Charlton Athletic 2 Wigan Athletic 2
Torture isn’t it? No one ever said supporting this football club was going to be easy. Ever.
When the fixtures came out over a year ago, we all collectively sighed ‘I hope we don’t have to go to Elland Road needing something?’ Well, slow forward 12 months and here we are.
Yesterday’s game was such a rollercoaster. We went down a goal early, even then the ball bounced around as if Phillips had some kind of force field on the goal line before it was bundled in by Lowe.
I feared the worst, I think we all probably did. Yet, back the Addicks came.
Two minutes later Doughty firing home a volley after a raking Matthews cross. This sparked some excellent attacking play from Charlton. Sarr headed wide, perhaps should have done better. Bonne definitely should have done better one-on-one, then a big penalty shout, again ignored and a goalmouth scramble from a Cullen cross that was kept out.
Wigan changed their formation to match ours, we were really on top as the half approached. Yet despite all the good play, and chances, it was Wigan who shook the net again. A crisp break, pinpoint cross, and fine finish from Dowell put Wigan back in front. They made it look so easy, whereas we make scoring look like a Rubik’s Cube. 😩
Half-time. Could we score two for the first time since lockdown? A win would have been heavenly, a point a necessity, a defeat the death knell.
Bowyer brought Williams and Morgan on at the break, then Aneke replaced the young Davison, who had given his all, and Aneke immediately was causing a nuisance.
Yet, as I sat at my computer, head on the desk, a sense of doom was drifting over me. I thought we looked down and out, shorn of ideas and chances. Plenty of trademark huffing and puffing, but little sign of a match-winner or creative spark.
We kept going. Seven minutes of injury time shown on the screen. Another Matthews cross, flicked on my Aneke, and there was Bonne, who perhaps mercifully had little time to dwell on the pass, and swept the ball home past Marshall.
A lifeline, and amongst the infinite scenarios, we are still in the fight.
Let the torture continue!
Bow said: “I have a group there that will keep fighting and keep pushing and I just wish we’d had a bit of luck here and there.”
Elsewhere: Stoke are safe after beating Brentford the morning after West Brom lost to Huddersfield, who then sack their manager. Middlesbrough lose at home to Cardiff and Birmingham at Preston. In the big one yesterday for 85 minutes the 0-0 looked on, but Lua Lua scored to give Luton the 3 points at Hull. Today for 93 minutes the result looked like going in our favour but Schmidt gave Barnsley their own lifeline by beating play-off chasing Forest in injury time.
Photo: @K_AndrewPhotos
Chicago Addick 
At last Davison got his chance. What an improvement on Hemed who thankfully did not feature.
Still hope Doughty will be used as a goal scoring winger but we are weak at left full back because of Page’s unfortunate situation. I stressed this time last year that we needed to recruit full backs, Matthews has solved the problem on the right hand side but nobody has nailed down the left back position.
The season will go down to the wire on Wednesday evening let’s hope we survive.
Davison is quick as well for a big lad. Really hope he can become the finished article.
On the LB, Purrington doesn’t look good enough at this level. Or at least any more than a squad player.
It’s in our hands from here on and maybe given the off-field ownership stuff, the series of last minute goals conceded and injuries that is what we should be expecting. At least we go to Leeds in decent form, but that final third issue has to be sorted out in the summer, along with a lot of other issues.
CA we’re due some luck surely??
Bows destiny back at elland rd??
Worse for me as my sister (one time Addick) is now a die hard Luton fan – family tensions running high to say the least
Sleep between now and Wednesday won’t come easy
Luck and sleep are not characteristics associated with being an Addick. Steve.
How true is that!