West Ham United 1 Charlton Athletic 2

I was a shaking, blithering wreck at the final whistle. I looked up and the girls had left me to it and gone out and the dog was cowered in the corner.

A fantastic day for all Addicks and especially those at the game in a record Championship attendance.

A brilliant win, and we deserved that large slice of rare luck when their penalty hit the outside of the post in the 93rd minute.

In team news Okonkwo made his debut, Mannion wasn’t on the bench but apparently had a knock. So too did Godden, so Leaburn started and Mbick was on the bench.

The game started pretty even and I thought we did not look overawed and won an early corner. The next set play we won saw a long throw from Carey not dealt with by the West Ham defence, and Lloyd Jones brought the ball down and dispatched an overhead kick into the corner of the net.

Lloyd, where an earth did that come from? What a start with 9 minutes on the London Stadium clock.

Following that the game continued in the same vein with Charlton defensively solid and we kept the ball well and were having the best of the chances. Grant particularly in this period was excellent. His intelligence and experience showing whenever he got the ball.

Leaburn had a good shot that hit the goal stanchion and then Carey should have released him on a counter but chose the wrong option.

Our four attacking players were proving a real handful and it wasn’t until the minute of added time that West Ham had their first real opportunity – a header straight at Okonkwo.

Importantly I thought we began the second period positively, keeping in good shape and pressing well.

With the Hammers starting to up the tempo we broke again, but Mavropanos picked up ball only to be dispossessed by Leaburn. He fed TC who headed to the edge of the area and fired across Hermansen into the far corner. TC’s smile was a wide as the Blackwell Tunnel and Addicks celebrated wildly behind the goal. Wow.

At this point there looked a few tired bodies, and Jones put Mwamba on for Carey, although the whole process took longer than 10 seconds and we were down to 10 men for a minute or so.

That new rule went against us, but I have to say these little changes like the countdown for a goal kick does make the game flow better.

Leaburn’s game was done, and what a game he had had. Mbick replaced him. Two 19-year old’s now on the pitch.

Okonkwo played with a real calmness and his quick use of the ball was something I really liked. Yet with 15 minutes left he could only push out a shot for Piroe to put in and West Ham were back in it.

If Okonkwo could be criticised for the goal, he then kept us in it saving brilliantly from Mukasa. Taty then got booked for the most theatrical dive ever. I think he was trying to find the high jump mat at the Olympic stadium.

Jones went five at the back and in all honesty I thought we looked pretty solid as time moved on, and when 4 minutes was added, I was shocked it wasn’t more.

In looking back at the penalty I think it was the right decision, but it would have been a travesty however Taty added to the long list of stuttering run-up penalties during and since the World Cup that did not ripple the net.

I lost all sense of myself at that point and just stared at the screen gibbering to myself as the final whistle blew.

Tough to pick a MoM. So many excellent performances. What a great day.

🎙️ “It’s a magnificent win. How organised we were, how solid we were, how we were on the counter. We could have been a bit more fluid and had a bit more possession. But you have to remember recent history, where we have come from and where they were, this is categorically the best squad in the Championship.” — Nathan Jones

⭐️ Miles Leaburn

🏟️ 62,500 (3,001 Addicks)

📸 Kyle Andrews

⏭️ Tottenham away, ole ole.