Charlton Athletic 1 Stockport County 1
We should’ve won that, shouldn’t we?
We played pretty well, and upped the ante in the second half to bestow the game an exciting finish but once again we were unlikely to score more than a single goal.
Nathan Jones made some changes, both selection and enforced. Despite a two-week break Lloyd Jones and Chuks Aneke are both now in the injury room. Sadly Kayne Ramsey joined them, and we can only wish that probably most fan’s early POTY is not out for a long time.
Terry Taylor got a start and Jones continued with the boxed midfield, which is definitely easier on the eye, and it does provides goal threatening chances.
Taylor had a good game I felt, and to the surprise of only a few is a far better deliverer of a dead ball that Coventry.
Not much had happened in the game when County were awarded a penalty. It was dubious and Mannion appeared unfortunate to be penalized, yet the defenders should have dealt with the long ball much better. Lloyd Jones may well have done.
0-1 down after 12 minutes and then we start to think ‘can we get two.’
Chances came after that for the Addicks with Karoy Anderson having the best one, but he headed straight at their ‘keeper from a key-point Taylor corner.
The 2nd half was one-way traffic, and it was substitute REG who go the equalizer tapping in after TC had a shot saved. Good teams go on to win from there, and we couldn’t but we did give it a good go.
The Covered End were noisy and Stockport were clinging on and burning time whenever they could. Leaburn entered the fray and looked up for. Perhaps we’ll see him start on Tuesday.
County went down to 10 men and Jones then threw on youngster Kaheim Dixon for his Charlton debut. We were playing four up top at that point and we peppered their goal but were unable to get the winner.
On a positive note we have won games this season when we really haven’t played well and had once chance. That is not sustainable, but our play against Birmingham and Stockport is, and better on the eye.
🎙️”Chuks felt something, when he feels something, we have always got to be careful in terms of that.” – Nathan Jones
⭐️ Terry Taylor
🏟️ 13,711 (1,242 from Stockport)
📸 Kyle Andrews
Our lack of goal scoring ability continues to blight the team………
Definitely two points dropped/one point gained if you are a Stockport fan.
The thought that I kept circling back to after the match was our lack of a proven goal scorer. TC had the best chances, I like how NJ uses him, not as a striker, but also not quite a midfielder either, he gets into the right areas and isn’t afraid to shoot but he’s not a goal scorer in the manner of Alfie May or Matt Godden.
Defensively, other than the penalty we didn’t look like conceding, that’s two games on the bounce where we’ve shut down opposition forwards and not given them a decent sniff of goal.
A shame that Kayne Ramsay got injured but compare this season to last, we had REG coming off the bench and looking like he had played most of the season at RB, and Terry Taylor also played like he had a decent amount of football under his belt. Last season we would have had Terell Thomas off the bench…
The style we are playing under NJ looks better – we had over 60% possession and consequently are playing more in the opponent’s half of the field. When you do that you force mistakes and create chances, we just need someone to take them…
I think on yesterdays showing Terry Taylor is well worth a starting berth in midfield if NJ is going to stick with four there. It gave us a balance, and a better delivery of set pieces. That, and a fit Leaburn would improve our offensive ability no end.
Still work in progress but i thought we were excellent. Taylor was a great improvement in midfield. Up front a Leaburn combination with Adherne, Godden or Cambell could work but whatever the combination is it needs to be Leaburn plus another.
I was pleased to see Taylor get a game and play well. He has had little pitch time as he has not played for the U21s, as an overage player. He can only improve if he continues to be selected, although Coventry has done well as the holding player in midfield I think he may do a good job in the more attacking positions as Docherty, A. Campbell and Berry have not proved very effective.
Zach Michell has signed a 3 yr contract with a 1yr option which is commendable, but he doesn’t even get on the subs bench.
I have long held the opinion that a player of 19-20 needs to be playing regularly or if not they stagnate. He has not played regularly for the U21s for which he is still eligible.
I have not given up on Ahadme, but feel he may improve if used as 2nd striker with Leaburn or Aneke
I think Zack has spent some time in the treament room after coming off in the Cambridge cup game in which he was excellent. Believe he was in the squad prior to that. ?
At last a bit like Kanu, he has actually given Terry Taylor a game starting, who IMO was man of the match, surely he must now replace Alan Campbell, who is too slow and was still a yard of the pace as per his previous games, yet another Luton old boy who has yet to perform!
Lets also hope Ramsey is not too badly injured, as Reg apart from a simple tap in after the goalie had parried TC’s shot, he was beaten everytime when one on one down the wing and Mitchell had to keep on helping him out, thus pulling him out of position from a more central role. Plus we really missed Jones at the back as Giliphsey is too slow and an accident waiting to happen, which it did, as Jones would have cleared that ball before it even got to where it ended up with Mannion having to rush out. Surely if Jones is still out injured Zac Mitchell should replace him, as N.J. keeps saying how good he is, similar to what he was saying about Terry Taylor and Kanu, who both only really got a starting place in the last two games and proved they should be in the team!
The good thing was after that first half it looked like that was it, but the team came out with a far more positive attitude second half with the only downside, NJ as usual should have brought the subs on earlier and we might have then just then had time to go and get the extra goal to win it!
Will be interesting to see what team he now puts out against Barnsley, as without, Jones & Ramsey at the back and Kanu’s energy and pace up front, certain other replacements just aren’t up to the task!