A sense of possibilities
The 2nd legs of the play-off semi-final’s begin tonight and with Sunderland, Luton and Coventry being in the mix for a Premiership place, they each offer a glimmer of hope to us disconsolate Addicks.
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May 16
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Charlton Athletic 1 Bradford City 0
Another three points in the pocket, not an awful lot more to say than that.
The first half sounded decent enough and we had already created a couple of chances before Lyle Taylor finished well to put us ahead. The Bantams had chances too, but we really should have been two up at the half when the livewire Taylor saw a long range shot hit the post and then blazed over when it was easier to score.
Lowest ever crowd
A bit like the classic Huddersfield 7-6 game many more people said they were at the Bradford City Full Members Cup game at Selhurst than were actually clicked through the gates.
For the longest time, 31 years to be precise, those official 817 people represented the lowest ever attendance to watch a professional first team Addicks home match in our history. Most of us thought that now back at The Valley we would never see a crowd that low again, but no one accounted for the idiots at EFL introducing the pointless Checkatrade Trophy, nor did we account for the curtain of comatosity that one Roland Duchatelet has brought.
Bradford City 0 Charlton Athletic 2
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.
2018/19 League One Preview – Part One
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.
Charlton Athletic 1 Bradford City 1
So predictable..
If only we could get a second goal. It rarely happens. Even with such an attack minded squad. I followed on Charlton Life’s match thread via inflight wifi and those last 10 minutes it was like we were all waiting for them to score. Maybe that is the players mentality too?
In fact, it sounded as if Bradford deserved it. Yes they dished it out, beat us up, but for me it sounded as if that equalizer was coming.
Repeat episode
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….
Bradford City 0 Charlton Athletic 1
Define a season..
A fantastic result today up at Bradford, one of those that can define a season. Konsa and Sarr, playing at left back instead of Dasilva, gave us a very solid base, and it sounded as if everyone put a proper shift in for the shirt in woeful weather conditions.
When JFC scored I don’t think I have celebrated a goal listening to the radio commentary like that for some time. It was a great time to score, but then Ben Amos produced a Bobby Bolder type performance to keep Bradford out allowing us to take the 3 points back down south.
League One preview 17/18 – part I
Last season was one to forget for Charlton fans, a dismal and depressing campaign means we are back for a second consecutive season in League One and the names of Fleetwood and Rochdale are becoming more familiar than those of West Ham and Crystal Palace. The 3rd Division looks to have a lot more quality to it this time around strengthening the feeling that last season was such a lost opportunity.
League One this season has a very northern feel to it so I’ll start my look at our rivals by beginning up north and then work my way down. Remember as in other years this is just a few paragraphs of each side, if you want a proper preview then head here.
Envious
25th May, 1998. A day that will forever stay with me and every other Addick.
But not 18th April, 1999, 22nd May, 2004*, 24th May, 2009, 29th May 2010, 13th April, 2013, 29th May, 2016 and 20th May, 2017. The days since our famous Sunderland victory that Millwall have appeared at Wembley. *played at Millennium Stadium.
Envious? What, me?
You have to give it to them, they rarely shirk a big game and yesterday was no different when Millwall came from a goal down at Scunthorpe to win 3-2 on aggregate and will meet Bradford in this season’s League One play-off final at Wembley. On the bright side is that they’ve won only one of those Wembley / Millennium Stadium games, the 2010 League One play-off final against Swindon.
Charlton Athletic 1 Bradford City 1
Another draw but a decent one for a supportive Valley crowd.
We didn’t appear to get to grips with whatever system Robinson employed in the 1st half and the Yorkshiremen impressed even though for once we took the lead through another goal from Jorge Teixeira, who is rapidly becoming our most lethal weapon in front of goal. Bradford deservedly equalized just before half time when Declan Rudd spilled a shot into the path of Dieng.
Rudd has been a fault a couple of times recently and I hear calls for our own Dillon Phillips to be brought back into the side for the remaining games in readiness for next season. From what I have seen of Phillips, he looks good enough but will the club be prepared to ditch the on-loan Norwich ‘keeper?
Bradford City 0 Charlton Athletic 0
A second goalless draw for Karl Robinson today but it was a point that a battling performance deserved and was well received by travelling Addicks’ at the final whistle.
We created a number of chances in the first half but Bradford, unbeaten at home, finished strongly and it took every inch of effort to keep a clean sheet, especially after Patrick Bauer got sent off for a 2nd yellow. Dillon Phillips in particular coming in for high praise.
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League One preview – part I
Well here we are again, back in the 3rd Division of English football. Some old friends remain like Sheffield United, who face their 6th consecutive season after being relegated in 2010/11 and for the 6th time start the season as the bookies’ favourite. Oldham Athletic also remain and with a tenure of 10 years are the division’s longest serving member. Millwall are back there as well, as are Gillingham, but strangely only 9 teams remain from our promotion season. They are Sheffield United, Oldham, Chesterfield, Colchester, MK Dons, Notts County, Rochdale, Walsall and Saturday’s opponents Bury.
We will welcome back to The Valley Phil Parkinson, now manager of Bolton and perhaps will look longingly at Chris Wilder and Keith Hill who were both interviewed for the Charlton manager’s job in the summer before it was given to Russell Slade. Amongst ex-players we will be reacquainted with are Jerome Thomas (Port Vale), Franck Moussa (Walsall), Paul Konchesky, Scott Wagstaff (both Gillingham), Marvin Sordell, Kyel Reid (both Coventry) and Eggert Jonsson (Fleetwood). Excited yet?
So, old friends, old foes, new teams, new grounds and I will cast my captivated eyes over them one by one. Not in any real detail like Kyle, but just enough to get your juices flowing with anticipation. No?
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Good on Parky
Riveting wasn’t it? The battle to finish 4th. I nearly wet myself when Newcastle got a free-kick in Arsenal’s half with a couple minutes to go….
More exciting and relevant to us Addicks was Yeovil’s first ever promotion to the 2nd tier. Gary Johnson, who was mentioned in dispatches for the Charlton job post Parky only re-joined the Glovers in January last year. He kept them up and then took them to promotion today, 10-years after he brought them into the league. Welcome to The Championship Yeovil, lets hope it doesn’t rain on our trip down there next season!
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Local hero
Next Sunday’s Capital One Cup Final doesn’t only have fans from Bradford and Swansea excited, but around these parts Bermudians are eagerly anticipating the game too.
The reason for that? 22-year old Bermudian born striker Nahki Wells, who left the island in 2010 in attempt to make it as a professional footballer in England. Wells paid for himself to attend the then brand new Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy in Headingley, near Leeds where ex-pros Mark Ellis and John Hendrie are heavily involved.
Whilst there he had a season with the Academies affiliated non-league team Eccleshill United in the Northern Counties East League (6 levels lower than Bradford City in the pyramid) and after a couple of trials he ended up at the unlikely outpost of Carlisle United. I have spent time in both Carlisle and Bermuda and they’re unlikely to ever be twinned.
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Chicago Addick 