Feb 11
Painful to watch that, and we even had to suffer almost 20 minutes of injury time.
No one came out of that with any credit. Despite a week’s break they all looked knackered and more than anything the decision making all over the pitch was dreadful.
Please click for moreAnother out today as Jayden Stockley moves to Fleetwood Town in a permanent fee for an undisclosed fee. A quick tap at the calculator tells me that the club are currently sitting comfortably in the black thus far this transfer window.
Whilst that is clear, where that money is going is not.
Please read for moreA frustration of Swindon fans last season was that they had too many draws, when they should have won. Yesterday’s draw on the Lancashire coast was the Addicks’ 5th of the season. Our 4th 1-1 in five league outings.
The first half we were terrible. No better than Nigel Adkins’ period last season. The 2nd half we were better and may have even won it at the end.
Please click for moreThose beers after a Saturday home win always taste good. 🍺 🤕
It was much needed, and although the first half was largely forgettable and we were second-best for a big chunk of it, we did end it on the front foot and the 2nd half saw us deservedly take our first three points since December 11th.
Please click for moreMuch, much better. A plan, an identity, a hunger, a bit of luck.
I liked the midfield but it needed Harry Arter to be influential and he was. A fitter, calming overlord that Ben Watson never is.
Gilbey and Lee were busy and in sync supporting the mobile and threatening Leko, Kirk and Davison.
Please click for morePart III then of my annual spot analysis of our competition.
We’ve done the bookies promotion favourites and play-off contenders now for the mid-tablers, where a surprise challenger might spring from, or alternatively one or more of them will have play-off dream’s crushed and instead get embroiled in a relegation battle.
Please click for moreWe started on fire today taking the lead following a lovely move and a cross by Andrew Shinnie so delicious that it was asking to be gobbled up, and it was. Jayden Stockley scoring with a diving header after 6 minutes.
And that was that, because what followed was dreadful.
I was off the radar yesterday. I think that is what the glued-to-the-election-other-half said to me when I eventually got home last night before falling asleep on the sofa.
Thanks to Benjy Nurick’s Twitter feed I did manage to follow the game and at 2-0 with us steaming forward at every opportunity and not having conceded a goal forever the game sounded a forgone conclusion with just over half an hour gone.
Spoke too soon I said to myself after Ched Evans scored twice in two minutes to bring Fleetwood level.
The Addicks back in the third tier for the fourth time in five seasons. From our first season back down there in 2016/17 AFC Wimbledon, Fleetwood, Gillingham, Oxford United, Peterborough, Rochdale and Shrewsbury are all still there. Both Gillingham and Peterborough are the longest serving with this season being their 8th consective.
The 24 teams are evenly spread north and south, but I will begin my quick glance at our League One rivals at the top of the country.
Depressingly predictable.
Compare and contrast how we all feel now to how we felt before the Peterborough game a week ago. Thanks for everything Roland.
It sounded poor today. I was very disappointed to see Bowyer start with just Hackett-Fairchild up top on his own. Especially with the 6ft 6 Harry Souttar making his debut on loan for them.
Our forward line issues speak for themselves, but Bow really needs to work out what to do in the middle. Lots of skillful players, some neat passers, but no cutting edge. A couple are also too similar and none of those starting today can be relied upon for goals. The team needs pace and width. Both Fosu and Marshall can still play a big part. Igor at least sounded lively when he came on. What would we give for him to come back and do the business?
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.
The second part of my look at our League One rivals as we enter our third consecutive season under our current genius owner. I am sure he is reading this as he renews his subscription for Valley Pass.
Here was Part One of my 2018/19 League One preview, which went Accrington Stanley to Coventry City.
Devoid to ideas, devoid of anything..
Even the fellas on the radio commentary who can make a throw-in sound exciting were stuck for words at this woeful display today in front of a sparse Valley. We’ve scored once now in four games. We are a team lacking in spirit, pace, ideas and direction.
After a reasonably encouraging start by us Fleetwood soon worked us out and put plenty of men behind the ball and limited us to two shots on target. In fact the Cod Army had the best chances of the game and should have won it in the 2nd half but fluffed a golden opportunity.
Header, left foot, right foot..
I spent most of my day at the swimming pool watching my daughter race and she did herself very proud. Meanwhile 4,000 odd miles away in a town with a little less than half the population of Bermuda, a football team were doing themselves very proud as well.
After a four game hiccup involving two disappointing defeats and two disconcerting draws, the Addicks went to a free-scoring Fleetwood today possibly expecting the worst and with the added handicap of having no Chris Solly, although Ben Reeves and Mark Marshall did take their place on the bench.
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.
Chicago Addick 