many of those 8000 or so returning (or new) faces come back again remains to be seen, but one things for sure, it's fantastic marketing by the club.
Club shop sales, food kiosk sales, extra revenue for the local pubs, cafes and take aways, it is a good old reminder of what things were like in SE7 just a handful of years ago. And at the current rate, what things will be like again soon.

On the pitch Charlton are doing as much to convince people to return as they are off it. Chesterfield are just the latest to stumble when confronted with Chrissy Powell's red and white army.

Once again work stopped me handing over my hard earned Lady Godiva and being a part of the 22,000 strong support. Nevertheless, the boys got through it without me. And while they were slogging away on the field of play, i was doing the same on my own personal battleground.

You see, tomorrow morning (and very very early morning at that) we head off down to Bath for a few days away.
So after work at about half two i serviced the car rather than listen to the match on CAFC player.
I knew in the long run this would give me a bartering pole.

As Paul Hayes opened the scoring with that glorious backheel, i was spinning the new oil filter on. When Johnnie Jackson made it two with a simple but precise strike from a free kick, i was filling the windscreen washer bottle and cleaning the lines.

So you ask me, why couldn't this wait until Sunday?
Well, I had the rare opportunity of an away game. I struggle to get out of work in time for home matches, unless we are drawn away to Crawley in the cup away days are a thing of the past for me. A day off and Charlton playing only an hour and a half down the road is far too good an opportunity to miss.

So when Chesterfield got a goal back i was choosing my moment. Then as Bradley Wright-Phillips sealed it in injury time, and i was putting up a curtain rail (complete with curtains) in the spare room, i struck with the venom of a particularly dangerous rabbit.

"I'm thinking of going to Milton Keynes on Tuesday my darling"

Not overly impressive but it did the trick and I'll jump on the bike later this afternoon to ride up there. Heidi has gone for a girlie shopping spree in Brighton in retaliation. Expensive this football lark.

A good home win then before two tricky away days. MK Dons started very brightly but have just started to drift away a little now. I don't see them rolling over tonight and a difficult game awaits. Then it's the red half of Sheffield on Saturday. This will i fear be even trickier. I would be happy just with two points out of these games, four and I'll be jumping up and down. If we win them both who knows what I'll be up to.....................................................probably a lot more DIY!

I'm looking forward to my first trip to StadiumMK, I've heard as grounds go it's quite an experience. It's just the club we have trouble with.
In a week when Wrexham are set to join the likes of Exeter and AFC Wimbledon in a true football romance story, being owned by the supporters, the whole franchise affair still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of all true football fans.
As does the name Clinton Morrison in the north and south of all Addicks. I'm sure we'll be seeing an appearance from this 'gentleman' tonight. I just hope it's not a repeat of the last time.

If you see me this evening (I'll be the one walking around with a crash helmet) come over and say hello. You will however have to wait for the next post containing my adventures tonight until after the weekend when i return from the west country.

Come on you reds!!!!!

You win some, you lose some.

The football matters of course, not just the result, but the way you play and the manner in which a  win is achieved.
Sometimes though you'll have to concede and put to one side your high standards, going home happy knowing you've got a result despite having an off day.

Yesterday for me was a little like that for me. We came away with three points, we're back in the top two, Chris Solly once again showed why Charlton got the better end of the deal over Arsenal, yet it was as football matches go, so very poor.

I had a little stroke of luck getting out of work a half hour earlier than i envisaged. I was expecting to pull in to SE7 at around three and sprint down to the ground, praying that Bradley Wright-Phillips would wait a little longer than Monday before getting off the mark.
As it turned out i was in the Rose of Denmark enjoying a pint of London Pride by a quarter past two.

By now we've all seen Exeter's goal a couple of times and read countless reports. From the north upper i really didn't think the ball had gone completely over the line. Whether it had or not, Exeter's 'scorer' Nardiello should have had more sense than to shout off at the linesman. In this day and age of political correctness, swearing in front of fourteen thousand people is going to get you in trouble.
Doing it to an officials face and you're asking for it. It's at least a caution all day long.

So off he went and we had that old situation of playing against ten men. I don't know how other sides get on in this position but we always struggle. Yesterday was no exception, it was hard to tell where the man advantage was on the park. I even counted the white shirts at one point to check Paul Tisdale hadn't sneaked another one on while we weren't looking.

The ever improving Chris Solly had an effort at the other end hitting the underside of the bar which crashed down somewhere near the line. My eyes these days just about see the goal itself in front of the Jimmy Seed, the whereabouts of the ball are totally out of my parameters.
You win some you lose some. We had done both (or neither depending on your view).

I very nearly missed the first definite goal. Not being overly impressed with what i was watching, the thought of avoiding the queues at the little boys room was looking more and more attractive.
Then of course Wright-Phillips broke through and struck with accuracy after link up play with his strike partner Paul Hayes. We went into the break with an undeserved lead against a relatively poor team.

Another problem at not really being able to see the other end that clearly is determining the stroke the evicted Exeter fan was doing. Carried out by a team of stewards, the lad was horizontal! With arms and legs going, it could have been the breast stroke or the front crawl. He was closely followed by a friend who was at least upright yet it didn't look like his feet touched the ground as he pedalled thin air. I said to Dean sat next to me that all six hundred could be leaving one by one at this rate.

The second half continued in much the same vain. We still struggled to show our numerical dominance and i fear many Addicks were worrying a repeat of Monday could have been on the cards. Fortunately Dale Stephens wasn't going to repeat his glaring miss and slotted home to secure the points ten minutes from time.

Chris Powell has stuck with pretty much the same side so far. Being top two and unbeaten we can understand why. I do worry a little that players may feel their place is secure and performances just go off the boil a little.
No disrespect to Stephens and Danny Hollands but a month ago they were running games from the middle of the park. This to me did seem to be missing a little yesterday.
Wiggins is still struggling to find his feet and his distribution is poor.
Hayes and Jackson both performed below what we know they are capable of and Waggy never really threatened to trouble their full back.
Players are going to have off days, it just seems they happen at The Valley. I do wonder if there is a pressure on them playing at home that they need to overcome. You'd be happy at snatching points on the road without the stylish passing football being on show.
At The Valley we expect a classier more dominant performance.

It was however a fantastic day as football always is. It's the first time I've seen them in the flesh since the opening day and had been looking forward to it for what felt like ages. The adrenaline kicks in on the train whilst listening to London Calling on the iPod, the first beer slips down a treat and the match day experience is second to none.
The football matters of course, but it's a day out with mates you just cannot put a price on.
A few drinks in Bartram's meeting a couple of Twitter followers for the first time followed by a couple at London Bridge with good buddies made a day of it.

And then i got home to catch the end of last night of the proms before Match of the Day. A chance to get get all patriotic after a day out at our national game.
Good old Blighty!

To top the weekend off we have celebrated Heidi's parents silver wedding anniversary today. They treated friends and family to an 'all you can eat' Chinese buffet at a local restaurant. Needless to say i stuffed myself silly and washed it down with a couple more beers.

All in all a great weekend. You win some, you lose some. This weekend i won.

Monday I had Wednesday on my mind

Looking at the facts, this had disappointment written all over it.

1, Semedo's return.
2, Our centre half up against his old team. (Almost guarantees a mare.)
3, Their poor form away from home.
4, Our great start.
5, Needing to play catch up with the franchise and the red half of Sheffield winning Saturday.
6, Sky TV cameras.
7, Gary 'negative' Megson.
8, I'm stuck at work.

OK, perhaps point 8 could have meant  a truly epic Addicks performance, but alas, no.
With many thanks to Laura for tweeting me the frequency, i managed to tune in to some of the game from my Tesco dot com van. Of course, by the time I'd found it Bradley Wright-Phillips had scored the opener and we were well on our way to going back to the top of the league with an outstanding goal fest.
If I'm correct, the last time we were at home on a Monday and on the telly was Swindon Town last season, Parky's last game. Ouch.

During the first half i didn't want to get out of the van when arriving at customers addresses. One women even commented on this saying she thought i may have got myself locked in the cab. When i told her the full story and mentioned we were attacking the opposition's penalty area at the time she replied with a grunt. A little like a football conversation at home! I'll never understand some people's priorities.

Listening to Phil Parry and former Charlton front man Bradley Allen on BBC London radio, it seemed that Charlton were by far the better side in the first period playing some slick passing football. Dale Stephens had a good chance to make it two from close distance whilst Sheffield Wednesday had taken to their 'lumpier' tactics, both in style of football and method of challenges.

The second forty five and it was a different game entirely. An equaliser for the owls from former Palace striker Clinton Morrison (Sky's man of the match for some reason?) gave the visitors what was probably a deserved point over the ninety. This came from that dreaded set play, something we have struggled to defend for a long long time.

Thoughts of slipping back into the darkness that was last season are perhaps a little premature, we are still third in the table and unbeaten don't forget.
We can however play beautiful football and need to adapt when managers have rallied their troops with their half time team talks. Wednesday tried to stop us playing the game last night, many others will try to do the same. A plan of action and counter tactics must be part of Charlton's armoury to ensure our wonderful start to the campaign continues.

It's another home fixture Saturday, one which i can finally get to after missing everything since the opening day. Exeter are another side who could surprise us, and another donor club to our central defensive partnership. Exeter haven't had the best of starts picking up only four points  to date and sitting just on top of the bottom four. A big game at The Valley and the chance to take a scalp will be great incentive for them.

Lets pray we get back to winning ways and keep the pressure on the top two. Come on you reds!

Any old Iron.

That was the shout of the Rag and Bone man who was after your discarded and unwanted odds and sods that he could still salvage. Scunthorpe, The Iron, filled that role yesterday taking a point (albeit more than deserved) that we discarded.

A quality side will get result even when they haven't always had the best of the match. Charlton have had plenty of warning already at this early stage of the season, first halves have been dominant only to let the opposition back in a little in the second forty five. It was only a matter of time before somebody punished us.
Scunthorpe stepped up to that challenge after some very sloppy defending gave us our first glimpse of disappointment.

Johnnie Jackson opened the scoring with what is becoming a trademark looping header. This was followed by Bradley Wright-Phillips getting on the end of an inch perfect cross from Danny Hollands. 2-0 and controlling a game we had little right to. Scunthorpe had the more possession, the more shots on and off target and six corners to each one of ours.
The visitors never laid down and got themselves back into the match through Bobby Grant. A goal with around a quarter of an hour to go, then in the first of five added minutes the marksman doubled his tally to break Charlton hearts.
Watching these goals on TV highlighted that the striker was surrounded by red shirts on both occasions, yet twice allowed a route through to goal.

This result was inevitable, every team every season will drop points. Four wins on the trot was asking a lot to open a season with. It's how we bounce back from this and what we'll take from it that matters. Last season we went from match to match making similar, if not the same, mistakes. We've an opportunity on Tuesday to take a scalp, if you can call Reading that, and get back into winning ways, it was a habit that suited us.

Chris Powell has stuck with the same side so far, i hope (and expect) the Carling Cup will give others from our large squad a chance, and the opportunity, to stake a claim in the starting XI for the trip to Bury next Saturday.
Bury have started well, but these are the teams we need to send a lesson out to. MK Dons and Brentford both walloped their opposition yesterday, the former likely to be promotion candidates come May. We have only dropped the first two points out of twelve and we've been taught a valuable lesson. We have to take as many of our chances as possible to put a game to bed. It's something we've never really been that good at.

As the weeks go by, we'll think of this as a useful point gained rather than two dropped. Scunthorpe will be in the mix judging by the standard of football witnessed at The Valley, and they will be expecting the quick return to the Championship we had once dreamed of.

Let's hope we see some of the more positive football from now on that we are more than capable of and take a leaf out of the Franchise's book. I would like to see us sticking to having two up front till the death, no disrespect to the Ginger Pele, but late goals can win or change games for either side.

Here's to a hatful at Gigg Lane.

AVB in the news? No, BWP!

Chelsea kicked off their campaign at the weekend and all the talk was surrounding three letters AVB. Last night Charlton won in Essex and it's the letters BWP that are hitting the headlines.

Our very own Bradley Wright-Phillips scored a brace to sink Colchester, at their stupidly named ground, in another fantastic first forty five minutes.

Last season the trip to Colchester was one of the very rare highlights in a dismal campaign. Yesterday i would have sold my Gran, or anybody else's for that matter, to have been able to go.
Unfortunately, work commitments have got worse than normal at the moment due to the boss having his fortnight in the sun/rain. So i couldn't go (yes, typed in a very angry fashion), nor can i make the next couple of home games to boot (and yes that is the sound of a grown man crying).
During the course of a day that deteriorated by the minute, i watched on Twitter as more and more of the lucky so and so's that i follow embarked on their journey up the A12. With each excited tweet that i read, my mood darkened. When Saturday comes, I'll be hibernating at work avoiding all this joviality.

By all accounts the first forty five was all Charlton, just as it was at Meadow Lane on Saturday. Also identical to the weekend was the half time score, the starting eleven and the bench. Last night however we kept a clean sheet throughout. In fact, the Colchester keeper was awarded man of the match which goes to show the balance of play.

Two first half goals for our number ten could have easily been added two in the second half as Bradley twice came close to a hat-trick. Once again the ever improving Paul Hayes deserves plenty of praise making a goal and having a hand in many of our other chances.
The central midfield duo, as is becoming expected of them, looked dominant by all accounts. Yes it's only three games in, but i wonder what odds you would get on one of these two getting their name on that player of the year award in May?

This is a Charlton side that enjoys, and is getting used to, winning. With three games down we sit neatly on the top of the pile with only Sheffield United joining us on maximum points.
There is an excitement surrounding the club which has been missing for far too long, i can see attendances creeping up the further we get into the season as more and more supporters want their own piece of this footballing high.
If we were scraping wins together I'd say you would be right in calling me premature. The fact is we are playing lovely football. The squad have gelled in no time and the camaraderie is there for all to see. Good times are here and at the moment, it's a very happy Valley.

Of course Scunthorpe will be hoping to rain on our parade at the weekend. One of the relegated clubs, they are very slow off the blocks but there is no question of lack of ability amongst their ranks. I feel it's only a matter of time before they are once again used to their surroundings and getting points on the board. Of course that won't be happening until after Saturday.

I've already forgotten what AVB stands for, i just remember he's a very young manager. I'll never forget what BWP stands for, or what a great young manager we have.

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..............