Josh Edwards back on the pitch

Richard Cawley reports: 'Some excellent news on Sunday, with Josh Edwards making his playing return in Charlton U21s’ 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.The Scottish full-back, who has not featured at first-team level for pretty much a year due to an ankle injury, got 45 minutes under his belt at Hillsborough.'

I have now had time to check what Lord Young of Acton had to said about QPR's draw at The Valley (we were also honoured by the presence of Giles Coren and his son): 'with the treatment room filling up we need to be beating teams like Charlton. Tougher opposition will be coming our way after the break and we’re unlikely to replicate dominant displays like this. After a flying start, the R’s are reverting to type and another mid-table finish now looks more likely than the play-offs.'

I shall be looking out for any more attacks on Charlton or Rick Everitt in the Spectator, but it looks as if Lord Gove has given up his campaign.

Euell takes charge in the Championship

Following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom, Jason Euell has been appointed interim first team coach at Preston North End.  His first challenge before the international break is a trip to QPR.

Jason has most recently had a coaching role at Cambridge United, before then he was at Bristol City.

The Lillywhites are currently second bottom of the Championship after six defeats in seven games.  A club statement said that 'Football is a results business.'

Game better than the score

Millenic Alli was guilty of a glaring miss against his former club Portsmouth to the delight of their fans as the Addicks failed to take their chances at The Valley.    However, moaners have been relatively quiet as it was felt that the performance was better than the score.    Campbell put in a number of good crosses but there was no red shirt to connect.

In any event Charlton are still 6th in the table and most fans would have taken that at the start of the season.   It was certainly not a bore draw despite the scoreline replicating that against QPR.

Alli was on loan at Portsmouth last season before his £1.5m summer move from Luton Town and he squandered a great opportunity to break the deadlock when he blazed over from close range.

Charlton have not lost a Championship game at home since 22 April and dropped a place to sixth, but they will feel they could have taken all three points to maintain their fine start to the season.

Conor Shaughnessy, Abu Kamara and Adrian Segecic went closest for Portsmouth and the draw continues to inch John Mousinho's side away from the bottom end of the table.

Charlton created the better chances, while Portsmouth shaded possession without doing much with the ball, and Pompey goalkeeper Daniel Bielica saved Miles Leaburn's shot low down.  Leaburn, Tyreece Campbell and Oliver Skipp missed chances before Bielica saved Karlan Grant's fierce drive.

Then came Alli's moment to forget. In the 32nd minute, Campbell crossed to the Irish winger, who ballooned his shot over from just six yards out to the delight of the away fans, who booed him mercilessly because of his disappointing loan spell with them during the second half of last season.

Alli was also denied by Bielica, while Charlton goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo kept out a Shaughnessy header from Portsmouth's first effort on target just before half-time.

Spurred on by that effort, Kamara forced a save from Okonkwo just 18 seconds into the second half with a shot from the edge of the area.

Portsmouth might have snatched it late on through Segecic, who should have done better when his shot from close range was saved by Okonkwo to earn another clean sheet.

There was some criticism of Charlton making only one substitution.

Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London:

"I thought the performance was really good. In the first half especially, I thought we were really fluid. I thought we created some excellent chances, some really good situations.

"We looked a threat and we controlled the game. I thought our midfield two were excellent, our wide players carried a threat, and we probably had the only absolute clear chance of the game, and it was a clear-cut chance.

"In terms of that, we're probably just a little bit frustrated we haven't won it because I think if we'd have scored the first goal, then we're very difficult to beat here."

  

In their pomp?

Torquay: I shall be trundling up the M5 in a coach when we kick off.   After West Ham's thrashing of Wrexham at the London Stadium last night, our win there looks even more creditable.

I think we have played Portsmouth more than any other team.   I know that we lost both games last season and Pompey have lost only two of our last visits to The Valley.   But I still fancy our chances this afternoon, but not by a big margin.    We have\ the lowest expected goals score in the division.  Only three sides have lower shots.

We last lost three games in a row to Pompey in 1983.   Another home draw?

Portsmouth boss John Moushino thinks they have not created enough opportunities and have found it hard to break sides down.   They have looked vulnerable when they have lost the ball, he says.

17th in the table, they hope to build on their 1-0 home win over Cardiff last Saturday.

Sad memories of the abandoned fixture last season.

Not so bad

Torquay: I have already seen some online moaning about this evening's 0-0 draw with QPR.   I am not that disappointed as I had it down as 1-1 in the Badger League.   Not a surprise result for a London derby.

Charlton go 5th, although a win could have seen them top the table.  A Tyreece Campbell effort in the first half was ruled out as offside.

Richard Cawley reports that Nathan Jones was very unhappy about the offside call.

Miles Leaburn had to go off injured at half time.

It was clean sheet and Arthur Okonkwo made a great save with his left leg after Tyler Bindon lost the ball.

Not a great match, but it does not surprise me that the Super Hoops were unable to take advantage of the chances they created.

Bring on the Super Hoops

I am taking a week's break in Devon so will be posting more sparsely than usual.  Hence, I am looking at Wednesday's fixture against QPR.

I have looked at the goals that Stoke scored us against us and I think they were unstoppable. The penalty really punctured our confidence which looks more fragile than it should be.

My mother always maintained that referees in general and northern referees in particular had it in for Charlton.  At the time I was embarrassed when she issued an invitation to the referee to return quickly from the northern outpost (usually some minor mill town) from which he had come, but maybe she had a point.

Yesterday's refereeing display was of the worst I have seen involving Charlton and there have been a few. Steve Sutherland OBE, who normally refrains from criticising officials, said it was a disgrace.

That doesn't excuse a poor Charlton performance, but let's look forward to Wednesday.  Today's Football League Paper has a double page feature on 'Surprise package QPR's flying start' which looks a bit silly given their 0-1 home defeat by Boro.  From what I saw of the game the Super Hoops failed to be clinical in front of goal despite sustained pressure in the second half.

In my view the real surprise package are Swansea City.  I would like to put this down to my granddaughter's arrival in Abertawe. but she has no interest in football.   I see that Cyril the Swan was on the pitch yesterday.

A lot of interest with QPR focuses on their barking fans.   I messaged Lord Young of Acton ('Tobes') to see whether he intended to renew his feud with Rick Everitt at The Valley, but reply has come there none.

One of the amusing aspects of the Spectator (or Sextator has former employee Kemi Badenoch has called it) is the willingness of the columnists to slag each other off.  Hence in a recent column Rachel Johnson (for it is she, Bozza's sister) said that Lord Young was an unusual case of reverse charisma.  His bald pate only had to enter a room for several people to hate him instantly.

QPR is also the favourite club of minor celebrities.  Step forward, Giles Coren.  He writes restaurant reviews for The Times (never south of the river) and pens 'amusing' columns about his life in Kentish Town.  He has occasionally hosted 'back to the future' television campaigns, always looking hopelessly smug.

It is always difficult to have a relative who is more famous.   A friend of mine was a novelist (she eventually won the Booker Prize, on which I got 7-1 odds, and became a dame commander).  I had to spend a lot of time at my first wedding reception shooing away people who wanted to talk to her.   Her husband had a successful career in his own right and was understandably irritated by press profiles naming him as 'Mr "Susan Smith"'.

Coren's sister is the 'Queen of the Quizzes', Victoria Coren Mitchell.   She hosts her own quiz, the lateral thinking Only Connect, as well as appearances on Wilty and Have I Got News For You.   She is also an international poker player.  Husband David Mitchell claims to know nothing about football.  The same could be applied to supporters of QPR.

Charlton hammered at Stoke

There was widespread criticism of team selection as Charlton's poor away record at Stoke continued with a 4-0 defeat, not helped by some really shocking refereeing.

Charlton remain 3rd pending later results with four teams on seven points and their goal difference eroded.

They fell back to 6th, one point ahead of Millwall who won 4-0 at home with two goals scored by 'Last Ditch' Dykes.

Charlton started brightly against Stoke on a sunny afternoon in the Potteries, but after 13 minutes the home side were awarded a soft penalty from which they scored.  The penalty was awarded after a Stoke corner which saw two players go to the ground.

Referee Bobby Madley (41) is from Wakefield.  He was dismissed by the professional referees organisation after a video in which he had mocked a disabled person was publicised.  After refereeing in the lower leagues in Norway and for a six a side World Cup in Crete, he was reinstated, but is not allowed near the top flight.

By half time the Addicks were 4-0 behind.  Conor Coventry was brought on after the break.

By this time it was effectively game over,  Stoke were happy to sit on their lead and make some experimental substitutions.

Dan McNamara was sent off for a second yellow.  Apparently he suggested that the referee should award a yellow card after a crunching tackle on Miles Leaburn.

At least the Addickted kept singing.  VFR was heard loud and clear.   The Stoke support were advised that they were ****.  '4-0 up and you still don't sing.'

A high challenge on Skipp was given as a foul not  a yellow as the referee showed his contempt for southern softies.

AI avatar Desmond from Deal commented: 'It looks as if Charlton are going to get the hammering I predicted.  Jones' luck has finally run out.  The only question now is whether the board will let him go before it is too late.'