Charlton Athletic 0 Crystal Palarse 1

24 hours later and still massively disappointed. Seeing that lot celebrate like they’d won the World Cup was galling, I hate to think what it was like in the stadium. But it’s one game, and they don’t get to leave The Valley with their tails up very often.

However, let’s not kid ourselves, and honestly I don’t think many of us are, but we are in for a long and tricky season. This division, practically a Premier League 2, is tough. There are some very good teams, and players, particularly young ones, within it, and when two of the weaker sides are your biggest rivals then that is not helpful.

Let me take you back to this post by fellow blogger New York Addick. Knowing him, he didn’t enjoy writing it, but his words sadly were a premonition of what we have seen since.

After the Leicester game I said that to continue like that, we would have to be at every game 110%, each player, and have lady luck on our side. We can’t rely on that fortune. I was worried after being at Forest. Yes, they were good but they are not the best we will play, and they completely dominated the game.

I don’t agree (with some) that we didn’t want it enough last night. I think they did, and personally from watching it on the box, I couldn’t fault the player’s effort and commitment. Rarely I think will we see a Chris Powell team not utterly committed to the shirt, but last night it was quality that was missing not balls.

Palace had a few players in Zaha, Bolaise and goalscorer Dikgacoi that carried real threat on the floor, moving the ball forward and hurting us in difficult areas to defend. We had no one. We did miss Wiggins though. It made the team unbalanced and prior to getting injured Wiggins and Jackson combined a number of times on the left to put in some dangerous crosses.

Actually, I thought our defence played pretty well and I reckon it’s our strongest unit although we are going to miss Wiggins and I need quite a lot more convincing on Wilson. Meanwhile Solly was given a lot of problems, but I felt over the 90 minutes he came out of it with flying colours. Morrison and Cort impressed as well.

Sadly too many long ball were hurtled forward without any foresight. Kermorgant was pretty ineffective, and I kept willing him to drop back ten feet or so to provide a conduit between the labouring midfield and BWP, who again worked his socks off.

He didn’t and we only improved and started to carry some portent when after 5 games Powell put on Danny Green and finally we had some width on the pitch.

Fuller also gives us hope of better days ahead and we also have Kerkar and Haynes waiting in the wings. Pun intended.

I said until I’m bored of saying it, that we lack quality in midfield. We have no one that has played at this level, and is able to put their foot on the ball and calm everyone bloody down. Powell just has to go out and bring someone better than we have already in on loan. Unless of course he has been told by the owners that he already been dealt his cards.

I love Jackson, like you, but he is really struggling at this higher level. After Wiggins went off, the game simply passed him by. Likewise Hollands, whose shirt I sponsor was unable to have any influence on the match, although I still believe he would be better with a more defensive partner next to him. Bradley Pritchard’s fairy book story is having a bit of an ugly chapter and if any inquisitive Villa fans tuned in to watch Dale Stephens, then well….

Yes, BWP had a perfect goal scratched off, and one-up at half-time with the ‘ultra’s’ crying into their school milk, may have seen a very different end result. And again, like at Forest, we could have snatched a point at the end, it would have been undeserved, but if Hamer had scored in those final seconds I reckon I would still be in the pub now!!

A bad day at the office, and it has ruined all of our weekends, but we are back at it on Tuesday. Time for some changes and for Powell to convince Jimenez and Slater, if they need convincing, that this team, this squad, is not good enough.

Finally on a happier note, I spent the game in the company of three fellow Bermuda Addicks. If Hamer had scored, the Robin Hood would never have seen anything like it. Next time.

Addick Bloggers at The Valley: God, Charlton and Punk Rock.; And Nothing Else Matters; Drinking During the Game; Addicks Championship Diary; Blackheath Addick; Charlton Casualty.
Powell-ometer: Powell was apologised to by the official for disallowing BWP’s goal, but he will know that would have just papered over the cracks.
Elsewhere: On the same night Brighton showed their promotion credentials by thrashing Sheffield Wednesday in front of their biggest home crowd since 1982. Today Blackburn hit 5 at Bristol City, Jordan Rhodes scoring twice, Burnley also got 5 at home to Peterborough, Cardiff beat Leeds 2-1 and Hull were 4-up at home to Millwall at half-time eventually winning 4-1. Bolton overcame Watford 2-1, Watford lost 0-2 at Middlesbrough and Danny Ward’s goal after 47 seconds was enough for Huddersfield to defeat Derby. Forest came from 2-down at home to Birmingham to draw 2-2 and Barnsley and Blackpool shared the spoils 1-1.