Cup Run | Chicago Addick

Apr 5

Bermuda wins first gold

I like the Commonwealth Games, it gives lesser nations and athletes a chance on a big stage. Bermuda has only ever won one medal at an Olympics, and five at a Commonwealth Games, the last being a bronze in ten-pin bowling in 1998. Luckily for the rest of the Commonwealth there isn’t a rum drinking contest, because they may have medalled in that as well.

Flora Duffy is the women’s world number one in triathlon, so it was no surprise that she won gold last night in the Gold Coast’s first medal final. She surprisingly missed out on a place at the last Olympics, but has emerged as the world’s best since winning the last two ITU world titles, and despite the weight of 63,000 Bermudians on her strong shoulders she romped home 43 seconds ahead of England’s Jessica Learmonth to claim gold.

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Dec 3

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AFC Wimbledon 3 Charlton Athletic 1

Proper lower league..

The second consecutive year that we drop out of the FA Cup before Christmas. We can join the other lower league clubs playing a league game on 3rd Round day. Oh joy.

I know next to nothing of the game as I was on a plane at the time, although the onboard wifi did kick in just as the Dons scored their 2nd, and it was pretty crappy after that.

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Dec 3

Wesley Chapel

About 32 miles north east of Tampa is where I’m heading smack bang in the middle of today’s FA Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon. With work, how inconsiderate.

I have to be there for Monday morning which meant travelling today. Bermuda to Miami to Tampa and the 32 mile drive. I am heading to quite a cool place though. The Saddlebrook Resort is a golf and tennis mecca with 45 tennis courts, two 18-hole golf courses, as well as a 16-acre golf training academy and a 7,000 sq ft spa. Shame I’m there for work, but I might be able to sneak in a bit of recreation, hopefully a tennis lesson at the very least.

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Nov 6

Grudge match

Well maybe if you are Karl Robinson, who I am sure is chuffed to bits to be having to go over to Kingston to get sworn and screamed at again.

Charlton were drawn away at AFC Wimbledon today in the FA Cup 2nd Round. The Dons came through a potential banana skin on Saturday against Lincoln as we did at home to Truro City.

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Nov 5

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Charlton Athletic 3 Truro City 1

Straight forward. Ish..

Sounded like a decent game in which Truro very much played their part. The Cornishman grabbing a deserved goal through the impressive Tyler Harvey and the tie was no way a stroll, equally I was happy to see us move past inferior opposition (I say that with the deepest respect to the Cornishmen) with some ease, which has rarely been the case in recent decades.

We scored at good times. Ben Reeves, who looks to have a real eye for goal, got us off to the perfect start scoring with a lovely finish in the 10th minute.

We could have extended our lead before the break, but Solly had to clear one of the line as Truro stayed in it.

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Nov 4

741

The lowest crowd ever to watch a Charlton first team match beating the Bradford Members Cup tie at Selhurst in 1986! What an utterly crackpot idea the Football League’s Checkatrade Trophy is. Nonetheless it does give Karl Robinson an opportunity to assess Jason Euell’s young players, and although he was critical of the performance after, it was good to know that Steve Avory’s factory line is still whirring.

For the few that were there most were impressed with young debutant Jamie Mascoll. The 20-year old has had quite an acceleration into the first team. Spotted by Steve Avory at Dulwich Hamlet, where he wasn’t even a first team regular, Mascoll has impressed in the U23’s playing left and right back as well as further up in midfield. Good luck to him, and great to see another Catford boy doing well.

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Nov 1

A week off

The Addicks’ first team, which has been pretty settled with ten players having started 13 or more of our league games thus far, have been given the week off by Karl Robinson.

Tonight we host Fulham’s academy side and Robinson intends to match them with mostly our academy players. Aaron Barnes, Afernee Djiksteel and Joe Cummings will all start and Lewis Page, Mark Marshall and Ben Reeves all hope to get minutes under their belts. Johnnie Jackson, Joe Aribo, Karlan Ahearne-Grant, Joe Dodoo and Dillon Phillips make up the XI.

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Oct 16

1 Comment

Magic of the Cup

One of the few remaining things to get excited about is the FA Cup draw, more so now that we enter the 1st Round. We were drawn at home to Truro City this evening. A proper cup tie, with the large slice of yikes thrown in too. You know how good we are in the Cups! According to the BBC Sport website Truro are the first Cornish side in the FA Cup proper since 1969. That was Falmouth Town.

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Aug 29

3 Comments

Check it out

Ben Reeves scored a nice little taster of a goal tonight as a youthful Addicks won rather easily at the Checkatrade.com stadium in the pointless Checkatrade Trophy against Crawley Town.

12 academy graduates were named in Robinson’s 16-man squad, who managed to navigate around the stupid rules mostly becsause Josh Magennis and Jay Dasilva were away on international duty. 10 of the academy boys got on the field including George Lapslie (photo), who scored our second 20 minutes from time.

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Jun 16

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Welcome Mark Marshall

The apparently much sought after Mark Marshall became our second signing, and the second one from Bradford, today.

The 30-year old has had a journeyman career in the lower leagues but really came to age at Bradford and on paper at least is a very decent signing. According to Karl Robinson “he can play off both feet, he’s quick, he’s a winger and he’s aggressive in everything he does. He’s from London and he wants to play for Charlton.”

All good. If only we can keep Ricky Holmes as well….
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Dec 15

MK Dons 3 Charlton Athletic 1 (AET)

An early exit out of this season’s FA Cup. Not entirely unexpected bearing in mind the team Karl Robinson put out. Although on paper the mix of untried youth, the more familiar youngsters and those with plenty of experience looked as they could still pull off a result but according the eye witnesses we were rarely at the races.
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Dec 3

Charlton Athletic 0 MK Dons 0

After a week of plenty of talking Karl Robinson’s team were rather mute on the pitch today in front of less than 5,000 supporters of Robinson’s new and old clubs. It was a lackluster performance that delivered none of the promise of goals, buckling up, entertainment and on the edge of your seat. Not much of any new manager bounce either.

But the Karl Robinson revolution is going to take time, and a few different players. Maybe more than a few. Neither of which Roland Duchatelet has been keen on giving Robinson’s umpteen predecessors.
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Nov 7

3 Comments

Charlton Athletic 3 Scunthorpe United 1

Played in front of a depressingly paltry band of Addicks, those that decided not to clean their fridges or put their socks into pairs were rewarded with a good game, three cracking goals and an impressive victory.

Lookman’s first was something else, and I always welcome a Jacko goal. Rudd kept us ahead at 2-1, and Ulvestad played very well by all accounts and I’m looking forward to seeing him next Saturday. Hopefully Holmes will be fit too.

Sadly we will miss Lookman, who continues to shine and improve and impress other team’s scouts. I hope we can at least keep him the season. His goals, if Slade can play him in his best position, will be paramount to any kind of promotion push.

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Nov 4

4 Comments

Road to Wembley

The beauty of the cup long lost on Addicks’ fans since 1947. No? Ok, I was at the Old Trafford ‘things can get only better’ game, and the 1981 Ipswich Town ‘whatsa matter you’ game but seriously we are pretty much the worst team in English FA Cup history and tomorrow’s game is I believe a free pass for Russell Slade.

Drawn against the highest placed team in the hat, free scoring Scunthorpe backed by around 700 fans will give us a torrid time as Russell tinkers with his small squad. We play again on Tuesday in the ‘whatsit cup’, that I’ve not even followed and then we go to Swindon missing four players live on the box a week tomorrow.
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Aug 9

2 Comments

Cheltenham Town 1 Charlton Athletic 0

Apparently a top 6 budget doesn’t buy you a cup run. Total respect to Cheltenham, especially their programme editor, but they were a non-league team 3 months ago.

We were relegated in April, everyone knew Riga would not stay, yet none of us are surprised by what we have witnessed so far. A squad unprepared, under-resourced, carrying long term unexplained injuries and on the back of a poor pre-season which followed according to Russell Slade absolutely no pre-planning at all by those at the head of the organization.
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Jan 9

7 Comments

Colchester United 2 Charlton Athletic 1

A new low but believe me under these three executioners lows worse than this are coming. And Richard Murray should not escape either. Honestly Richard show some humility.

Fraeye put out a team to win, on paper it was decent, but you win nothing in life without having any dignity or balls. For all that Fraeye is an half-arsed clown, those representing our great club today should have a good look at themselves in the mirror tonight.

No one came out of the game with any credit. No one except Pope that is, who kept the score down to two in the first half. One of the goals obviously coming just before half-time, this after we get another injury. It’s like Groundhog Day.
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Jan 8

5 Comments

Cup fever. Or will it end in the flu?

When you think about it, it is astonishing that we are only one point from safety. We have won 2 games in 22 matches! That stretch of games over two different managers, Fraeye’s record worse than Luzon’s even though that is hard to believe because it had to be a better decision.

In all seriousness it is incredible that in 25 games we have seen us win just 4 times, yet we are still within a very good fighting chance of staying up, even though the bookies have given up on us. Corals have us at 1/5 to go down.

A long time ago, in fact probably on the eve of the opening weekend, I looked at the teams in The Championship and tried to find 3 other candidates for relegation. Who will be worse than us? And that scheme still very much applies.
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Sep 23

3 Comments

Crystal Palace 4 Charlton Athletic 1

Unsurprising result especially given the team that Luzon put out. It is September and he is already resting players for a game that meant so much to supporters. What was more disappointing was that he didn’t throw on JBG and Watt at the break after successfully keeping the score goalless at half time.

We had 8 minutes of excitement after Sarr headed in to make it 1-2, but another soft penalty and losing the influential Diarra to a straight red and that was the end of that. Pope again keeping the final score down.
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Sep 22

2 Comments

No clowning around

When the two fateful names were pulled out of the hat, we were told that it wouldn’t be a distraction. That was four games and one point ago. Whether the players have been affected, some of whom probably were never going to play in the game anyway and many of whom, I would expect, had no previous knowledge of what the game means, who knows. Our form since the international break is a cause for concern but nothing that a rip-roaring derby win cannot put right!

It was always going to be a distraction for Charlton fans, beside themselves when the draw was made, but now terrified of what the game beholds. Palace have bought big and mostly well this summer looking to push on, knowing that a new humungous TV deal kicks in August, and just like so many before them starting to feel at home in their new lifestyle.
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Jan 3

4 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Blackburn Rovers 2

“Even after you’ve made allowances – the injuries, the youth of the squad, the lack of a competent, confident striker – there was no excuse for it. It was a broken team, pretending to play football until the clock ran down, but looking like a blindfolded kabaddi team.” – Stickleback
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Jan 2

3 Comments

Cup half full?

You know it is a bit of a myth that we are rubbish in the FA Cup, in fact we are more rubbish in the League Cup.

What am I talking about? Well for a team that spent the majority of the last 21 years in the 2nd tier, we have been to four quarter finals. That’s one every five years.

1993/4 (Old Trafford, things can only get better), 1999/00 (Bolton, bloody Fish & Jensen), 2005/6 (Middlesbrough replay, Operation Riverside) and last season, the Bramall Lane embarrassment.
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Dec 9

2 Comments

Captain, vice captain and new captain

News today that the skipper will be out until the New Year with a calf injury sustained at Forest on Saturday. There are, in my mind, some prejudiced views that Jackson is past his best, but I would argue he has again been one of our most influential performers in midfield this season, and he will be missed.

Nonetheless his absence will coincide with the continued loan spell of Francis Coquelin and Yoni Buyens’ return, although like others I thought it notable that Peeters put Buyens on the bench and then replaced Jackson with Lawrie Wilson early in the game on Saturday.

Peeters has options anyway, and judging by the last two games when Chris Solly has taken the captain’s armband, I would expect him to lead the team out at The Valley on Saturday.
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Aug 13

Charlton Athletic 4 Colchester United 0

Charlton and formality are two words rarely seen together in the same sentence, yet last night a decent turn out at The Valley witnessed just that.

Credit to Big Bob for putting out a team capable of winning the tie, then giving a galvanizing half-time pep talk and finally throwing on further match-winners later in the game, even though the game was won, to keep up the interest. As Bob said the fans “had a good night.”
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Mar 10

6 Comments

The morning after

Well I hope the players and coaching staff woke up this morning with more stomach for the fight than me. I got up this morning feeling like I’d been hit by a bus with a very negative state of mind. Talking to my brother and a few mates who were up there did not help.

My heart goes out to all of you that made the journey and had to endure a long and thoroughly despressing trip home.

I was very nervous before the game, probably because I am so unused to seeing us live on the television, and frankly this was another to consign to the rubbish bin tagged Charlton’s TV games.
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Mar 9

13 Comments

Sheffield United 2 Charlton Athletic 0

That was so Charlton. From the sanctuary of my front room I thought we looked pretty composed and comfortable before they scored, and then the second….. what a killer a blow. Honestly, how many deflected goals have we conceded this season?

I fear for us now.

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Mar 7

4 Comments

Onto Bramall Lane

Our FA Cup run has been a chink of sunshine peeping out between dark clouds this season and I still can’t believe we have made it to the last eight of the FA Cup for only the 4th time in my 40 years supporting the club.

The performances have been good though, especially on the road and just when we appeared to reach new lows in the league a Cup game would appear on the fixture list, we’d collectively frown, and then they’d go and put in a professional performance. Another would be pretty sexy.
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Feb 25

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Sheffield Wednesday 1 Charlton Athletic 2

“Since being a player at the club in 1998 and since I have come back, we never do well in the cups. It is almost a running joke at Charlton.”

Well, well, well. What an incredible 72 hours to be an Addick. I was otherwise disposed during the game at a dinner and managed to avoid slipping off to the loo to check my phone until just after the final whistle text’s in capital letters came through from family and friends that told me all I needed to know.
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Feb 17

Greek tragedy

So because of a Champions League match taking place in Piraeus between Olympiacos and Manchester United, Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday have to play their FA Cup game on a Monday night. And because the allotted amount of live televised games for the 5th Round has been met, the game at Hillsborough won’t be on the telly either. And all those parents desperately trying to keep their kids occupied in bad weather during half-term would now have to take them out of school to watch, what is to many, the biggest game of the season. And the bloody Barnsley game is off, when I planned to be in town. And I can’t get to Sheffield because I have to work on the Monday, any other day I would’ve been scurrying up the M1.
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Feb 15

Backlog

Another postponement as Hillsborough succumbed to the dreadful British winter (photo).

I would think the majority of travelling Addicks were already en route when they heard about the result of the 10.30am pitch inspection. It’s a shame, because the FA Cup is all about Saturday afternoon’s and the list of games we have ‘in hand’ is lengthened.
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Feb 13

1 Comment

A welcome distraction

Operation Massive, a welcome distraction from the trials and tribulations of our very displeasing Championship season.

2,000 Addicks will make their way up to Hillsborough to cheer the Addicks on in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. Yes, if you have been living under a rock since the turn of the year, Charlton Athletic have made it to the last 16 of a cup competition, the first time since the 1940’s when we were at Wembley pretty much every year. Well, at least it seems like that long ago.
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Jan 30

Plaudits for the U18’s

I’m frankly having a job keeping up with what’s going on in SE7, but I’ll come to that later. I was however determined not to overlook last night’s superb victory by the U18 side away at Southampton in the 4th Round of the FA Youth Cup.
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Jan 27

1 Comment

Operation Massive!

Not the most eye catching of ties for both sides, but the game does bring a little edge to it as Wednesday have been more of a rival to us than most in recent times.

The 5th Round game on February 15th takes us back to Yorkshire and with it I hope that we can get a fair few thousand up to Hillsborough for the day out.

I am certainly in the camp that a cup run can only help and not hinder, and frankly they come around so rarely that we should never sniff at them.
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Jan 25

Huddersfield Town 0 Charlton Athletic 1

Third time lucky at the John Smith’s Stadium today, which reminds me that I have no problem with grounds being sponsored, as long as it doesn’t re-write history, but it just becomes plain silly when the name keeps getting changed, so let’s start again..

Third time lucky at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium today to propel the Addicks into a nose-bleed inducing 5th Round draw, the first time since 2006 when we made the Quarter Finals – Operation Riverside, remember that?

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Jan 21

Oxford United 0 Charlton Athletic 3

An enjoyable routine performance for the 400 Addicks at the Kassam Stadium tonight. It was easily our biggest win of the season and means we make it to the FA Cup 4th Round for the first time since 2009.

Familiar foes Huddersfield might not be everyone’s ideal tie, but it is only the 2nd time in 8 seasons that we have made it this far and allows us to gather a bit of momentum after a stop-start new year.

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Jan 14

2 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Oxford United 2

After that 1st half there won’t be many Addicks voting for a mid-season winter break.

I was pretty removed from today, sadly in the camp of league being more important Cup, mostly because the club have failed us so horribly in cup competition for so long.

I was pleased to see that CP put out a strong side, but with Solly and Stephens missing, Sordell injured and Stewart gone, it only underscored our threadbare squad. Both Liege players were not signed in time for the original game and were on the sidelines. I am sure they were impressed.
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Aug 28

Huddersfield Town 3 Charlton Athletic 2

The open top bus company were not surprised that I rang and cancelled them this morning after the Addicks once against wrestled defeat from the jaws of victory to end our latest Cup run.

Powell utilised a 3-5-2 formation which although didn’t bear any fruit it did offer 179 hardy souls a much more heartening display. We started for once brightly and in an attacking mood and many chances were created against a Town side that has began the season excellently.
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Aug 25

4 Comments

A little pessimistic to be honest

I am not going to lie, but I’m a little worried about the boys in red, but I will soon see for myself as I will be at the Leicester game on Saturday. Subject of course to it not raining!

I may be a little pessimistic, but I’m actually preparing myself for a relegation battle, which I am okay with, as long as the players show the mettle for it. One thing that Powell needs to address is how we start home games. Potential relegation battle aside our home form is critical to keeping the positivity around the club towards these players and the manager. Although this particular blogger remains 100% behind Chris Powell.
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Aug 6

Charlton Athletic 4 Oxford United 0

Well that was a nice turn up for the books. A Charlton cup win, and a good one at that.

Chris Powell put out a B team, but it sounded like it was an XI that was out to impress. These early League Cup matches are easily forgettable and this Cup doesn’t get remotely interesting until the 4th Round yet, with our cup history this was a result to put a smile on all of our faces.

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Jun 17

4 Comments

‘Charlton red’

And, it’s a football shirt…. has a henly neckline (oh, that’s got you hasn’t it?), is polyester, probably far too tight on the non-athlete, will be hidden under a coat for most of the season and will cost around £50 a pop, but most importantly of all, it’s the right colour!

Last season’s kit was hurried out and Just Sports gave us a catalogue kit in red, this time around we had the whole Nike line to choose from (let’s face it, we’re not big enough for them to design us a bespoke range) but thankfully because to me it is the most important thing, they have got red shade from the palette right!
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May 14

2 Comments

Wigan run out of wiggle room

After the euphoria of Saturday when the romance came bursting back to the FA Cup tonight Wigan became the first ever team to win the FA Cup and get relegated in the same season. The Latics finally ran out of legs tonight and Arsenal cruelly rolled them over.

Wigan now face losing many of their best young players plus their talismanic manager. Next season they will have to face another 8 league games as well as however many Europa Cup games, at least 5 before December, plus cup games of course. That will be a heck of a schedule. I can’t see them featuring heavily amongst the favourites.
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Jan 7

1 Comment

Cup half empty

Whilst Powelly this morning probably told the players not to worry themselves over the abysmal performance on Saturday and concentrate on the league, many of the supporters, and not surprisingly those that paid good money to sit through it, can’t seem to shake it from their memories.

Dave took to his loft to find out exactly how rubbish our Cup form was and he did. He wrote that in 66 seasons, we have failed to win an FA Cup match in 34 of them! In fact by my own calculations we won a quarter of as many FA Cup matches in two seasons – 1945/46 and 1946/47 than we did in the next 66.

As Dave points out, since we lifted the famous Cup in 1947 Charlton have had only four Cup runs, namely in 1981 (lost to then old Div 1 leaders Ipswich), 1994 (went out to then Premier League leader Manchester United), in 2000 (lost to Bolton Wanderers) and in 2006 (went out Middlesborough). Truly shocking.
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Jan 5

4 Comments

Charlton Athletic 0 Huddersfield 1

Our cup run runneth over. My, that sounded awful on the radio, although a mate at the game said it was worse than that. We really must have one of the worst cup records in the country.

More disturbing is our home form, and that is now just 3 wins in 15 Valley games this season. Today was a perfect platform to turn a corner, build on the excellent win at Watford and get our name in the hat with a chance of a plum tie, but, nope.
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Jan 3

3 Comments

Up for the Cup

Are we? It has been just one solitary year in six seasons that The Addicks have reached the 4th Round of the FA Cup and I would think that a nice plum 4th Round draw would be very beneficial to the club.

First of all we have to overcome Huddersfield, a team I saw grab a last minute penalty equaliser against us in November. Town have only won once since then, although they have had a number of draws. They got smashed by Leicester last weekend and Simon Grayson may well look to make some changes on Saturday, Powell’s will be more enforced.
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Aug 14

3 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Leyton Orient 1 (3-4 on penalties)

Hmmm, well lets move on from that. The CAFC Player service wasn’t working, ironically after I have just paid for it and the price went up. Funny eh? No.

Therefore I followed it sporadically on a combination of online media and it didn’t come across very well. Those at The Valley, home fans anyway, didn’t seem to be impressed but it is important to recognise the importance that Powell put on the game.
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Jun 14

2 Comments

Getting shirty

The Charlton club shop opens on Saturday with the new kit available to buy. It might have been hastily designed but it was sure quick to the shelves. I remember the days when you couldn’t even get it for Christmas. Other items are available as well.
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Mar 29

Get well soon Richard

I’d like to add my best wishes to Richard Murray on a speedy recovery after suffering a mini stroke. Charlton and The Valley without Richard Murray’s influence and investment these past two decades would be a very different place and not a better one for sure. Please click for more

Jan 7

2 Comments

Fulham 4 Charlton Athletic 0

Hardy heartbroken by that and proud of the display and the excellent support.

I listened in on Radio London and their view was although Fulham deserved to win the game, it was never a 4-0 result and we can be very proud of ourselves. My brother held the same view and indeed until Dempsey’s second goal there was only one team in it, and David Stockdale was playing a blinder.
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Dec 4

Charlton Athletic 2 Carlisle United 0

I was at the Atlanta Christmas Parade yesterday whilst the game was being played out in front of a Millwall-sized crowd at The Valley, showing the indifference to which fans as well as Chris Powell have to the FA Cup (this season anyway).

Powell made a lot of changes with only four of the recent regulars starting but it was still enough to overcome a Carlisle side for the second time in 6 weeks with Morrison and Jason (always believing) Euell scoring the 2nd half goals.
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Dec 2

Are we up for the Cup?

Still buzzing after Monday night’s game. Judging by some of the players’ Twitter comments on Tuesday morning so was the training ground. Perhaps it’s a good thing that we avoid a league game tomorrow and a potential ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ moment and concentrate on our next cup run (sic).

No doubt Powell will rest one or two players tomorrow. Cort looks destined to play as does Hayes, Russell, Waggy and Evina.

I was at the Carlisle game 6 weeks ago, which was the first game after the Stevenage defeat. I actually thought the Cumbrians weren’t bad and their form since that Valley game has shown that and they sit just 2 points off the play-offs.

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Nov 13

2 Comments

FC Halifax Town 0 Charlton Athletic 4

It’s what good teams do. How many times have you seen other sides kill games off so convincingly late on?

4-0 flattered us, and Halifax played very well with Sullivan’s early 2nd half stop key but we weathered the expected storms at the beginning of each half and scored goals at vital times of the match to vanish some Northwich Victoria memories and move into the next round where we were given a home tie against Carlisle United.
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Nov 11

Wallow

As Pembury Addick so eloquently put in my comments box the other day, us Addicks are having to re-educate ourselves in the art of enjoyment. 4-0’s up at half-time don’t come along very often and yes I have allowed myself a little bit of self-wallowing this week.

A week that has mostly been spent in the company of Americans, although there were some Germans thrown in too and I’ll leave the story of me having to explain what my poppy meant for another post!

Normally I avoid any real conversation about football with those young soccer upstarts from across the Atlantic because it invariably gets to the “which team do you support” question, and the answer is always met with a blank apologetic stare.

But not this week. I have explained to all and sundry who the mighty Charlton Athletic are and if they get home and Google English Football League One, then they can start at the top and see for themselves who I support.

Feels good, doesn’t it?
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Nov 1

4 Comments

FC Halifax Town game on the box

I have to agree with Dave and I wish the weekend of November 12/13th was another league game so we could just get on with it.

The ITV live coverage means I can at least watch us over breakfast, probably with a cushion over my eyes, but its desperate for Addicks’ fans and our hosts in terms of crowd and atmosphere.

There is a blank Premier League calendar that weekend so why us and Sheffield Wednesday can’t both kick off in the afternoon is beyond me and only exiled northern Addicks, a few hardy coach travellers or those that want to make a weekend of it will be sprinkled around the covered away terrace. Halifax for what it is worth is a decent weekend venue if you are considering it.
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Oct 6

Charlton Athletic 0 Brentford 3

No one cared did they? A listless cup performance, and another defeat in front of a worldwide TV audience (a couple of hundred?). What else do you expect?

I truly wasn’t bothered about last night but both Preston and Brentford will feel they have a psychological advantage over us now but more worrying for me is now the perceived lack of quality outside the first 16. Fans were each critical of Doherty, Hughes and Alonso’s performance last night and the latter two in particular should be considered replacements for current first-teamers.

My drum is truly worn out from me banging it about the lack of a reserve league and this is definitely having a detrimental affect on the fringe players in my mind. Mind you I would have both Mambo and Cort in front of Doherty, who was interesting Luton Town earlier in the week, but I believe have now turned their attentions to Pete Doherty instead!
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Sep 14

Charlton Athletic 0 Preston North End 2

A first defeat of the season but there will be very few tears shed amongst Addicks’ fans last night especially when League One results elsewhere conspired to take us to the top of the table.

From early reports it sounded as if our 2nd XI disappointed last night after the furore of the Reading game. Now this could be one of two things, the main one for me being the lack of match practice for our reserve players. The Reading game came on the back of a stimulating pre-season remember and a couple of behind the scene friendlies is not going to cut it and this concerned me.

Secondly by the looks of it, Preston put out a very strong team and without knowing I would hazard a guess that the Lancastrians were much more physical than a Reading team who came to pass the ball.
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Aug 24

Charlton Athletic 2 Reading 1

Well I talked yesterday about Charlton’s ‘reserve team’ but has anyone seen a better performance by one? I am really pleased Powell made the changes for last night’s game and for those in attendance, they were rewarded with a fantastic display from some of the yet seen new players plus those on the outskirts of the first XVI.

Of course I was doubly pissed off that I missed the game as I had a ticket – although I wouldn’t have thought that Powell would have made as many changes that night for what would only have been the second game of the season.

Nonetheless the game was a joy to listen to on the radio, mostly because co-commentator Steve Brown was gushing about not only the performance but also the spirit and togetherness in the Charlton camp under Powell and Dyer. This from a proud man who was audibly depressed and dissenting about the club under both Parky and Pardew when on the radio previously.
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Aug 23

1 Comment

Reserve football

According to the font of all knowledge the Daily Mail, Newcastle plan to pay Robbie Elliot £12,000 a week to be their third choice goalkeeper. Charlton fan or not, you look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t move job or town for that kind of pay increase.

Pardew was always very good at spending other people’s money and it looks like he’s convinced Newcastle’s board to return with a more realistic offer and hopefully they will be embarrassed into paying us a bit more than what he’s actually worth. I’m thinking in the realms of £250,000 although that might include add-ons.

I see also that French club Sochaux have also reported the Geordies after an alleged illegal approach for their forward Modibo Maiga. More reason to come to terms with Charlton and for us to discreetly withdraw our complaint.

Elliot has been in his best form this season and of course not many of us have ever seen Hamer play, but we need to move on and now use this money to invest in more needy positions in the squad. Rumours persist that Paul Benson and Simon Francis will leave before the deadline. Benson to either Gillingham, Leyton Orient or his home town club of Southend United and Francis on loan.

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Jan 9

3 Comments

A proud defeat, but what’s next?

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Charlton Athletic 0
Well much better than we’d all dreamt of this week. My son was expecting 10, I was more like half of that. It was three in the end but it was the performance and belief with which the team played for Keith Peacock, Damian Matthew and the noisy travelling Addicks that gave us back some pride following a week when that word was very scarce indeed.

We played excellently in the first first half and came closest to scoring and it was a joy to hear Charlton songs blasting out on the radio. The BBC Radio commentary team were very complimentary. However within a 20-minute spell at the beginning of the 2nd period we were dead and buried as substitute Luka Modric turned the screws and that annoying individual Jermain Defoe scored his customary goals against us.

Admittedly Spurs took their foot of the gas but we continued to have some good possession and both Sodje and Doherty came close to beating Cudicini near the end but a late consolation wasn’t forthcoming.

It wasn’t long ago that Spurs was a regular fixture and we nearly always finished above them in the table but ignoring our troubles, under Redknapp Spurs have come on bundles since we left the Premier League and it was the expected defeat, but for anyone disappointed then let me point you to managerless Ipswich, who were hammered 7-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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Dec 14

4 Comments

No Wembley Way

Brentford 0 Charlton Athletic 0 (Brentford win 3-1 on pens)
We’re not very good are we? Throughout the 90 minutes we were always second best and I thought it a very disjointed performance with too many passes going astray preventing any type of momentum. Watching us is certainly not pretty and the 900 Addicks behind one of the goals deserved better.

Penalties are always a farce of course, but if you miss three of your four kicks then you get what you deserve. Strange however with Dailly lined up for the 5th that neither Benson nor Anyinsah didn’t fancy it.

Fortunately I missed the penalties as I was on the nursery run tonight and instead followed the finale on Twitter whilst driving along the narrow and windy Bermuda roads home. Brentford certainly finished the stronger and I don’t expect for a minute extra time bringing a different outcome.

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Dec 14

Bothered?

Back on the front line tonight and in front of the camera’s to boot. Sky Sports 1 show our JPT cup game at 7.45, which is 3.45 here. Despite this and the desperate result on Sunday close to a 1,000 Addicks are expected to frequent one of Griffin Park’s four pubs and may even be bothered to stand behind the goal in the cold later.

18-year old Carl Jenkinson maybe given a start. Parky you would have thought will remember how Myles Weston gave Simon Francis the runaround in the league defeat earlier in the season. I remember and I wasn’t even there. Abbott and Martin may get the nod up front and captain Dailly makes a welcome return from suspension.

Of course we have now reached the stage of the competition where defeat will be met by disappointment, unlike any of the previous rounds. Although I remember very well not being that bothered when we played Norwich in the semi-finals of the Full Members Cup in 1987 at Sellout. In fact after going 1-0 down in the 89th minute, I’ll be surprised if more than 3,000 odd fans witnessed the extra-time victory. Here’s hoping for as much excitement tonight. Come on you reds.

Dec 9

1 Comment

Parky collects his Spurs

Luton Town 1 Charlton Athletic 3
Well that was a turn up for the books. I didn’t see that coming and the snippets I managed to watch on a feed on my computer at work didn’t put us in a good light, especially the first half giving away a lot of the ball and defending deeply but we got the goals at the right time and it is another fine away victory for Parky and the lads.

The win was all the more sweet after Parkinson picked up the Manager of the Month and Johnnie Jackson the Player award today, normally a precursor of a big fall but for once we came away from a potential banana skin with our pride intact. Parky deserves his little bit of television time tonight especially after his old boss has been hogging all the limelight today.

The Spurs game is something to look forward to, and a reminder of glory days past but there is a lot of league action before then.

The hardy few at Kenilworth Road: Addicks Diary;
CA fact: Wagstaff, Jackson and Anyinsah have scored all of our goals in this season’s FA Cup run.

Nov 28

63 years of hurt

Charlton Athletic 2 Luton Town 2
As tough as it is to follow Emma Jones’ commentary on BBC Radio London it sounded to me as if Luton deserved their draw yesterday afternoon and a replay adds another game to our already busy fixture list, which now sends us on the road for all but one of our next five games. Maybe not a bad thing judging by recent form!

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Nov 17

2 Comments

Job done

Charlton Athletic 1 Barnet 0
I’ll keep this short as I’m as hungover at hell.

Terrific defensive performance last night against 92nd placed Barnet as we march on to Wembley. Job done, clean sheet, momentum continued.

I was out and have no idea what really happened, but these people do: New York Addick; Hungry Ted; Drinking During the Game; Addicks Diary; Charlton Casual; Stickleback; Doctor Kish.
CA fact: Barnet have conceded 38 goals so far this season – the 2nd worse (behind Peterborough) in the lower two divisions.