Apologies for the delay in posting this, due to a family bereavement.
By a stroke of good fortune, I acquired two tickets for the game having given up all hope of being in attendance for this one. To say that I was over the moon was an understatement. The down side was when I rang Chris to tell him he had just committed to a work gig that he now couldn’t get out of. Will had said he wouldn’t have been able to go in any event as it was little Will’s birthday and his Mum had plans. Besides, Will had used up all his brownie points with his lady wife on Tuesday so fair enough. Of course, there is always another bluenose that wants a day out and I looked no further than my son, Jonny. Jonny doesn’t get to many games at the moment but follows the lads from both near and far. His young wife was prepared to let him out so we arranged to meet up under the clock at Waterloo.
It was a beautiful day and I resolved to catch the 11.29 from Farnborough Main but first I had an appointment at the medical centre for flu and Covid boosters. Fortunately, I gave myself plenty of time by arriving early since half the population of Britain had turned up for jabs but in fairness, the process was very efficient and I got through in good time to make the station and catch my train. The service was a few minutes late but it got me to Waterloo in time to meet up with Jonny on schedule. We quickly transferred to Waterloo East to London Bridge and finally Charlton. From there we walked down to the Anchor and Hope where the faithful were accumulated. Suitable refreshment was imbibed and it was soon time to head up to the ground to pick up our tickets at the South Stand.
We have of course already played Charlton in the League Cup at the Valley. We prevailed 1-0 thanks to a penalty save by Ryan Alsop and a thirty yard effort from Khela that is probably candidate for goal of the season. Although the margin was narrow in the end, Blues ran out fairly comfortable winners that night despite having Dion Sanderson sent off for a second yellow 13 minutes from time. Charlton would be facing a stronger and in-form Blues this time round so whilst it was reasonable to be confident, there is no place for complacency since in the last game Charlton had showed enough to suggest they can cause problems if given time and space. In contrast to Blues, the Addicks are on a poor run netting only 4/18 points in the last six games. However, football being what it is, nothing can be assumed or left to chance and the three points will have to be earned.
Well, today we didn’t earn the points and consequently we left the Valley with exactly what we deserved which was nothing. Blues at least got off to a reasonable start and despite conceding a corner in the very first minute, got ourselves on to the front foot not allowing the home side to get into the game. We had plenty of the ball which has been our style this season but as my son, Jonny pointed out, we did precious little with it, barely laying a glove on the opposition. In the whole game we had three shots with not a single one on target. Nevertheless, we were in complete control for the first half an hour but went off the boil and allowed Charlton back into the game. Look, Charlton weren’t very good at any stage during this match but they defended well and nullified any of Birmingham’s play. They stifled Paik and Iwata in midfield and pressed within an inch of their lives to prevent us getting out easily. Allsop could find a free man, took too many touches and resorted to kicking it long which played into the hands of the home side who bullied us and neutralised Stansfield and May up front; not the ideal combination for this one in retrospect. It didn’t make for a pretty watch but it was the sort of game that if Blues do not find a solution to is going to become a recurring theme. Little happened in the first half but Allsop was lucky to get away with a stray pass seconds before half time that he managed to gather at the Charlton forward’s feet to prevent the home side going in ahead despite having very little of the play! Just before that Willumsson attempted a back pass to Alsop and left the keeper short. Kanu seized on the misplaced pass rounded Allsop but couldn’t finish from the tight angle.
I thought that Chris Davies would sort out the rather lacklustre display and change the formation and/or the personnel at half time and better things would result. I’m afraid to say that this was the poorest performance Blues have out in so far this season. A long throw in from the left was allowed to bounce in our penalty area and a neat finish by Godden on the swivel put the home side one up. Frankly, we never looked like getting back into the game and Charlton defended resolutely and held on for a deserved win. This was a poor game and both sides weren’t very good but Charlton accepted the gift they were given and won the game. This was a much needed reality check for Blues who simply weren’t at it all afternoon. We have no divine right to turn up and just win. Points have to be fought for and earned and that wasn’t the case today. Despite the poor performance the 3,000 plus bluenoses present still gave the team a good reception at the end. The players need to reciprocate that goodwill by getting back to the sort of play we know them to be capable of.
Good Support Despite Poor Result
Jonny and I returned to Waterloo and downed a couple of beers. The conversation was a hell of a lot better than the game and for me the best part of the day. There will be better days during our season on the pitch but going to football is not all about that for me. We’re still top of the table so it ain’t all bad.
The Good: The quality time spent with my boy.
The Bad: The goal we conceded which was dreadful.
The Ugly: The far more important things that are going on in the world right now.
Charlton Athletic: Will Mannion 6, Kayne Ramsay 8, Alex Mitchell 7, Lloyd Jones 7, Conor Coventry 7, Greg Docherty 7, Josh Edwards 7 (Thierry Small 86, N/A) Karoy Anderson 6, Matty Godden 7 (Chuks Aneke 73, 6) Alan Campbell 6, Daniel Kanu 6 (Tyreece Campbell 63, 6)
Subs not used: Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Miles Leaburn.
Goals: Godden 53.
Yellow cards: Ramsay 6, Coventry 81, Campbell 85.
Birmingham City: Ryan Allsop 6, Taylor Gardner Hickman 6 (Alfons Samsted 75, 5) Krystian Bielik 6 (Ben Davies HT, 6)Christoph Klarer 6, Alex Cochrane 5, Paik Seung-ho 5 Keshi Anderson 5 (Emil Hansson HT, 5) Willum Willumsson 5 (Lyndon Dykes, 61, 5) Tomoki Iwata 5, Alfie May 5 (Scott Wright HT, 5) Jay Stansfield 6
Subs not used: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Marc Leonard.
Goals: None
Yellow cards: Anderson 31.
Referee: Ben Speedie: 6; The official was not to blame for our poor performance but I do think he had an influence on the flow of the game. Far too finicky for me and the numerous fussy decisions contributed to a poor game. Nowhere near enough time added on at the end of the game and not enough grip on the blatant time wasting by Charlton once they scored. I don’t blame them but referees have to be given the tools to combat this annoying aspect of the game. Discretion by the officials is not cutting it. Either stop the clock when there is a player down injured and/or for substitutions as with rugby union. It would put a stop to this ‘running down the clock’ nonsense.
Attendance: 16,250 (3,105 bluenoses)
Bazza KRO
Leave a Reply