Charlton Athletic 1 Coventry City 1
A performance full of character this afternoon as Nathan Jones’ team breathed new life into our hopes and dreams on the first day of a new year.
After Monday night, it was interesting to me at least, that Pompey went down 5-0, but we played like we did today against the runaway leaders with the best away record in the league.
However, in the 3rd minute I was about to give up and take a long walk outside. I feared Southampton again as Simms drove home a sweeping move for 0-1.
Yet, we stuck with it and worked our way into the game and created a couple of half-chances with Leaburn having an effort saved after being set up by Kelman.
Kelman then had a shot that VAR may have given a penalty for handball, then he was quick-thinking again to lay a chance on for Berry, but a Coventry defender took the ball off his toes.
Half-time and we had bounced back pretty well, we just lacked that final third quality that Coventry executed in the 3rd minute.
The start of the 2nd half started like the first, except Kaminski pulled off a double save to keep it 0-1.
There was a big crowd today and the noise from both ends was heard on screen. The Covered End was dragging Charlton forward and the half chances kept coming with Rankin-Costello running the show.
We were peppering their goal, yet Coventry still possessed more threat, but the work rate of this Charlton side was heartening to see again.
Then on 69 minutes Kelman raced away, muscled their defender out of the way, entered the box and tried to beat Rushworth, but he could only parry it out to Rankin-Costello, who had made a 50m lung busting run to steady himself and put in.
After that I liked the way we saw out the game, and there were many very good performances.
It was an unexpected point, but fully deserved and gives us another platform to build from, with Sunday now huge.
🎙️ “Joe has had to bide his time, he has had to wait, and he put in a big shift today. He was outstanding, he’s a clever player, and he is starting to show what we paid money for.” – Nathan Jones
⭐️ Joe Rankin-Costello
🏟️ 20,789 (3,016 Coventry)
📸 Paul Edwards
Watch the game at home while celebrating my 68 th birthday, better from Charlton but a big hats off to Joe Rankin Costello. Shorter trip for my son I on Sunday to Blackburn coyr
Happy birthday, Worsley.
Thanks CA
Credit where it’s due, Charlton showed their fighting spirit and put in the level of performance that we all know they are capable of. We need nothing less than this at Blackburn on Sunday. JRC was outstanding and his performance deserves all of the plaudits. Well done to the whole team. The supporters were exceptional too.
I did say we could get a result and pleased that we did get a well deserved point.
The team battled,and were back to the ‘never give up’ attitude and fought for every ball…
Credit to Lampard who acknowledged that The Valley is a difficult ground to.play at.
I feel Jones will be happy we did a good job.
So much better performance from our lads JRC was definitely the standout player for me but all the team played exceptionally well unlucky not to have penalty awarded to us lets play like this at Blackburn COYR
Better result than anticipated. But look what happened to Pompey, yet we couldn’t even draw with them.
Five points from the last 33 is relegation form.
Blackburn are there for the taking. Which version of Charlton will turn up there?
I also (briefly) considered going for a long walk after three minutes, but we always have hope as Charlton fans. Loved how Nathan Jones compared JRC to Pele. He linked up brilliantly with Coventry and Campbell around the penalty area and showed us that there is another way back into matches rather than just high crosses into the penalty area which good Championship defences can quite comfortably deal with. Keep going Addicks. With this spirit we’ll survive.
Excellent !! That was a showing of what we are able to do, but we have to get rid of the Jekyll & Hyde performances. We showed guts today throughout the team, led by Rankin Costello. I thought Kelman had a better game too. Perhaps he is starting to cope with stepping up to the Championship. TC probably had his best game of the season so far. Let it be a stepping stone to a result at Blackburn.
Like you CA we all thought it was over after 3 minutes, after Berry had lost the ball and the defence were all over the place, it looked like Southampton all over again, but we held on until half time, with a few efforts of our own.
Soon after the start of the second half almost a carbon copy of first goal, Bree completely lost his man, cross came over and Kaminski made a double save with Bell clearing off the line. Then Costello took control and we played some of our best football for sometime, with neat one twos, which we rarely see and his lung busting run from his own half to catch Kelman up, notice not one other player made such an effort to get up there with him!, which paid off with him hitting in the rebound from the goalie.
From there on it was end to end stuff with both teams having some chances to score and in all, against probably the best team in the division, a point was a good and well deserved result.
The only issues, not just me but others around, why was Berry not subbed at halftime? He was running around hardly touching the ball and we he did he lost it, he is just too old and slow now and not the player he was, he would struggle in the first division and why was Bree not subbed? Yet again he had a poor game, he is so slow at getting back to defend and Burke, who had his best game, had to keep covering for him, plus Bree’s so called expertise in deadballs were dreadful as per previous recent games. Apart from the last corner everyone of them, did not get above three foot of the ground and didn’t get past the first defenders on the near post, it was laughable, yet NJ doesn’t even have a word with him!
If NJ had replaced those two off at halftime, we may have even gone onto win it!
Finally as we were driving home, NJ was interviewed by BBC London by obviously a reporter who is also a Charlton supporter, as he wouldn’t let NJ off the hook to why Costello hasn’t been playing.
As the reporter said to NJ that Costello was more or less the best player out there, NJ agreed and said that’s we bought him to the club etc. The reporter then questioned NJ why then, has he hardly played then and this was only his second start, to which NJ advised when he came to us he was still carrying an injury so he had to clear that up and also get him match fit, but the reporter continued and said well he has been on the bench since for quite a while with NJ replying that other players had to be given a chance. For once, the reporter didn’t give up and questioned NJ again and that he had been on the bench so why had he still hadn’t been given a start until the previous game even though we had been having a terrible run, to which NJ replied thats to do with or your have to ask the management, can’t remember the exact words, as we were all laughing. Well NJ defintely selects the team each week but his ego is such that he won’t take the blame himself, but blames all the mangement as one for not playing him, so does that include Rodwell & Co as well! 🙂
We now have two midfield ball players who can take players on and make good passes in Carey & Costello so he needs to use them both in games, not necessary both playing at the same time, but now has an option to swap them around when they are tiring. Plus he must cease this continual playing of his loyal ex Luton players, who aren’t up to it, which more or less Curbs advised him when we first got promoted.
I suspect that it may have been a contractual issue not playing Costello regularly as there are so many clauses in contracts that tend to favour the club in most cases…..I stand corrected if I’m wrong but it does seem that Nathan deflected the issue with the reporter.
That wouldn’t make any sense as he is contracted to us until 2029.
I think NJ was pointing the finger at himself for not playing JRC.
Happy New Year CA and everyone…
After Pompey and Norwich I was dreading having to play the league leaders when we clearly weren’t in form and then Ellis Simms scored…that was too soft a goal to concede.
But for the next 87 minutes though we were the better team, Coventry had a couple of chances, but Leaburn should have scored and that penalty decision could have gone our way and our pressure especially in the second half should have created more opportunities.
Elsewhere, JRC was superb, we’ve needed a box-to-box midfielder and I was wondering who was on the transfer short-list then it turned out we already had one in the house.
But for all the positives there are a couple of negatives, our corners are woeful. James Bree looked good when he first signed but for the last few matches he’s been average at best. We need a set-piece coach in through the door this January. Also, we still need to be sharper in the final third, there were too many passes, crosses and through balls etc that were inaccurate.
Coventry were there for the taking but we didn’t quite do the job – if we are in a relegation fight it’s these sort of dropped points that could come back to haunt us.
But overall a great display by the team, we need to maintain that level of intensity and effort.
I went to the game with low expectations and hoped for a decent performance against the league leaders who score goals regularly and for fun. After 3 minutes the ghosts of Southampton were coming back and I feared the worst. A sweeping move exposed our left side , a good cross ( something we can improve), found their striker who put it away with aplomb. I guess that is what 7 million buys you.
We grew into the game and I believe that the Leaburn chance was a good chance and he has to take them at this level. Coventry ( the team) looked threatening down the left side with Bell having a tough time with little support in front of him. As the half grew I had some confidence going into the 2nd half. Kaminski made some good saves ( I was critical of him for Pompey goal) today. Then we started to boss the game and pegged them back. For some better deliveries and composure then who knows what might have happened. I thought Burke, Jones and Bell at the back were having good games and JRC was running our midfield with forward runs that we have missed, sorry Karoy Anderson does not offer that in his gameplay. I thought Berry looked off pace, and was no surprise to sub him off for Knibbs.
Kellman i thought had a good game, linking up play and feeding our players in. He appears to have gained a yard / turn of pace too, and this was demonstrated as he chased down a long ball, harassed and outmuscled their defender and went through. They was no else with him, and JRC was sprinting forward to catch up. Thank goodness he did as he was there to knock in the keeper’s parry.
A good save kept Coventry out and as the clock ticked down we kinda hoped that the Pompey experience would not remerge. There were some good performances and the players worked hard. Going forward into next half of season, both the wing backs positions need to be improved, they need to be physically stronger, put in good deliveries than what we have now, and another striker would be on my list. The list of available players in this difficult window is not easy. I have noticed that Ryan Hardie from Wrexham can’t get in their squad and wonder if a loan move for him is on the cards. The rumours around the Hull right back / centre back continues to linger. I think that number 10 position is up for grabs as well with Carey and Knibbs in the hunt. We are still establishing ourselves in this league so to go toe to toe with a very good established championship side was encouraging. Another big game on Sunday, unfortunately I am going to miss it. We have to pick up points on the road , and this fixture presents an opportunity. The away form has been bad but thankfully we have more home games to come as we go into the last half of the season.
I reckon another 20points will do, and 3 on Sunday would be a great stride to that stay-up objective. COYR !