A Point... Again.

Charlton Athletic 0 - 'Boro 0

The first half of the game was ridiculously dull.
I'd been watching the Ryder Cup and had to tear myself away from events up in Scotland to head to the Valley for the visit of 'Boro.
For long periods of the first 45 minutes I wished I hadn't bothered.

Many of the away fans had enjoyed an HMS RoD style journey to the game via a Thames pleasure boat. They certainly looked and sounded well refreshed once they made it to the Jimmy Seed stand.

This is not to be considered anything other than a personal view and there will be many people who will think I'm way up my own bum when I say it but Middlesborough has over the years become my baseline assessment for crap towns.

Everyone has their own views on places.
I grew up chuckling at the comments by WC Fields who at every opportunity poked fun at and noted the lack of excitement and beauty to be found in the city of his birth, Philadelphia.
He quipped that on his grave stone he'd like to have "I'd rather be living in Philadelphia" and that a first prize in a competition was a week in Philadelphia, second prize was two weeks in Philadelphia etc etc.

Needless to say, I spent what was quite possibly the time of my life and loved very nearly every minute of my time living in the City of Brotherly Love so it's all down to personal preference.

Having said that, Middlesborough has become my own lowest of the low in a long line of places I'm glad I don't live.
There'll be many (thousands) of people who love it there but I didn't.

As a football team, they've given us the run around over recent years and we haven't beaten them since Darren Bent was leading the line for us.
They also sold us the biggest of pups, (though actually he came on a free transfer), when Jimmy Floyd Piggybanks waddled into the Valley to collect vast amounts of cash for doing quite a lot of pointing at positions on the pitch he'd like the ball to be delivered, then failing to get his gargantuan rear end to travel anywhere near said position.

I can recall absolutely nothing of note about the first half except I was getting rather tetchy about the referee. It took him half an hour to make a decision in Charlton's favour.
Middlesborough were 100% on top though but luckily they were very poor in front of goal.

The half time break will probably have to be filed under 'One For The Dads' as a group of pretty girls stretched, pouted, shook their hair and played a rather over elaborate game of Ring a Roses in front of the Family Stand.

I've nothing against pretty girls, (natch), but it did seem rather 'Palace' and not really what I want to see at the football.
Maybe it's the future but I don't like it.

Having said that, I'd rather have a whole troupe of dancing girls waving their bits at half time than have to endure the G*al M*s*c that seems to be all the rage at clubs with fans who have to be told when to and how to cheer.

The second half started much like the first, though Charlton gradually came back into it and probably should have won.
The final quarter of an hour was highly entertaining, in complete contrast to the rest of the afternoon.

Key incidents included Wiggins being Karate kicked in the same manner as the plump Palace fan who annoyed Eric Cantona, leading to Adomah getting a second yellow card.
The referee got himself into a bit of a fix as he seemed to be sending off the 'Boro player while also saying he'd won a free kick, so we had a good chant about his parentage until we realised he just didn't know his arse from his elbow, or in fact the way the teams were kicking when doing his arm signal.

Bikey had a rather foolish player run into him.
He obviously came off worse, as I would do if I ran into a parked Ford Mondeo.
 I wouldn't try to claim the Mondeo had deliberately clattered me though.
The 'Boro fans saw it differently of course and booed him whenever he played the ball.
The pantomime season started early as the Charlton support cheered his every touch and the atmosphere got a bit lively.

Adam Clayton is still the nasty piece of work he was at Huddersfield.
He went around trying to remove player's shin pads with his studs just as he did for the Yorkshire team.
We had a smile remembering how it took Dale Stephens, who nobody would ever remember as an 'enforcer' to put him back in his box.
Stephens really should have been given a red card that day but it was pure karma that he didn't after all the 'previous' Clayton had got away with over 3 or 4 fixtures.

New Charlton player Bulot hit the inside of the post with an acrobatic effort. It deserved a goal but it wasn't to be.

In the closing minutes of the game, Wiggins and Wilson both came close, Wilson's shot in particular had me already up on my feet celebrating but some tremendous last ditch defending from 'Boro kept Charlton out.

At half time I couldn't see us getting anything from the game unless we changed things around.
At full time, I was disappointed the 3 points hadn't been grabbed.

So, having traveled to Lille to see 'les Dogues' of LOSC grab a point in an actually quite exciting 0-0 draw with Montpellier last Sunday, I now saw my second 0-0 in a week.

I can't imagine Charlton's next fixture at Norwich will be 0-0, though that would be considered a massive success.

Still unbeaten heading to the end of September?

I'll go for that.

Golden Wonder

Charlton Athletic 1 - Wolves 1

After the visit of the 'Golden Boys', we now played host to the 'Old Gold' of Wolverhampton.

At this rate, we'll be seeing the Gold Blend couple, Dutch rockers Golden Earring, Blue Peter dog Goldie and branches of 'relaxed' 70's restaurant 'Golden Egg' popping up around The Valley.

George Tucudean could have scored Charlton's now seemingly 'traditional' early goal in the 6th minute,  his header going wide after Cousins' precise cross.

Wolves wasted some good chances, especially former Charlton failure Leon Clarke. 

With his back to goal, the impressive Henry looped a spectacular 13th minute effort. Thankfully it was nudged over the bar by Henderson as the game ebbed and flowed.

Charlton did score first through Andre Bikey-Amougou's 25th-minute volley. Not the best goal of the season so far but certainly the best celebration.  For a big boned bloke his gymnastic tumbling had remarkable grace.

It was almost 2-0 within moments but Tucudean sprayed his shot wide, then later he copied one of my trademarked golf air shots when he had the goal at his mercy.

At half time Charlton were 1-0 up but it seemed clear the 'gold standard' chances that had been fluffed would probably come back to bite us on the bum.

Of course it came to pass that Charlton's defence was finally breached, though Henderson will be disappointed he didn't manage to keep the ball out. 

From our angle, it seemed rather odd when the Wolves supporters were jumping about as it looked as if Henderson had clawed the ball away.

Once Wolves scored, they were lifted, Batth getting the final touch.

Though it did seem Wolves were now moving forwards with more aggression and purpose, Charlton were still having their own moments too.

Unfortunately, the referee now chose to have his worst period of the game, missing or choosing to ignore some bad challenges and transgressions.

When he did notice something, it was odds on it would be to the benefit of the visitors, even if exactly the same thing had happened moments before and he'd waved play on despite the Charlton support howling in protest.

With seconds to go, he very nearly completely blew it for Charlton when a rash challenge then a blatant handball within 2 seconds of each other were waved away, only for Wolves to break clear.

Had they scored, and arguably they really should have done, it would have been a travesty as a draw was a fair result.

Both teams gave a good account of themselves and even though it was Charlton's worst home result of the season, it was hardly a disaster.

An indication of how far things have changed in recent months is that many fans were disappointed at only getting a draw from the visit of one of the teams at the top of the table.

Heady days.

I'm off to eat some Golden Graham's with Gold Top poured on before heading to bed.

Glass Half Full?

Brighton and Hove Albion 2 - Charlton Athletic 2.

After the nomadic years and the shambles of the Withdean, Brighton deserve their excellent home. 

Well, a really rather pleasant day out at the seaside with a sneaky bit of kickball thrown in for good measure.

If that mythical person who goes around offering points before the game had come and sat with me on the train down to the coast, and then told me we could be heading back to London with a point, I would as the cliche demands, have "grabbed it with both hands".

Of course, I'd also have put more money than I did on the draw but that's not really important.

What is important is that by the time our team next wander out onto a pitch wearing the first team shirt, despite it very nearly being mid September, they will be an unbeaten set of players (if we hastily forget about the tin pot cup).

Another important point is that after many years of hoping and moaning, we do seem to have lucked into having a forward who knows where the goal is, showing he is a finisher, rather than one of the 'nearly' men.

Igor has won me plenty of cash already this season.
I fully expect Paddy Power to change his goalscoring odds quite dramatically over the next few weeks.

Brighton is a great destination. Quality pubs, great nightlife and the 'holiday' vibe whenever I head down there.

The Amex is a fantastic stadium and there won't be many places better suited to watching football. Crispy pointed out the red 'mood' lighting in the concourse that he'd heard is changed to match the colours of the visiting team.
There seemed to be rather a lot of Charlton crests stuck around the place and while you were staring dutifully at the wall having your 'comfort break', there was a message thanking you for making the journey from Charlton, helpfully stuck at eye line.

The pies were pretty good, the red wine (don't ask) wasn't as bad as expected and the padded comfy seats were all designed to make you feel welcome.
Normally the once a season away fans get the worst part of the ground so I'm assuming the home areas of the Amex are equally plush, if not more so.

As a special treat, Wayne Rooney had taken time out from his millionaire Cheshire lifestyle to come and do the stewarding of the Charlton fans.

Wazza, give us a wave.

After failing to score in the previous visits to the Amex, (which is even worse than actually scoring but not being able to see it due to the mist rolling in at the Withdean a few years back), Charlton set off like a rocket and were 1-0 up before some of our support had made it off the free train from Brighton.

From that point on, there was only one team in it.

They were the hosts.

Henderson pushed the ball around the post but mostly it was a masterclass in great opportunities with duff finishing from Albion.

At half time we hoped we might be able to hang on for the next 45 minutes but unfortunately, with about 20 minutes to go, a corner lead to bean pole Dunk climbing above everyone and smartly waking up the home support.

We all now hoped we might be able to hang onto the draw but Simon Church had other ideas. 

Having come on for the second half, he made a real nuisance of himself.  

If the game had been played in the Premiership he'd have been awarded a (soft) penalty rather than the yellow card he got for simulation.

As it was, he managed to get the ball to a frankly quite shattered looking Igor Vertokele who twisted and made the space to score, making the angle for himself by skilfully deflecting the ball off the upright.

Never has a goal been scored more against the run of play. 

We cared not one jot.

IGOOOOOOOOOORRRR!!

When the 4 minutes of added on time were announced there wasn't a single Charlton supporter who believed we were home and hosed.

We've seen it all before, many times but it didn't stop us hoping.

Unfortunately, an extremely poorly defended corner with just seconds to go was the chance for Brighton to get what they deserved. 

Dunk headed into an unguarded net while the Charlton team looked befuddled at the sudden arrival of an extra 'keeper in the box.

Ho Hum.

Sometimes a draw feels like a win, as the Brighton support showed, and sometimes it feels like a loss.

We do need to learn how to close out games but nobody could say that Charlton didn't (almost) manage the perfect away performance against stronger opposition.

The 2,000 Charlton supporters were honest and thanked the players for their efforts rather than being annoyed at the late setback.

Thanks at the Amex.

After a really quite pain free short journey back to town from Falmer, we were at the busy Brighton rail station.

A few fine beers nearby, with friends, in possibly Brighton's worst pub, were made more entertaining when some drunk middle aged women were refused entry.
They argued a while, then decided the reason they were not welcome wasn't because they had been too thirsty, it was because the pub bouncers toilet equipment was far too small.

Catty.

A fine day out and a hardly deserved point on the board sent us home to London with a smile on our faces.

Mugged

Charlton Athletic 2 - Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Ok, it's not like we've never drawn at home to Dagenham before.

Even in those heady days under Curbs we managed to make a right horlicks of it and needed a second attempt to see them off in the FA cup.

Todays draw was a completely different affair.
We entered the field of play in the same division, (which only shows how far we've fallen.... etc etc blah blah drone drone.)

Crispy couldn't make it today, being away in Belgium.

Early on, I sent him an update declaring the game to be a 'turkey shoot'.
It was so one sided we could have been 3 or 4 up before Llera finally headed us into the lead from a corner.

The rest of the first half was more of the same.
However, rather worryingly, Charlton just couldn't get the ball into the net again, despite owning the ball and rarely letting the Daggers have a kick.

The turning point for me came as we were wondering what the queue was like in the bogs and deciding if the now Autumnal temperature was cool enough to warrant a cup of something warm in a few moments.

We could almost touch half time when for possibly only the 5th time in the first period, the Daggers managed to get the ball into the Charlton half.

From my (rather good) view in the East stand, there then seemed to be a Dagenham player launching himself rather hopefully into space and then the referee pointing to the spot.

It seemed such a laughably poor decision we almost forgot to have a moan.

The (appalling all game) East stand lino, who must have had the best view of all, refused to get involved and suddenly from being 1-0 up and cruising, we were exiting at halftime with the score 1-1.

Over halftime, it would seem that Parky gave the referee Jon Moss the benefit of his wiser world view and got himself sent off.

Throughout the second half, Moss was almost the Daggers best player. He obviously had an axe to grind against Charlton so our booing him and Parky's outburst really were counterproductive.
 I was almost shocked he didn't try and make a blocking move or tackle himself, he seemed so keen to stifle our attacks.

One example of many shockingly crap decisions was when Akpo Sodje was being held by the arm so he couldn't run onto a through ball. He tugged and tugged to escape but he couldn't free himself.
Moss blew for a foul and awarded a free kick........ for the Daggers!

Charlton weren't quite so in command in the second half.
Worner had to pull off some smart saves to keep the score at 1-1 but Charlton were still having much more possession and many more, (reward free), attacks.

As the game entered added on time again, Charlton finally made the breakthrough due to a well placed header from Jackson.

Charlton had seemed unlikely to get much from the game after Reid had left the pitch, injured, only minutes after entering play as a substitute.
Jackson pushed forward and Fry came on in defence.

At 2-1, the score wasn't really a true account of the game but I was willing to take the 3 points, despite all the missed opportunities to improve our goal difference.

Anyone who has been following Charlton for more than ten minutes would have been able to guess what happened next.

The Daggers went straight up the other end and Nurse finished off a really good move, bravely, at the far post.

2-2.
Bugger.

Despite his general crapness, we couldn't blame that one on the referee. It was just Charlton pressing self destruct again.

Wish I was in sodding Belgium.

A Casual Rating.

The Daggers team can all have Lacoste polos for being most certainly second best, yet still coming away with a draw. They've now scored their first, (and second) away goals of the season and have something to build on. Well done Daggers and good luck for the rest of the season, at least until we head over there.
Ross Worner can have one too for a confident performance and some very good saves.

The most useless in a long line of bloody awful useless tier 3 referees can have a whole collection of dreaded Primark novelty slogan tee shirts for his 'performance'.
I hope we never have him again.
It's my fault really. About 20 minutes into the game, Crispy's father and I remarked that the referee seemed to be having a 'good game'.
Almost instantly, he turned to excrement.

Right now, I'm really rather teed off with Charlton.

Just a little note for the pinboard at Sparrows Lane.
When you've just scored, in injury time, to take 3 points, maybe a spot of defending might be in order?

So, back on Tuesday for more of the same it is then.