A good win

Even professional moaners will find it difficult to argue that Charlton's win against Yeovil today was not a good one - and much needed. (However, having subsequently looked at the postings on the Glynne Jones list, I see that the search for negatives is on). OK, Yeovil are not that talented, their main asset being that most of their players are very tall, but they kept their pattern and shape well and had a few creative ideas. They were also very difficult to break down and blocked attacking balls well, especially in the first half, which helps to explain why we did not score before we did.

Reid's goal was very well taken, the sort of goal we love to see and the second one was a well worked move finished off neatly by Mooney. Elliot had to make some good saves to keep us in the game in the first half and it may be that the absence of Semedo opened up a gap between our defence and Bailey and Racon pushing forward.

It was noticeable that Yeovil began to tire after 70 minutes but we were unable to score a third goal. One disappointment was at the end of the game when we had a free kick out on the West Stand side, could have put the ball in the box but instead we tried to hang on to it, consequently lost possession and ended up conceding a free kick and earning a yellow card.

Match analysis

There were a number of candidates for the Silver Bone but we like to introduce new players to this well-established Charlton tradition and Ivy the Terrible made the award to Johnnie Jackson. He was involved throughout the game, as someone remarked is clearly a footballer and made some very good moves forward. Elliot had a very good game, making some vital saves, especially in the first half. Dailly made a series of excellent defensive headers at the back. Llera gave us extra height and was generally solid and reliable, it was a good move by Parky to replace Sodje. Richardson made some really good passes forward,
Sam looks more involved at some times than others. He put in none great shot from distance which was just inches over. Bailey had a bit of a 'mare, although he improved as the game went on. But why does he play long balls across the park which the recipient cannot control? Also one fan told me that he lost possession when not under pressure eight times. But he did make a couple of important defensive interventions. Racon showed some nice touches, but I remain unconvinced. Reid had a sparkling game, very energetic and showing real skill. Mooney took his goal well, but he had another opportunity which he could have made something of with more pace. He has some good ball skills, but seems lightweight. I thought that Burton had quite a good game, even if he did get caught offside a few times. Although he is not that tall, he was winning headers quite well. Perhaps he could have made more of one scoring chance. Bringing on Wagstaff was a good idea as Sam was tiring, but he made less of an impact than on some occasions. Semedo seemed bewildered when he came on for his cameo.

Juneau the Soccer Cat has had great difficulty in finding a Hiss of the Match although she did complain about the quality of the cat food this morning. Although the referee was reluctant to penalise pushes by either side, the officials had a good game on the whole with the linos understanding the offside rule. In the end Juneau gave the Hiss to the great big Somerset drum brought by the Glovers.

Crowd rating The nervousness was apparent before we scored our first goal, but spirits rose as it became evident that we were in charge. Even the Bloke Behind Me laughed when someone shouted 'Wake up Charlton' when we were 2-0 up. 6/10.