It's soccer ball time at The Valley

Much as I find the football coverage of the New York Times enjoyable and interesting, I do find their obsession with Wrexham irritating.  They get more coverage than any other EFL club and more than some top flight teams.

However, it has to be admitted that Wrexham have a big following among soccer ball fans in the US.  It's not just the injection of cash that they have had, it is the way they have leveraged this, albeit using their Hollywood connections, to create a global brand.

This has been achieved in a rather remote city in North Wales, although one that has had a rather colourful history (counterfeit notes come to mind, but also a famous victory over Arsenal).  I think that many local people would admit that Wrexham has faced economic and social challenges.

It does have a university, but according to some figures I saw recently, its graduates have the second lowest value added in terms of post graduation income.

The point is that the owners have used this challenging context as an asset rather than a liability   Instead of complaining, other clubs might see what they can learn from them.

Anyway on the football front, American soccer ball fans have been told that former Addicks manager Phil Parkinson has some injury problems that have led him to tweak his formation, giving a greater to former Addick George Dobson.    

Ben Sheaf and Matty James have been ideally suited to the 3-4-2-1 box midfield setup favoured by Parkinson since Christmas, bringing a level of control against other play off hopefuls during a holiday period that thrust Wrexham into the promotion race via four straight wins.

But now Wrexham are needing to cope without both Sheaf and James, since the latter broke his toe in the February 7 home defeat to Millwall. No return date has been set for James, 34, whose recovery has suffered a slight setback.   “It’s a real blow,” said Parkinson after confirming Sheaf is facing up to 10 weeks out with medial ligament damage, potentially taking him up to the final day of the season. 

His solution against Portsmouth was to partner Lewis O’Brien with George Dobson in the holding roles. The duo could be happy with their first-half efforts but could not stem the tide of Portsmouth attacks following a tactical reshuffle by the visitors at the break, as Gus Caballero was withdrawn and the lively Adrian Segecic brought on.

Only in the closing stages did Parkinson turn to Zak Vyner, the January signing from Bristol City, to see out a game in which Wrexham had been forced to defend 11 corners in the second 45 minutes and repel six shots on goal.

“You have to factor in Matty’s broken toe and then losing Ben on Saturday,” said Parkinson. “A lesser group would have maybe let that rock them but we didn’t   We didn’t quite get the control we wanted. But sometimes football is about finding a way to win. We did that really well tonight."

Another away point

Charlton remain 17th in the Championship, seven points above the relegation positions, after drawing 1-1 with the Bagges at The Hawthorns this evening.   'Last ditch' Dykes scored the second half equaliser and was named player of the match.

West Bromwich Albion's winless run in the Championship stretched to 10 games as they were held to a draw by Charlton.

Albion had not scored in their last four Championship outings but led at the break after George Campbell climbed highest at the back post to head in Alex Mowatt's corner in first-half stoppage time.  The hosts spurned several chances to extend their advantage, with Josh Maja and Isaac Price both missing good openings.

Charlton then made them pay on 70 minutes as Lyndon Dykes raced on to Kayne Ramsay's pass and calmly finished between Max O'Leary's legs to earn the visitors a point.   The result leaves the Baggies just one point above the relegation zone and increases the pressure on head coach Eric Ramsay, who has been in charge for the last eight matches.   He succumbed to the curse of Charlton immediately after the game.

Campbell's header capped a dominant first half in which the hosts had more than 60% possession and six shots to Charlton's one.  Maja squandered the clearest opportunity to make it 2-0 when he was sent through one-on-one in the 52nd minute by a delightful Mowatt through ball but the striker slid wide. That was before Price somehow blazed over from inside the area after a good run and pass from Jayson Molumby in the 69th minute.

They paid the price a minute later when Dykes ran on to a ball over the top from Ramsay to equalise  Whilst the Baggies remain 21st in the table, Charlton's 11th draw of the season means they stay in 17th on 41 points from 34 games.

One fan summed it up as not a good performance but a great result, particularly given that Blackburn lost

at home to Bristol City and Portsmouth lost at Wrexham.

Average rating

A good time to visit the Black Country?

Clearing out my house, I found this photo with Curbs.  It was on the front of a personal card sent by Alan wishing me well after I had my first ever adult admission to hospital 20 years or so ago.

Alan Curbishley always tried not to get too excited about the highs and too down about the lows, although I know that a good result saw him opening a bottle from the crate of champagne I sent him each Christmas.

I welcomed the spirited performance at Southampton on Saturday.  At least it kept the moaners quiet for a bit.  However, I think that the Baggies away on Tuesday night is another tough six pointer, albeit West Brom are third from bottom in the form table.

However, they have lost just five games at the Hawthorns, drawing five and winning six.  We have won just three games away, but drawn six.   Right now I would settle for a point.

After the weekend defeat at home to Coventry, shell shocked supremo Ramsay ignored chants of 'Your football is ****' and said that it was a case of grinding away.'   He felt that his players lacked conviction.

Richard Cawley writes: Albion have lost 17 of their 33 Championship matches this season - their most defeats in a second-tier campaign since 1999-00 (also 17).

There had already been reports prior to Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Coventry City that it was a make-or-break week for Baggies head coach Eric Ramsay, who has failed to win any of his eight matches at the helm since replacing Ryan Mason.

“There’s no easy answer to our position and if there was an easy answer, someone would have arrived at it by now,” said Ramsay, 34. “We have to make sure we keep the approach, where we grind away, we don’t get distracted, we make sure we push the messages we feel are important day to day and that the group responds to those.”

When you look at the level of unrest in the West Brom fan base - there were chants for Ramsay to be sacked during the fixture against the Sky Blues - along with the fact they have lost seven times in a winless 11-game sequence, it feels like the right moment to be heading to the West Midlands.But this is the Championship. You think you know the script and then the plot takes a Machiavellian twist.'

Useless fact: The Hawthorns is the highest English ground in terms of altitude.

'We are staying up'

That was the chant of the Addickted after a 1-1 draw at Southampton this afternoon.   Charlton are currently 17th in the Championship.

Sonny Carey equalised for Charlton in the second half after the home side went ahead.   They then tried to throw the kitchen sink at Charlton, but the Addicks resisted the pressure.  Carey drilled a shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net from the edge of the box.

10 minutes was added on to the second half, but although Southampton huffed and puffed, they were unable to take advantage of the referee's timekeeping.

“Carey had told Richard Cawley: 'I think we can use it as motivation,” Carey said when asked about coming up against opposition that inflicted heavy damage last time around. “After what happened in the home game, the gaffer said we need to bury it, forget about it, but at the back of your mind use it as fuel to go and put in a performance.

“We know that day was a very bad day and that we need to put that right at the weekend.”

Southampton went close in the opening moments when Tom Fellows floated a cross to the back post, where Scienza was in space to send a right-footed effort at goal that was cleared off the line by a diving Lloyd Jones.

Ryan Manning also went close for the hosts when he struck the crossbar with a curling effort just before the half-hour mark.

Saints came close again moments later, when a corner was flicked on by defender Amari'i Bell to James Bree at the back post and he failed to keep his header down.

They took the lead early in the second half, when Scienza crossed the ball into the box from the left and his in-swinging pass found the head of Stewart, who glanced the ball into the net.

The Addicks found an equaliser with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Greg Docherty aimed a pass across the top of the box to Carey, who took a touch before shooting low past keeper Daniel Peretz.

Flynn Downes and Conor Coady came face-to-face in the final 10 minutes, with a melee breaking out among players in the moments afterwards.

The Charlton fans wanted Southampton's Downes sent off for what they thought was a headbutt, but referee John Busby only produced a yellow card before both Downes and Coady were substituted immediately after.

Southampton pushed for a winner, pumping balls into the box to try to find a goal, but the Charlton defence held strong.   Richard Cawley reported: 'The Addicks absolutely stood up to heavy late pressure from the home team.Lloyd Jones absolutely superb - 23 defensive contributions. Got his head on so much when it really mattered. Big point and nicely sets up the trip to WBA.'

Fans praised the contribution of debutante Collins Sichenge who put his body in front of everything. Fans chanted: 'We've got a big ****ing Kenyan.'

Nathan Jones told Richard Cawley: “We let ourselves down sometimes but it is our first year at this level - look at what we’re coming up against. Structurally we were good and tactically we had to be good. I would have liked us to be a little braver and shown a bit more quality in the moments we had, right at the end we might’ve even nicked it if Miles (Leaburn) could just play (Charlie) Kelman clean in. But would we have taken a point before the game? Absolutely."

Stats favour Saints

The stats make bleak reading for tomorrow's clash at St. Mary's.   Congratulations to Jonathan Grade and the other supporters who are prepared to make the journey to the south coast.

The Saints are in fine form with three wins on the bounce and four victories in their past five (D1) to move within two points of the top six going into the weekend.

The Addicks are seven points clear of the relegation zone with three wins in their past seven games (D1 L3), having won just one of 11 previously (D3 L7).

Southampton won 5-1 away to Charlton in November of this season and could win home and away against them in a league campaign for the first time since 1989-90, which came in the top-flight.

Southampton have won both of their home games against promoted sides in the league this season (2-1 v Wrexham and 3-1 v Birmingham) – they last won three in a Championship campaign in 2007-08 (v Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Bristol City). 

Southampton are unbeaten in their past five league games (W4 D1), winning each of the past three on the bounce.

Charlton Athletic have won just one of their past 10 away league games (D3 L6), though that win came in their most recent game on the road (2-0 at Leicester).

Charlton have scored 11 goals via substitutes in the Championship this season, with only Ipswich Town scoring more (12). Indeed, both of Charlton's league goals in February came from substitutes (Tyreece Campbell vs Stoke and Jayden Fevrier vs Portsmouth).

I still remember our first game in the Premier League when we beat Southampton 5-1, albeit their keeper was sent off.  I think it was a 0-0 at Southampton when I got 50p coins thrown at me on the way to the station.

CAS Trust admit that 'it's a tough challenge' and are unsure which Charlton will turn up: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/rebound-on-the-south-coast/

One thing we can be sure of is that the armchair managers will be busy on social media after the game.

Saints alive

Mercurial manager Nathan Jones faces his nemesis at Southampton tomorrow for the first time since his departure from the club.   Visits to the south coast have not worked out well for the Addicks this season and the pasting at home by the Saints was a humiliation.

A son-in-law who is a Saints season ticket holder remarked that 'the Nathan Jones effect didn't last long' but given that Charlton's budget is either the lowest in the league or the third lowest, depending on your source, anything above the relegation positions is a plus.

Jones told Richard Cawley about Sr. Mary's: “I’m looking forward to going back there. It’s a wonderful stadium. One thing is that I should take the pressure off the players - because I think all the comments and things will be on me. So my players should be free to play. Absolutely (he prefers that scenario). I’m not sure I’m taking my daughter to the game, but that is probably the only thing.”

Charlton produced a disastrous first-half showing in the reverse fixture against Southampton.They trailed 5-1 at the interval and conceded four goals in the space of eight minutes.

The Addicks now get the chance to make amends but face opposition that are one of the division’s form teams and still firmly in the mix to reach the play-offs.

Jones, talking about the heavy reverse at The Valley, said: “It hurt. It hurt us as a football club. It was on Sky. To lose in that manner hurt us as a team. It hurt me, individually, for every reason. I don’t need to explain those."

Jones admits supporter row

Talking to Richard Cawley, shell shocked supremo Nathan Jones was asked about the mention after the match of Jones exchanging words with a supporter in the Covered End before he left the pitch.

“Nothing, just a disagreement,” said the Welshman. “Just a fan who wants to vent. He pays his money, so he can do exactly what he wants. I disagree with what he said but that’s fine. It wasn’t anything structural, it was personal."

I'm not quite sure what 'structural' means in this context.   The mercurial manager would be best advised not to exchange views with fans after a home defeat.

There have been some unconfirmed social media reports of tensions between fans after the match, e.g., aggression towards fans wanting to applaud the team.

It's possible to take a sense of entitlement too far and a sense of perspective is needed.  With the third lowest budget in a highly competitive league (see the article in today's Times) anything above third from bottom is a satisfactory outcome.

I am still waiting for the 'Jones out now crowd' to come up with the name of a better available manager other than retreads Bowyer and Powell who know a poisoned chalice when they see one.   We don't have a pile of spare cash to compensate Jones.