Blackburn Rovers 1 Charlton Athletic 2

Hamer, Solly, Evina, Taylor, Morrison, Wagstaff, Jackson, Pritchard, Stephens, Wilson, Kermorgant. These eleven men were playing in League One last season. Add in the subs and leaving Fuller to one side, the other 17 players representing Charlton Athletic at Ewood Park this afternoon have previous to this season only played between 25-30 games at this level between them.

They are learning, just like their manager and they continue to make us proud. What they don’t have in experience or lack in ability they make up for in heart.

Blackburn got the opposite of the new manager bounce today and I was pleased to hear early on that the Chicken Men were in the building and soaking up the adoration. Blackburn used to be a mill town knocking out woolly jumpers to the rest of the country, now all it has to attract visitors is a circus with Ewood Park masquerading as the Big Top.

Rovers have some good players and with a decent coach to glue them together and if their dwindling support can get behind them, then I think they’d be challenging Cardiff at the top of the table, yet they are on the road to nowhere and we took advantage.

Stephens continued his good recent form in transfer window month and put us ahead with a cracker. By all accounts we could have been further ahead at the break, but we weren’t and when Jordan Rhodes, for about the first time ever, got the better off Michael Morrison to equalize, I feel ashamed to say I feared the worse.

But fear not, this lot pulled together and took the game back to Rovers and in the 64th minute the French Destroyer powered in a header from a Pritchard cross and we were back in front.

Rovers fans stared at their feet and turned their attention towards the Chicken Men whilst The Addicks saw out the victory for another fantastic win on the road. Big plaudits to those that made the treacherous journey, they got what they deserved.

Addick Bloggers at Ewood Park: Doctor Kish.
Powell-ometer: Rarely unchanged, Powell’s charges with five in the middle added more misery to Rovers. Remember these two teams were separated by The Championship last season.
Elsewhere: Cardiff go 10 points clear after winning at Blackpool, Hull were held at Peterborough and Palace at home to Bolton. Watford steamrollered Huddersfield 4-0, whilst Burnley took their turn in 7th after winning comfortably at The Den. Birmingham and Brighton was 2-2, Derby and Forest shared the derby spoils and Barnsley and Ipswich also drew. Leeds beat bottom-placed 1-0, so no new manager-bounce for City either and Wednesday and Wolves was goalless.