Oct 28
I’d like to add my condolences to Leicester City fans and the family of their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in such terrible circumstances yesterday after the end of their home game with West Ham United. It is yet unknown who else was in the helicopter when it crashed just outside of the Walker Stadium.
I was thinking before the game, that with no disrespect to Rochdale, if a team is to win promotion from this league then these are the kind of games that have to be won. Dale have lost at home to Peterborough, Barnsley, Walsall, Portsmouth and Doncaster already this season.
However a Charlton win never looked likely today. I watched on ifollow and we were hugely disappointing. There was effort and Pearce for example, had an excellent game, but Dale had our number. They closed us down at every opportunity, chased us into every corner, they defended in packs, and further to their credit, they showed plenty of threat going forward led by the experienced Henderson.
Didn’t deserve to win that did we?
Very disappointing after Saturday. I was sorry that Bowyer made changes in the name of resting players, albeit understanding why he did. Fosu came back and is misfiring. Maybe the diamond doesn’t suit his offensive style. By all accounts Pratley again did well at the back.
I listened on the radio and it sounded like we lacked bite, and 2nd half when a promotion-forward side should have upped the gas, we just didn’t and fell into Oxford’s trap, who scored a great goal to grab a probably deserved point.
Mansfield Town. Ball no. 11 was pulled out of the hat pretty early and we will make the trip to the League Two side on November 10th, unless it gets put on the box.
Sadly, two teams I follow, Eastbourne Borough and Welling fell at the last Qualifying Round stage but Maidstone, Ebbsfleet, Aldershot and Bromley all made it through and all got rewarded with home ties. Bromley’s game at home to Peterborough has TV written all over it.
A very nice win today against one of the most consistent performers in this division. Charlton attacked with real pace and purpose and two goals from Karlan Grant gave us our first win in four and inflicted defeat on Barnsley for only the second time this season.
I was following along from Florida, and the result never seemed in doubt with the returning Bielik strengthening our back four and our midfield excelling doing both the pretty and ugly stuff with Josh Cullen at the centre of it all.
Hugely disappointing today. Another game we dominated but didn’t make it count and as night follows day we folded as Coventry changed it up, went more direct and found our weak spot down the wings. That’s 9 goals conceded in 3 games and how many from crosses?
We can’t kill teams off, only once have we won this season by more than one goal, and with our defence as holey as the Vatican, we are looking like we need to score many more than one to win.
I love it when Bowyer talks top two, talks his team up, but we are so far off the top two and unless we sort out the defence and possibly change the keeper our promotion journey will turn itself around and make it’s way to mid table.
23 shots on goal and 16 corners as the Addicks’ perseverance eventually paid dividends yesterday as we stretched our impressive run. I was following the match at Miami airport and from what I could make out, our midfielders were excellent 2nd half led by Reeves and Aribo as we pushed and pushed for a winner and didn’t take the option of just lumping it.
If you have not caught any of Heather McKinley’s football stories and articles before then you are missing out. The Glasgow based Addick writes mostly for the Scottish football magazine Nutmeg, but somehow finds the time in between running her own strategic marketing business to write some excellent other stuff such as her chance meeting with Roger Alwen’s wife, also called Heather, for football journal The Blizzard.
The article about Heather Alwen’s role in their families ownership of Charlton and the struggle to get back to The Valley is superbly written and stirs some strong memories for me and my own family who lived game by game not knowing if we had a club to support the next week.
Sep 17
I’d imagine this was a surprising blow to all of us this morning. With the latest round of injuries to Bielik, Pratley and Ajose said to be just a couple of weeks of inability, after an MRI this morning Patrick Bauer tweeted that he has ruptured his fibular collateral ligament, which is located on the outer side of the knee, and will be out “for a couple of months.”
Lovely result today. Bradford’s league place belies them, they are loudly backed at Valley Parade and it is always a tough place to win.
But win we did. It was a gritty display, perhaps with an added nasty streak. Yet we showed some good skill, were determined, focused and scored with a couple of superb finishes. My, we could be talking about Bowyer the player.
I am more than happy Bow has introduced a tough streak. For too long we have been easy pushovers. We are going to pick up bookings though, that’ll we need to deal with.
When my Dad convinced me that watching Andy Nelson’s 1974 Charlton was like watching Rinus Michels 1974 Netherlands team, I knew I was in for life of disappointment.
With the Aussies seemingly back on the boat down under, captured on camera today being shown around The Valley by Duchatelet’s latest bag man, Lievan de Turck was ex-Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi and his right hand man Hassan Saef, basically what Meire was to Duchatelet. The photo on Twitter taken by Saef got deleted as Addicks fans went into meltdown and Forest fans scared the living day lights out of us.
Three on Saturday against Wycombe. Nothing too serious but we are going to be without Darren Pratley for 2-3 weeks, Nicky Ajose probably this weekend and Krystian Bielik for a fortnight.
Dear Tom, I am sure you are a bright fellow. Ambitious, resourceful and proud. But tomorrow morning take a long good look at yourself in the mirror.
Tuesday, and Lievan de Turck, a Roland apologist with no affiliation or official connection to Charlton whatsoever, rocks up to SE7 with a scrappy piece of paper handwritten in Flemish. Ollie Groome makes a quick back exit for the Valley Cafe. Tom does what he is told. Mel Baroni doesn’t even show Charlton on her resume, take a note Tom, and not one of these {…}.
Read it. What an earth does it say? It’s an embarrassment.
Roland Duchatelet did the right thing today and made Lee Bowyer permanent first-team manager. Well deserved Lee.
The statement says a few things, possibly. There is a chance that the EFL told RD the club needs some stability and a permanent manager would be a start, but on recent history I’d be surprised that the EFL would be that demanding. It may tell us that the Aussie bid is dead, or not. It is only a 9 month contract after all, and I don’t think the two things are related. Finally it appears Richard Murray still has a tongue.
Apparently there was a game tonight, and apparently Tarique Fosu didn’t play. So far so good. And we drew, well lost. On penalties. And, as it turns out, in the most ridiculous rule of all off football time, Fosu was banned from playing, but it didn’t count towards his three-match ban. Yep, EFL you really are..
I know some people don’t get the protests and there is still a small camp that think CARD are purely trouble makers and throwing things on the pitch is a childish waste of time. However the latest crisps stunt last Saturday reached an extraordinary amount of press and media outlets here and in Belgium, and gave our adversity a huge audience. Yes, throwing a crisp packet, or a pig, or a taxi onto a pitch will not singularly see the club sold, but it raises awareness, and will rattle that old bastard like nothing else.
Heck even the EFL woke from it’s slumber. “Following a number of discussions dating back a number of weeks, the EFL plans to meet with both Charlton Athletic and the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust to gain a full understanding of the current situation that surrounds the club.”
Vitally, this media antagonism of Duchatelet knocks him sideways. It’s the only thing that brings him out of his bunker and he hates it. The Belgian press have also jumped on the bandwagon this week after the crisp protest and Trump-like (come on there is a likeness) he took a swipe at the “unscrupulous media” and of course neither his employees nor us customers have a clue about what happens at the club. This from a man who last watched a Charlton game in 2014.
Back from a birthday weekend in New York, which pushed my step counter to record highs. Ask anyone in Bermuda and we don’t walk anywhere here. So it was lovely to walk and walk especially knowing that the option of getting into a yellow taxi would mostly end in frustration as the driver won’t have any idea of where you are wanting to go, and unlikely to understand much English.
Possibly because my best mate is a black cab driver, but few things in life wind me quite up as much as a local taxi driver not having a solitary clue to where they are going.
We crammed a lot into the weekend and I ate more pasta than I have in a long while, mostly because Eataly, which was close to our hotel, was like a huge gnocchi shaped magnet for us. If you are a foodie and haven’t been in an Eataly then you should add it to your bucket list.
A desperately dull affair only lifted by a crisp packet invasion which stopped the game after the first minute, and incidentally one of our better chances.
It sounded a game bereft of goal scoring chances, and just about everything else played in a funereal atmosphere with (likely) less than 6,000 in the stadium, not helped by one of the lowest away followings seen since our return to The Valley.
I woke up in a Las Vegas hotel with a hangover but fortunately no tiger strolling around the room just the dulcet tones of those chaps on Charlton Live.
A draw at Accrington. Whoppee. Or two mid table sides slogging it out in a scrappy match. Sounded as if Stanley thoroughly deserved their point as for the third time in three games we got pegged back after taking a lead.
Put away the bunting, cancel the open top bus. You win nothing with kids.
With Lee Bowyer sat in the stands leaving managerial matters to Jason Euell and Johnnie Jackson, Charlton’s academy team unsurprisingly bowed out of the League Cup at the first hurdle.
I was thinking yesterday how nice it was that I’ve been able to watch the Addicks live on the television for their last four games. Except we’ve lost all four, and in fact the two before that, both of those were 0-3 defeats. At least we scored yesterday for the only time in those six games. I am sure there are Premier and Championship teams that will claim worst TV records, but I’d like to see them, and this isn’t a recent phenomenon remember.
Anyways, I’m here to list some positives. Yes I know, until the old scroat either sells or keels over, then positivity is very thin on the ground, but there was a fair bit on Saturday to be hopeful for.
Bermuda has just come off a four day weekend as the island celebrated Cup Match, a cricket match between what is considered the best players from the east (St Georges) and the island’s west end (Somerset). More officially the two day match is known on Thursday as Emancipation Day, marking the freedom of Bermuda’s slaves, and Friday is Somers Day, named in honour of Bermuda’s founder, Sir George. The second day was only granted a public holiday in 1999, 52 years after the Thursday was officially recognised – largely due to the massive popularity of the game and also the fact that no one actually showed up for work.
An opening day ending in a heartbreaking defeat but a performance built on hope, a battling spirit and a fair bit of quality. We deservedly took the lead through Lyle Taylor’s penalty and for 35 minutes Sunderland were all at sea as we played high up the pitch with Aribo dominant and the front pairing of Taylor and Grant a constant menace.
The hosts were poor but they finally got their act together as we reached half-time, but our dominance deserved a second goal and it was George Lapslie who had the best chance. A powerful Pratley shot was also well saved.
Sunderland were never going to be so bad 2nd half, but we still looked pretty comfortable, our only concerns being when one of our players went down injured and wondering who the hell from 4 on-field substitutes would replace them. It was never a dirty game, but there were lots of stoppages for injuries on both sides and both Pearce and Solly ended the game limping and bloodied.
Nothing official but two very good sources, one on Charlton Life and the always reliable Doctor Kish.
JFC tore his ACL in training yesterday, and whilst getting another player injured in training raises serious concerns, having done the same myself playing football, I know how innocuous it can be.
With motivational levels at an all time low, I have managed to drag some fingers over my keypad to look at our fellow League One rivals and give them each a mini once over for the new season.
Let’s start at the beginning of the alphabet with Accrington Stanley, who will play at their highest ever level in 50 years after winning League Two last season following a magnificent run of 16 wins in 19 games between January and April culminating in an historic promotion.
Ah, the new football season. League One football returning to The Valley. Who’s excited?
The curtain of the World Cup has been drawn and after watching Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, we have to settle for Nicky Ajose and Naby Sarr. Oh and playing the role of Vladimir Putin is Roland Duchatelet, still owner, all round loon, and cost cutter extraordinaire.
CARD issued a statement yesterday calling for a boycott of The Valley, with renewed protests to follow if the club is still in the hands of Duchatelet by the season kick off at Sunderland on August 4th.
A non-statement statement but at least it was, er, a statement.
I’m not sure if the club hit a new low or high yesterday when it came to communication, but let’s not forget that Chris Solly is leading the World Cup prediction competition!
One of the discussions Roland Duchatelet had at The Valley this week was with Lee Bowyer, and the club have confirmed that Bowyer will continue in his role as caretaker manager until for the foreseeable future.
There were some not pleasant stories coming out of SE7 today. Roland Duchatelet has been at the The Valley this week and Rich Cawley has just confirmed that the Belgium is making plans for the new season as if he is still the owner. His first decision was to offload Ezri Konsa to Brentford yesterday with other cost saving plans to come shortly involving player sales and staff cuts.
Predictably the lowest ever Wembley League One play off final crowd of just 26,000 today saw Rotherham put pay to Shrewsbury’s hopes of a return to tier two for the first time in 30 years. Rather unpredictably it was ex-Addick Richard Wood who scored both goals to tame the Shrews and send them back to whence they came.
Sad that we have to wallow in their defeat, but what the heck. It was a good game however and Rotherham’s superior muscle and fitness to Shrewsbury’s was further evidence of what a lightweight squad Karl Robinson had put together.
I like hotels, you know that, and this week I stayed in two historical buildings that in last year have been tastefully converted.
In Chicago this week I stayed at the old Chicago Athletic Association (CAA). The CAA was established in 1890 just south of the Chicago River on Michigan Avenue. It’s original use was as a private club (for men I am sure) to meet for ‘athletic, business and social activities.’ Chicago based architect Henry Ives Cobb was inspired by Venetian architecture and the huge building was completed in 1893 with a sold out membership of 3,000 members.
The CAA used to host big national and international sporting events such as boxing and swimming. Many famous sports figures like swimmer and Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller used it to stay and train. The CAA remained a private membership social club for the city’s top brass, and I remember when I lived there it had a very hoity reputation. It closed in 2007.
Growing up in Catford, Bromley FC was just about my nearest non-League football club, and I would often spend some idle Saturday afternoon’s or Tuesday evenings’s at Hayes Lane with mates.
In those days they knocked around the Isthmian Leagues but for the last few years have been playing at National League level and today were joined by 17,000 fans (photo) at Wembley to watch them play Brackley Town in the FA Trophy Final.
It was all going swimmingly for Bromley leading their National League North rivals 1-0 with injury time minutes ticking when on loan Addick Brandon Hanlan missed a great chance. I was following online and thought we’ve seen this before and sure enough that polite human Roger Johnson deflected into his own net, which was probably the fans fault, in the 94th minute to salvage an equalizer for Brackley and take the game into extra time.
The sadly anticipated morning after the evening before. I hope Addicks’ fans all got home safe and sound, I understand it was a bit hairy during and after the game. Superb support from Charlton fans again though, a resurrection of pride that can be put solely at the feet of Lee Bowyer, who spoke again very well after the game.
It continually surprised me that we clung on to any play-off hopes during Karl Robinson’s reign. We didn’t win from the middle of November through to January and when the season hotted up in February and March we won just once, away at relegated MK Dons. It was pretty desperate at times as Robinson stuck to a plan that clearly wasn’t working and although the finger should always be pointed at Duchatelet and ex-CEO Meire for not giving any manager or head coach a base or confidence to which to build from, Robinson was given a lot more to work with than his predecessors.
Struggled today after last night’s disappointment. Hopefully the players are thinking more positively but Sunday is going to need a top Charlton performance, one not just of steely determination and passion, but from somewhere we have to get goals. Pearce’s backside and an Amos big goal kick have provided our only goals in the last 4 games.
On the flip side, it was only a perfect strike from Nolan that broke our defensive stronghold, and Amos again looked confident in goal. We all know what it takes, and I am sure 1,500 noisy Addicks will provide tremendous backing on Sunday afternoon in Shropshire.
Lil Jay Dasilva became the second ever loan player to win Charlton’s Player of the Year last night. The left back on a season’s loan from Chelsea has been outstanding and has to be one of the brightest full back prospects in the country. The 20-year old has made 42 appearances thus far this season despite a couple of injuries and in total has made over 50 appearances in a Addicks’ shirt with his loan spell at the end of last season.
Mission accomplished…
But, it still peeved me a little that we played crappy on the telly again, and very disappointing for the 1,611 Addicks who made the long journey and whilst they made a lot of noise deep down they will feel a little cheated.
Sure, our play-off spot was pretty much sealed early in the game with what was going on at Priestfield, but we didn’t really get out of first gear and to use a ‘Bow-ism,’ they wanted it more, and the points meant more to them.
Sky Sports ran a story yesterday and I had heard it myself from a very reliable source that the vindictive old bastard had stalled takeover talks to wait and see how we fair in the play-offs. It is what we have come to expect from the egotistical lunatic.
This of course could end two ways, well four. We get promoted and he pushes the price up. We get promoted and he convinces himself that he is a football club owning genius and decides to carry on with his project.
After last night’s Scunthorpe win over Plymouth our task on Saturday became clear. Plymouth were soundly beaten at Glanford Park, with 2-0 flattering the Pilgrims, but we have to expect them to give it everything at Gillingham on Saturday, and likewise at the same time Lee Bowyer’s team must not let up their current levels of work rate at Spotland.
Plymouth failed to capitalize on their games in hand, just as we didn’t either, proving that points in the bag are eminently more valuable.
The weather held and although the sun didn’t shine on Flora Duffy the whole of Bermuda did as thousands lined Hamilton’s streets yesterday afternoon to witness just what a phenomenal athlete the Bermudian born triathlete is.
The World Triathlon Series (WTS) came to these shores for the first time and Bermuda excelled in hosting the event as two-time champion Duffy underlined her dominance by becoming the first woman in WTS history to win a race after being the leader in all three disciplines of swim, bike and run.
A week of expectation and unusual optimism from Addicks after last Saturday’s memorable win at Fratton Park, played in front of an away atmosphere unrivalled for many a decade.
I will repeat what most Addicks’ have been asking themselves all week. How many times has the team shown up for a game that really mattered in front of a big following of Addicks? I’ve been going for over 4 decades and there ain’t many.
We are quick to knock our support, in terms of numbers especially, but when it comes down to it we can turn up, and we can also turn up the noise. Fratton Park is a great traditional stadium and Saturday in that covered away end looked and sounded simply magical.
Thank you to Shadow Play for flagging in my comments that Sir Chris Powell is running the London Marathon on Sunday for the charity Prostate Cancer UK. Chris has been a long time ambassador for the charity and it is rare that he is ever seen without the charities pin on his lapel.
Who knows what marketing brains trust at CAFC decided last week to announce that if the potential takeover doesn’t happen by tomorrow then the club will put the 2018/19 season tickets on sale. Meantime they will put their feet on their desk and wait and watch it being finalized. The Charlton takeover soap opera longer than Emmerdale Farm.
That was awful..
That was poor tonight from the Addicks, as the team went back in time showing a severe lack of imagination and belief on the pitch giving us all once again a reality check that we possibly are not good enough for a top six berth. Certainly Wigan, Blackburn and Shrewsbury are on a different planet to us, and we have to play two of them in our last five games.
We have to hope that Bowyer and Jackson, a big test now of their fledgling managerial qualities, can get the players up for the remaining games because they are each against better teams than Bristol Rovers and AFC Wimbledon.
Two years ago Lee Bowyer was fishing carp out of a lake in France, his own lake in fact. One of the many keen fisherman that would visit Bowyer at his two lakes just over 3 hours from Calais was his former Leeds’ team mate Harry Kewell.
Whilst Bowyer was enjoying his time away from the game, Kewell began the long journey into coaching initially in Australia before becoming Watford’s U21 coach in July 2015. In October of that same year Kewell offered Bowyer a chance to join him. In a wild quirk of fate they may be re-united next week.
Following absolute silence on the takeover front on the back of a couple of positive Richard Murray proclamations, that have frankly been pointless. Then with Karl Robinson after the Blackpool game saying that any takeover is nowhere near and it could be next season CARD have called for a day of protests at the Rotherham game on Easter Monday and will follow that up with action at the other 3 home games in April.
Karl gave a rallying cry today.
“We’ve got to make sure we stay on the front foot. I’ll try to do the best I can. The takeover is not far away, there are so many things going on.“ (more)
I think we can agree that Robinson is fairly good at giving rallying cries, but at some point they just all meld into one big noise. With 13 games left the place for noise now is on the pitch. Let’s leave the managerial blithering in the changing room, and truly leave a mark on us Addicks and give promotion your very best shot by being the best coach and manager you can be.
Another crazed week at work with no respite, which at least had taken my mind of checking constantly for news of a Charlton takeover. Suddenly though we are at Friday evening with a crucial game tomorrow.
Shrewsbury have had a wonderful season, which is analyzed very well here by the CAS Trust. Paul Hurst has done superb job, and is an outstanding young manager. Last season after arriving in October the first thing he did was shore up the defence and they continue to be very frugal, especially on the road. As the Trust article says he has also dipped into the lower league and loan market very expertly.
18 years ago today a little shell-shocked and definitely unprepared for what a life-changing experience it was to become, I held the tiniest little bundle in my arms in the maternity ward at Pembury Hospital in Maidstone. A fluff of blonde hair, face all scrunched up and 7lb 4oz of a newborn baby.
My son hasn’t had the most uncomplicated childhood, circumstances have not always been the easiest but incredibly he has grown to be an amazing unassuming, caring and balanced young man. He’s funny too, which he gets from me!
I’m enjoying the Winter Olympics and the shear youth and exhilaration of it all. Although I view summer Olympians with massive admiration and reverence, I truly marvel at these young men and women hurtling down mountain sides and iced tunnels at break neck speed.
Pyeongchang, which looks a pretty awe-inspiring location for the Games, is 13 hours ahead of Bermuda but between NBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) we are keeping up with events even if I’m never sure whether we are watching them in real time or on repeat.
Bradford City appointed Simon Grayson as their new manager today. The Bantams have not won a league game since New Years Day. Milton Keynes Dons appointed ex-U16 England manager Dan Micciche a couple weeks back and he has overseen three defeats. MK have won just once since Novemeber.
Oh yes ladies and gentlemen, we have seen this episode before….
Why the late subs Karl, why?..
A game dominated but our extreme inability to not put teams away is becoming the story of our season. 15 points we have thrown away in the dying moments of games – Doncaster (a), Oxford (h), Blackpool (h), MK Dons (h), Walsall (a).
We dominated for much of the game but at both ends we are coming up short. If we want to be the team that wins 1-0 each week, then we need a back four that is able to see out games. Yes, there was a lucky deflection leading to Donny’s goal, but what was Lennon doing sat so deep playing Blair onside?
That appears to be a guesstimate with Karl Robinson on Thursday saying that the loanee could make a quicker recovery, or possibly that his hamstring tendon could keep him out longer than 8 weeks.
It’s a big blow as again Mavididi has looked impressive since he re-arrived back in SE7 after leaving us injured last season. This time at least it looks as if he will be back for the season’s run in.
When was the last time we put a game to bed..
I was following the game today via various wifi connections at airports and what a relief it was to put a game to bed in the last few minutes. Stephy Mavididi, who obviously is a talent, confidently tucking away after being set up by Tariqe Fosu, who appeared to quickly remind us of what we have missed these last few months.
From what I heard and have read it sounded a good game, with two attacking sides attempting to win the game. Credit to Walsall who included Mark Kinsella’s son Liam at right back.
Andrew Muir is a name linked with a takeover of Charlton back to last October. More recently it was thought that an Australian bid was still very much in the picture, albeit balking at Duchatelet’s inflated price.
Today Rick Everitt produced an excellent investigative piece for VOTV giving not only a much desired ‘takeover update’ but also gave us some explanation to why ex-Rangers director and turnaround businessman and accountant Donald Muir (photo) was at the Oldham game on Saturday sat next to Alex McLeish.
It’s always amazed me how washed up managers get recycled at football clubs, with bright successful managers being overlooked time and again. Players are signed on the back of a VHS video and due diligence and the fit and proper test has as much depth to it as a paddling pool.
Seriously is today April 1st, not January 1st? Katrien Meire has been appointed CEO of Sheffield Wednesday.
Rats and ships.
Rick Everitt has heard what I heard yesterday (from a fellow Blogger) that Charlton CFO David Jones has resigned. Possibly he has a job elsewhere lined up, like Meire apparently.
Karl Robinson I remembered earlier in the season was extolling the virtues of his squad. He was a little bit more on message then with Kait and Roly. I have always liked the Scouser’s honesty but recently he has stepped out a little from behind the screen to be a bit more forthright.
Injuries are part and parcel of football, particularly modern day football because I am sure in the 70’a and 80’s players only missed matches if one of their legs had fallen off. Building a squad is all about compensating for missing players due to injuries, resting out of form players and giving the manager formation and tactical options. Robinson has none of these and the cracks are showing.
Anyone else nervous about tomorrow? Blackburn are the form team in the division and have scored 18 times in their last 6 league games. After a slow start Tony Mowbray is getting Rovers’ act together and they and Wigan look nicely settled in the top two places.
Blackburn have a strong squad, which is sprinkled with some young players and tomorrow will I fear be one of our strongest tests of the season at a time when we are struggling to find any kind of adhesion.
Two media outlets carried quotes today from his royal loony tunes, who has finally managed to manoevre his head out of his arse. The Times ran a story (behind pay wall) which was repeated in the News Shopper:
And on the bench today we have..
Two sides pretty inseparable until the hour mark when Scunny’s Josh Morris fired in two goals of the month. Positively speaking we very much were in the game and created chances against the form team in the division before two goals in three minutes knocked the stuffing out of us. The unbeaten run was always going to come to an end. Good teams bounce back and start new unbeaten runs and we play again on Tuesday night.
On the negative we had chances to score that we didn’t take, again. Marshall in particular culpable when one-on-one in the first half. Magennis also saw a header pushed onto a post (photo). We most definitely missed Fosu and Clarke, although I can’t see how we missed Reeves on what we have seen from him so far.
Nov 22
I had this in my head all last night, was singing it to myself in the mirror and then I woke this morning and it was gone. Thanks then to the lads at @CAFCOfficial and well done Covered End. Woohhhh..
Frustration..
Listening on the radio at 1-0 I was thinking if we don’t get this second then they are bound to get a chance. After Josh Magennis headed us into an early lead we dominated for the rest of the first period. In the 2nd half Mark Marshall should have secured the points when he failed from a one-on-one.
Then, sure enough after Reeves was fouled the referee, who got more unhinged as the game went on, played on and Agard scored with a header at the far post. It almost got worse when Aneke, described by Karl Robinson as the best player in the league, also fluffed a one-on-one chance.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
