Pritchard's picks

Former Charlton midfielder Bradley Pritchard chooses a number of former Charlton team mates in his Dream Team in this week's Football League Paper.

Of Chris Solly he says, 'He's a club hero at Charlton. I probably remember 20 minutes of one game against Middlesbrough where he struggled but, apart from that, no one has ever come close to dribbling past him on a regular basis. He's got the footballing brain to play in the Premier.'

Ben Hamer qualifies 'because he has the best distribution of any keeper I've played with. He could hit half-volleys with incredible accuracy. He has the body of a postman, though.' [What does this mean?]

'I have to go for my ex-room-mate Cedric Evina, purely because people need a bit of humour to concentrate on the pitch and he was a real character. One of the key things the year Charlton went up from League One was our team spirit and he was one of the guys that created that atmosphere.'

Dale Stephens 'was certainly one of the best midfielders I've ever played with, he was just a complete player. He was outstanding in Charlton's promotion year. His distribution was superb and I think he's Premier quality.'

Danny Hollands: 'The year Charlton went up I think he got eight goals and he's fantastic on a night out as well. He definitely helps with the team spirit. A lot of memories I have of Charlton are off the field and Danny is one of the major protagonists in those.'

Bradley Wright-Phillips had to be included 'after the year he's had with New York Red Bulls. You could see he was a quality finisher and a good guy to have around the place. After all he did to get Charlton into the Championship, it was good to see him get the recognition he deserves at Red Bulls.

Unhappy Hamer

Ben Hamer is unhappy about the way the possibility of contract renewal was dealt with at Charlton, but is looking forward to making his mark (on the bench?) at Leicester: Hamer

I was more concerned about losing Dervite than Hamer, although apparently Bolton were making an offer he couldn't refuse as they pile up their debt.

Ben Hamer completes Leicester move

Ben Hamer has successfully completed his medical and signed his contract at Leicester where he will become No.2 keeper. He also appears to have trimmed his beard: Hamer

Hamer could be a great shot stopper, but he was sometimes too hesitant in his decision making in a way which confused his defenders and his distribution also needed work. However, he did a solid job for us and I wish him well.

Morro waits for new contract

Michael Morrison should have a new contract awaiting him when he returns from a fortnight's holiday in Spain, but the process has been slower than he would have liked: Morrison

Sky Sports is reporting that Leicester are close to signing Ben Hamer: Hamer

Leicester in for Hamer

Leicester City are considering signing Ben Hamer in the summer as a No.2 to Schmeichel if he stays or to back up Speroni if he comes in from Crystal Palace: Hamer

Great victory at Leeds

Leeds commentators praised his 'suave' suit, but later it was in some disarray. 'We wanted it more,' said the coach.

A penalty save in time added on by Ben Hamer and a stunning goal by the Gooch saw Charlton win 1-0 at Elland Road tonight to move three points clear of Barnsley.

The Addicks started with Pigott as the striker up front in a 4-1-4-1, a formation that attracted some criticism (he was replaced by Obika in the second half). The first half was fairly even, although Leeds had the better chances. In the last five to ten minutes Charlton started to dominate and piled on the pressure.

In the second half Hamer made a key save by tipping the ball on to the crossbar. Then Reza beat two defenders and the keeper with a curling shot into the right of the net. McCormack spooned the ball over the net for Leeds under pressure from Morrison.

Poyet was at the heart of the play but was subject to a lot of fouls, having his hair pulled on one occasion. A tiring Astrit was replaced by Harriott. A free kick fed to Dervitte, who had been stalwart in defence, saw him put in a fierce shot which Butland did well to palm away for a corner.

Leeds started to apply more pressure in the closing minutes. Five minutes were added on and a long ball unsettled the back four, Poyet being judged to have committed a foul with a push in the box. Hamer dived to the right to deny McCormack.

Hamer is transfer target

Sky Sports News is reporting that several clubs are interested in signing Ben Hamer at the end of the season when he is out of contract. Among the clubs said to be interested are Burnley, Leicester, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion: Hamer

It is know whether his beard is seen as a plus by these clubs or whether he would have to shave it off if he moved to a Premier League side.

Rovers return empty handed

Charlton are now 17th in the table, ahead of Millwall on goal difference, after last night's 2-0 victory against Doncaster Rovers. The attendance was depleted after a signal box fire at London Bridge disrupted travel by train. There was also chaos at North Greenwich with 7,000 waiting for buses.

Yann Kermorgant’s cross was only half-cleared by Khumalo and Dale Stephens opened the scoring this time with a spectacular volley before Simon Church slid home to seal the victory. The Addicks also hit the woodwork twice while Doncaster failed to test home keeper Ben Alnwick.

The win was only Charlton's second at home this season but they dominated throughout despite being forced into a late change. Goalkeeper Ben Hamer was injured in the warm-up, so Alnwick came in for what turned out to be a quiet debut.

Charlton's first chance came after just two minutes when Church should have given them the lead, before Yann Kermorgant scuffed a shot against the post. Johnnie Jackson then forced Ross Turnbull into a stunning save before the Doncaster keeper was finally beaten by Stephens. The visitors' only real chance fell to on-loan Manchester United striker Federico Macheda, who blazed a shot over the crossbar. Turnbull saved well from Lawrie Wilson but could do nothing when Church was sent clean through by Jackson and slid the ball home. Cameron Stewart went close to adding a third, striking the crossbar with a 25-yard shot.

Addicks lose to Super Hoops

A solitary goal from Charlie Austin gave Queens Park Rangers a 1-0 win over the Addicks this afternoon. Austin struck five minutes before half-time, finding the corner of the net with a 30-yard shot. Defeat leaves Charlton just one place above the relegation zone.

Hoops boss 'arry Redknapp, celebrating 30 years in management - the club produced a special-edition matchday programme to mark the occasion - saw his team struggle to create clear-cut chances before Austin emphatically broke the deadlock. They had plenty of possession early on, with Niko Kranjcar firing over the Charlton bar before Ben Hamer saved low shots from Austin and Gary O'Neil. Hamer also dived to his right to keep out Matt Phillips' 20-yard effort just after the half-hour mark.

The Addicks rarely threatened, although award winning midfielder Jordan Cousins tested Hoops keeper Rob Green with a long-range effort shortly before Austin's goal sent the home side in ahead at the break. With his team looking unlikely to find an equaliser, Charlton boss Chris Powell made a double substitution 13 minutes into the second half, sending Yann Kermorgant and Callum Harriott on in place of Simon Church and Bradley Pritchard. But Rangers continued to dominate and the impressive Hamer tipped away a free-kick from Joey Barton before seeing O'Neil's deflected shot bounce harmlessly wide.

Hamer was also down quickly to stop Wright-Phillips' attempt from just outside the penalty area as Powell's men were forced to defend in numbers. Austin fluffed a late chance to score a second, miscuing from 15 yards out following good work by substitute Andy Johnson. Johnnie Jackson's wayward free-kick two minutes from time summed up a frustrating afternoon for Charlton. QPR would have doubled their lead in injury time had O'Neil not missed a decent opportunity before Wright-Phillips came within inches of scoring.

Clean sheet at The Valley

Charlton achieved a rare clean sheet at The Valley this afternoon with a 0-0 draw with Blackpool. While it wasn't exactly a bore draw, the passion and commitment of Tuesday night was missing, although sometimes the evening games under the lights at The Valley are the best.

The Addicks continued to feel the absence of Yann Kermorgant with a lack of firepower up front. The first shot of goal was a tame effort by Simon Church in the second half. For their part, Blackpool disappointed, given their position in the table and their performances in the past. Bolton's win at Birmingham means that Charlton slip to 21st in the table.

I heard that some fans had problems with trains, being told to get out at Blackheath because of a broken down train at Woolwich Arsenal. They then had to pile on to buses. I came via Greenwich so was ok. Be warned that there will be a limited train service on the day of a Wigan game, which is helpful for an anticipated big crowd.

Charlton started brightly and the Bloke Beside Me remarked me after ten minutes that he had never enjoyed football so much at Charlton this season (though he wasn't at Notts Forest). However, it didn't last, as our first twenty minutes was our best and then the Tangerines started to get into the game more.

We had an early chance when we were awarded a free kick near the 'D', but although it was well taken by Dale Stephens it ended up on the roof of the net. Rhoys Wiggins was displaying real skill, Morrison put in a great defensive header and even Harriott displayed some nifty footwork. We were playing a good passing game. Ricardo Fuller, who had been greeted with warm applause, was caught offside to the shocked disbelief of the crowd.

We had a really good spell around 25 minutes but we were unable to make it count. Blackpool were starting to counter attack more effectively and won a corner but it was claimed by Hamer. Poor defensive work put Hamer under pressure with a back pass in a crowded box. A Charlton free kick was poor. Rhoys Wiggins put in a cross but it was not placed so that anyone could use it. Blackpool won another corner, and the Bloke Beside Me thought the game was tipping their way, but Stephens cleared with a good header out.

Under pressure, Wood put in a great defensive header to Hamer. The referee showed that he was on top of his game by remembering a series of fouls by Kirk Broadfoot and giving him a yellow card, much to the latter's annoyance who looked as if he might throw sand in the referee's face. In stoppage time Hamer had to save on the line from Fuller.

HT 0-0

Sordell was lucky not to be yellow carded for a poor attempt at simulation. A Blackpool free kick led to a corner for the visitors. Wiggins fought well for the ball. Gower was taken off for Pritchard. Following a good cross, we won our first corner of the game and, after a Charlton throw in, this was followed by a second.

Sordell won Charlton a free kick, but this was dismissed as lucky by the row behind. Cousins put in a great shot, but the keeper was able to tip it round the post. The ball from the corner was just over and I did think it might have last been touched by a Blackpool player. The Tangerines were making increasing use of their long throw in routine, but to no great effect, in part thanks to Hamer. They took off Osbourne and brought on their loan signing from Newcastle, Gosling, who is their great white hope. Simon Church was taken off and replaced by Stewart. Ince got a yellow card for a foul. Fuller went off to warm applause which he acknowledged and Davies came on.

Despite the late attempt by Blackpool, this was a match that had 0-0 written all over it and it is difficult to complain about the result.

Incidentally, one Addick drew my attention to the professional way that Chris Powell handles himself at the end of the match, making sure he shakes hands with all the opposition players.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to Jordan Cousins for an accomplished performance which included the best shot on goal in the game. It's good that he is now on a three year contract. The Football League Paper said of him, 'a calm presence, anchored the midfield.' Hamer wasn't really tested by Blackpool, except at a few corners which he claimed well. I wish that he would roll the ball out sometimes when the opportunity presents itself. Morrison had a good game, in particular put in some great defensive work in the first half. Wood was also good and showed some real skill. Wiggins is getting back to his old form and got forward well, although his crosses were not always as precise as one would like. Wilson had a decent game, although his decision-making failed him once or twice. He made a particularly serious mistake at the end of the game which nearly saw Ince score. However, the FLP thought that he marshalled the balding Bishop well. Stephens was much more active and committed and even used his talents in defence. However, he did fade in the second half. Gower was a bit anonymous and was eventually taken off. However, our midfield was then relatively inexperienced and possibly we controlled the ball better when Gower was there. Harriott showed some real skill on occasions, but he was also muscled off the ball by the stronger Blackpool players. FLP gave him the lowest score of any Charlton player and thought that his final ball was often poor. Church does put in the effort, but whether he has sufficient quality is an open question. However, perhaps he deserved better service. FLP noted that he won some intelligent free kicks. Sordell quickly became public enemy number one as far as the row behind me was concerned and even when he did do something decent it was put down to luck. However, I do think they have a point, as I would like to see a striker hungrier for the ball and more eager to get involved. FLP thought that 'he shielded the ball well against the bigger frame of MacKenzie. Once again, the opposition players seemed bigger than ours.

Pritchard had a reasonable game when he came on, but I am not sure that he added that much. Stewart was far from a game changer, despite getting a big write up in the programme. Pigott had a cameo, but did his best to get involved.

Pleased to see a photo in the programme of a match against Stoke City sixty years ago in which Stanley Matthews featured. We won that game, which attracted a crowd of 56,000, which we won 4-2. I seem to recall that my father thought Matthews was well past his best.

I thought that the referee Keith Hill had a good game, and has been presented with a Silver Biscuit by Ivy, but Rescue Cat Reg has given the Hiss of the Match to the East Stand lino who didn't seem aware of what was going on in front of him.

Good away point

I said that I would have taken a point before the game and the 1-1 draw at Watford represents a good result for Charlton, especially with Millwall crashing to defeat at home. The draw keeps the Addicks in 17th place. Charlton had 62 per cent of the possession.

Charlton thought they had opened the scoring when Richard Wood got the ball over the line, but the offside flag was already up. Just after the break, Belakem, who had already tripped Simon Church on the edge of the box, repeated his error and gave away a penalty for an unnecessary sliding challenge on Wilson. Zola claims that there was no contact and that Wilson should have been booked for simulation. Kermorgant made no mistake from the spot, firing high in the net past the keeper's left hand, to make it 1-0 on 47 minutes.

Minutes later Deeney forced a smart low save from Hamer. The Hornets equalised on 71 minutes through Pudil after Ben Hamer could only parry a shot from Fabbrini. Stephens tested Almunia on 60 minutes and Jackson later went close for the Addicks, but Watford were able to celebrate their 1,000th draw in league football, although manager Gianfranco Zola made it clear afterwards that expectations were higher for the match and things didn't go as he wanted.

The Football League Paper this morning gives scores of 7 to Dervitte, Morrison and Kermorgant. Dervitte 'worked well with Morrison and Wood, stood firm in face of Watford pressure.' Morrison was 'solid at the back, coped comfortably with Deeney for the most part.' Good to see Morro back on form.

Competition for Hamer

Rumours of the arrival of a goalkeeper to provide competition for Ben Hamer have been confirmed. The South London Press reports: 'Charlton have signed goalkeeper Ben Alnwick on a one-year deal after his contract was terminated by Barnsley. Alnwick, formerly on the books of Sunderland and Tottenham, could move outside of the transfer window because his Oakwell contract was terminated on Monday.'

I understand that 'Alnwick' may be pronounced 'Annick' like the town. Whoever is in goal defenders will be able to call 'Ben'.

Wikipedia states: 'Benjamin Robert "Ben" Alnwick (born 1 January 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Championship side Charlton Athletic. Alnwick started his career at Sunderland in 2004, having progressed through the club's youth ranks, but never fully established himself in the first team.

'He left for Tottenham Hotspur in January 2007, having made 19 league appearances, but never made more than a single league appearance for Tottenham. Instead, he spent several loan spells away from the club, at Luton Town, Leicester City, Carlisle United, Norwich City, Leeds United, Doncaster Rovers and Leyton Orient.

He switched permanently to Barnsley in July 2012, and made 12 appearances, but was deemed surplus to requirements in September 2013, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Alnwick has represented England at under-16, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels, but has yet to represent the full international side.'

Whilst this has occurred outside the transfer window, it is a good conclusion to a generally satisfactory experience for Charlton bearing in mind the constraints imposed by new league financial rules and the continuing losses made by the club.

Building from the back

Part of our success in the last two seasons was due to the strength of our defence. We were a difficult team to break down. But two of our key players in defence, Morrison and Wiggins, seemed to have suffered a real loss of form. In the case of Wiggins, his injury last year was a major set back and it is not easy to get back to the former standard. Morro is more of a puzzle, but he looked as sick as a parrot against Donny, as well he might.

However, I want to focus on the keeper question. I first started watching Charlton 60 years ago and my real hero then was Sam Bartram. He had his critics at the time for being too flamboyant and too much of a showman, not qualities that were well regarded in the 1950s.

Ever since I have always been interested in our keepers. It was a great privilege to meet Bob Bolder on more than one occasion and shake his big and blistered hand. But my real hero of recent years was Dean Kiely, a great acquisition who contributed a great deal to our promotion and subsequent success in the Premier League. His exit from Charlton was not entirely a happy one. However, he is a really nice guy. His son Chris was keeper at Leamington for a while and when I saw Deano at the New Windmill Ground, he was always very pleasant to me.

This brings me to a slight digression. Goalkeepers are alleged to be a bit flakey. This certainly applied to a rather good Italian we had at Leamington who had been discovered sleeping rough on the railway station. However, it applies as much to the current keeper, Tony Breeden, for whom the chant is 'Tony Breeden, on the wing, on the wing.

The bearded Breeden ventures way out of his goal. I am not suggesting one could do this at league level, but it often spooks non-league opposition. What is more he has a powerful and accurate shot and I have seen him score from his own half. On Monday, he noticed that the opposition keeper was out of his goal. The City keeper started to back pedal when he saw Breeden advance and unfortunately Breeden's shot came off the crossbar. Nothing daunted, he tried again later from the halfway line and just missed the target.

All this is great fun, but we face a more serious challenge in the Championship What is one to make of Ben Hamer? He is a great shot stopper, but his decision-making can also be poor as we saw in the case of the 'Boro goal. Communication with the defenders does not always seem to work and he does not really dominate his area.

Some Addicks argue that Button kept him on his toes last year by providing some competition for the jersey. Nick Pope was not really tested against Bristol City, but if Hamer was injured (and some say he is carrying an injury) we would have to bring in an emergency loan. If I was the manager and I was short of money, it would make sense to economise on the reserve goalkeeper which is surely the worst job for a player in football. You must need a lot of patience and determination to keep going.

I know this is a controversial suggestion, but I would replace Wiggins by Evina on Saturday.

We can concentrate on the league

We can concentrate on the league after last night's 3-2 league cup defeat at Huddersfield. And it's only August. There is, of course, the FA Cup which is the more significant competition, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope.

The real concern is that our leaky defence has conceded three more goals, with Hamer thought to be at fault for one of them. Apparently, for the first Town goal a long short rolled under his near post dive. He did, however, deny the home side a fourth with a good save in stoppage time.

Adam Hammill's late goal put Huddersfield into the third round of the Capital One Cup for the first time in 10 years. Dale Stephens, enjoying the northern air, put Charlton ahead with a free-kick. Huddersfield were hardly in it for the first half-hour and it took a soft opening goal from Stephens to wake them up. Huddersfield's Oliver Norwood fouled Evina on the left edge of the box on 32 minutes and Stephens struck the resulting free-kick.It was hit low, went through the wall and then a crowd of players around the six-yard area before creeping in at the far post.

Joel Lynch equalised from Oliver Norwood's pass. Marvin Sordell put Charlton back in front with his first Addicks goal to overcome the nickname 'sodall'. Sordell swept the ball in from close range after 59 minutes after Joe Piggott nodded down Cedric Evina's cross. Sordell was arguably lucky to be still on the field having only been booked for a bad lunge on Town skipper Peter Clarke minutes earlier. Jonathan Hogg netted for the hosts from 25 yards with a deflected shot, his first goal for the club. Hammill slammed in the winner when the ball fell kindly when James Vaughan jostled for Jon Stead's through ball.

One fan has tried to draw up a list of positives:

• 1.We appeared to be the better side, especially in the first half, creating numerous chances.
• 2. Piggott was certainly involved and it sounds like he had a good game.
• 3. Pritchard played well
• 4. Good run outs for the squad players, especially Wilson, Evina and Wood
• 5. We scored 2 goals!

Attendance was 6,150. The 159 Charlton fans who went deserve a medal.

Addicks climb out of relegation zone

Charlton climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-2 draw at Barnsley this afternoon. Millwall went bottom with no points after losing at home to Huddersfield. Apparently their fans have left a banner on the gates of the Toolbox urging manager Steve Lomas to go away in no uncertain terms.

The Addicks were 2-0 down by 55 minutes, but goals from Cousins (who had replaced Stephens after the break) on 64 minutes and Church on 72 minutes gave them a share of the points. Cousins pounced on a half clear ball to score with a left foot shot that looped past Luke Steele to give Charlton hope. They were level soon after thanks to Simon Church who latched onto to a ball over the top from Yann Kermorgant to prod the ball past Steele.

Cort had also come on at half time in place of Dervitte, provoking the riddle, 'What is the difference between Charlton and Millwall? Answer: a Cort appearance is a good thing.

Barnsley were on top in the first half. The Tykes almost took the lead when a mistake by Michael Morrison freed Chris Dagnall but Ben Hamer made himself big to keep his effort out. After a good opening spell, Barnsley did take the lead after 16 minutes when Scott Golbourne fired a dangerous ball into the Charlton box, which was missed by Chris Dagnall but was bundled in by Chris O'Grady.

David Flitcroft's side continued to create chances and, but for the resistance of Hamer in the Addicks' goal, could easily have doubled their lead.

An Addick who was there commented, 'Well fought out result. Poor game of football but really entertaining. Wiggins and Kemorgant awful. Stephens so disinterested. Cousins made a huge difference. Superb finish from Church. And Hamer kept us in it. But a very well earned point in the end.'

Hamer blames CP for poor home performances

Charlton goalkeeper Ben Hamer has no doubts about who is to blame for Charlton's poor performances. It's CP. No, not Chris Powell, the other one: Valley groundsman Colin Powell and the poor state of the Valley pitch. It hasn't been looking too good recently, but the winter weather has been awful. It seems a rather unusual explanation and I'm not sure it will go down too well with the Addickted who have a lot of time for Colin Powell as a former player.

Hamer told Richard Cawley of the South London Press: 'Our pitch this season has been in absolutely awful shape and we’ve not been able to play our football game. Apart from against Cardiff they have not been free-flowing matches - they’ve been nothing short of poor. The pitch has been a big part of that.'

'We need to get that rectified. It was a lot better last season. Lawrie Wilson had the ball on the byline [against Sheffield Wednesday] and when he was just about to play his pass it was all bobbly and horrible. I’m confident in our ability but I don’t feel confident of the pitch. You don’t know what it is going to do, because it is boggy one week and then hard and bobbly the next.'

'I know it’s easy to say that is the excuse for not being good at home but it is a really major factor. God knows why it is so poor - all I do know is that it is not in good nick. It is not conducive to what we’re trying to do. For Sheffield Wednesday it didn’t matter because their strength is launching the ball into the box and winning the aerial challenges.'

'We’ve been playing on some really decent surfaces away from home and have been able to exploit that. Burnley was very good, so was Derby. Watford was exceptional - especially considering they play rugby and football on it. It makes you wonder why ours is so terrible when it only has one game on it every two weeks.'

'Our groundsman won’t be too happy with what I’ve said - but it is something that needs to be addressed.'

Hamer should have seen the pitch in the winter in the 1950s.

Hamer to become Cottager?

More than one site is linking Fulham's Martin Jol with a move for Ben Hamer. One Fulham site says, 'The six feet four inches tall twenty-five year-old is starting to carve out a reputation at the Valley and is possibly seen as the long term replacement for forty year-old Mark Schwarzer.'

However, Jol may have competition as Nottingham Forest are also reported to be considering making a move for the keeper in the January transfer window.

Hamer has his critics and is still developing as a player, but his departure would be a blow. Button remains an unknown quantity.

Congratulations to the youth team on their 1-0 victory at Wolves last night in the FA Youth Cup. Holmes-Dennis scored the winner in the 65th minute. Wolves threw on their secret weapon in the form of Dylan Stringer-Moth, but to no avail.

Dan Seaborne has extended his loan at Charlton on a week-to-week basis. He was expressing a wish in the programme a couple of weeks ago for something longer term, but I doubt whether that will happen.

Seagulls swoop in

With over 23,000 season ticket holders at their new stadium, the largest number in the Championship, Brighton and Hove Albion are once again a formidable force after many difficult years. Their average home attendance of 25,446 is the biggest in the league and the Jimmy Seed Stand will be sold out on Saturday.

Given all this, the pundits were not very generous to them pre-season, rating them as 5th, 7th and 12th. They are currently 8th which is the average of the predictions. The Times described them as 'error prone'. Their away record is impressive, however: won four; drawn three; lost three.

The position of keeper was a bit of an issue last season, but Tamasz Kuszczak was brought in on a free from Manchester United to address that problem. Ex-Valencia right back Bruno Saltor can make the occasional error. Also from Spain is Andrea Orlandi, but he was injured in the 3-0 defeat at Palace. In midfield Liam Bridcutt was last year's player of the year. Craig Mackall-Smith leads the strike force, although he missed a golden opportunity against Palace. The Seagulls are perhaps over reliant on him to score the goals.

Michael Morrison will be back to reinforce Charlton's defence, although Leon Cort did a valiant job at Millwall. The Football League Paper said that he 'marshalled the defence in impressive fashion' and named him in their team of the week. The often criticised Ben Hamer was 'solid and dependable as ever behind an excellent defensive showing.

The midfield also came in for some praise with Dale Stephens being singled out, although it was noted that Bradley Pritchard needed to improve his end product. Johnnie Jackson 'has lost pace but his vision remains'. Understandably, analysis of the attack was more lukewarm and one wonders if the Hulse/Kermorgant pairing is one that works well. Kermorgant is also still shaking off the rust from his enforced absence.

Gus Poyet has got his side to play aesthetically pleasing and free-flowing football and hopefully this will be an enjoyable match to watch that also serves up three points.

Charlton secure draw at Millwall

Millwall's winning run ended with a 0-0 draw with Charlton at the New Den. The Addicks slipped to 14th in the table, but are nearer the play off places than the relegation zone. The Addicks are now undefeated in six games.

Fuller had not recovered from the hamstring strain he had suffered on Tuesday and Hulse and Kermorgant started up front. Dervitte replaced the suspended Morrison in central defence. Stephens replaced Frimpong who dropped to the bench.

The Addicks made the slightly better start but the home side started to knock on the door with Chris Taylor having a header and a shot go wide. Millwall went closest when Liam Feeney burst past Seaborne and turned Andy Keogh’s chip across the face of goal and wide. Chris Wood then was the next Spanners player to test Charlton goalkeeper Hamer but his weak effort was comfortably dealt with. Kermorgant flicked the ball into the path of Hulse whose shot was blocked by Josh Wright.

Hulse's left footed volley from a narrow angle flashed wide after 27 minutes. Former Addick Josh Wright put more pressure on his old club with his control and volley going just over the bar with 10 minutes remaining in the opening period. Feeney should have done much better with his effort three minutes before half time, blazing the ball high and over the bar into the upper tier of the Charlton fans.

The second half started just like the first with the Addicks having the better of the opening exchanges. Abdou should have done better midway through the second half but he fired his shot well over the bar.

Charlton put the pressure on, winning a corner, but Millwall counterattacked with Hamer tipping Keogh’s shot over the crossbar and Adam Smith headed over from the resulting corner.

Millwall then had two golden opportunities to take the lead as the match entered its closing stages. Wood nearly broke the deadlock when Taylor capitalised on a loose ball with Johnnie Jackson making the important block. From the corner Danny N’Guessan, on as a second half substitute for Feeney, had his header cleared off the line by Chris Solly. Wright-Phillips was introduced nine minutes from the end of the game.

The Spanners continued to knock on the door but were unable to breach the defence and Hamer stood strong in his goal.

Charlton make hard work of it

Charlton beat Peterborough 2-0 at The Valley last night to take thirteen points out of fifteen and go thirteenth in the table. However, they made hard work of it with a particularly lacklustre first half. There's no doubt that we rode our luck, but then there have been other games when we have been unlucky. Once again the midfield seemed to be awol or at least outpaced and we were often generally too slow and hesitant in our reactions. One of the negatives to come out of the match was that Morrison and got a fifth yellow card, earning a suspension.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the arrival of the Bloke Beside Me, Paul from Bexleyheath. Having flown in from Zurich, he landed at just before 7.05 p.m. and he was in his seat half an hour later to enjoy the spectacle.

Yann Kermorgant drew a save from distance early in the match, leading to an unproductive Charlton corner. Following a corner for the visitors, Ricardo Fuller won a free kick, but the referee did not give them every time he was fouled.

A Charlton corner taken by Jackson led to a second, but the ball went over the bar. Hamer had to make a fingertip save. A Charlton corner taken by Jackson was poor. Jackson had a great chance to score after a good cross came in, but he put the ball over.

A Peterborough free kick was well worked, but after some subsequent play Hamer was eventually able to save. Morrison received his yellow card. The visitors were getting some free kicks in promising positions and following one near the corner flag Hamer had to punch the ball out and then save it from subsequent play. Hamer had to make one more save before the half came to an end and some of the boo boys exercised their lungs.

Half time: Addicks 0, Posh 0

Chris Solly put in a good cross and Kermorgant just missed the target. Solly put in another cross and Pritchard hit the outside of the post. Peterborough were winning some corners and taking them short which we did not seem to deal with very well. Ricardo Fuller won a free kick, but Kermorgant put the ball over.

Frimpong was taken off and Danny Green came on. Fuller put in what looked like a hopeful shot from distance, damaging his hamstring in the process, but the ball soared over the keeper into the roof of the net. After what looked like a potentially disastrous 'after you', Kermorgant scored to make it 2-0. To their credit Peterborough did not give up, but we will able to contain them.

Some doubts have been expressed about the attendance figure of 17,377 and certainly the jackpot draw prize was low and I was able to get to the station with greater ease than usual. However, remember that season ticket holders are counted whether they are there or not.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has added to the collection of Silver Bones held by Ben Hamer. He made some excellent saves which kept us in the game. Morrison had another good game apart from the yellow card. Cort was generally solid, but sometimes his headers are a bit directionless or lack sufficient power. Solly shone again. Seaborne put in a decent shift without being particularly outstanding. Frimpong did not have as good a game as on Saturday. Kerkar showed some nice touches but was not at his best. Opinions differ about Jackson but I thought that he was often too slow. Pritchard was not comfortable playing on the right and got hacked off the park. Fuller did what as asked of a forward, even if he was a little too greedy sometimes. Kermorgant also did what was required and got warm applause when he was substituted, shame that his free kick was not up to his usual high standard. Green was much more effective than on Saturday when he came on. Hulse contributed very well when he came on. Jonsson had a cameo to please Olafur Johansson listening in Grindavik.

Juneau the Soccer Cat has awarded the Hiss of the Match to the Bloke Behind Me. A game like this brings out the worse in him on the lines of 'if I can see it, why can't they see it.