Great tribute to Norman, but on pitch slide continues

Yesterday evening was about celebrating the life of Headphones Norman and it was done impeccably, a credit to the club and the fans, also the ‘Boro fans.  Nathan Jones commented: "It was a poignant tribute, a touch of class from our club how we organised it, and then a credit to the Middlesbrough fans as well who were truly outstanding. Not all fans are like that. We know that they're a class football club anyway."

Norman would have liked a better result and the Addicks are sliding down the table.   It’s a great time for armchair managers.

There will be calls to act in the January transfer window and tightly so.   But it is a difficult window in which to secure value.   Players that are any good command a premium and there are a lot of risky investments around, e.g., injury prone players in which Charlton has specialised in the ;past.

First-half goals from Riley McGree and Morgan Whittaker were enough on a mostly comfortable evening for Boro, who moved within five points of leaders Coventry.  George Edmundson's own goal halved the deficit nine minutes from time but Boro held on for Hellberg's third win since replacing Rob Edwards last month.

Boro's Hayden Hackney forced Addicks keeper Thomas Kaminski into a fine save inside three minutes with a wonderful curling effort from the edge of the area before Sonny Carey fired an effort straight at Sol Brynn at the other end.

Boro piled on the pressure as the half progressed, winning the ball high up the field consistently and, moments after Kaminski denied Tommy Conway, McGree fired the visitors ahead from Delano Burgzorg's cut-back.

Charlton thought they should have had a penalty when Luke Berry went down in the area but the referee waved away the protests.

Whittaker doubled Boro's lead on the stroke of half-time with his fifth goal in as many games, firing past Kaminski at the near post after he was found by McGree on the counter attack.

Kaminski kept Charlton in the game after the break by denying McGree after he was fed by Burgzorg and, 10 minutes later, the Charlton keeper blocked a fizzing by-line cross from Callum Brittain.

Boro keeper Brynn was called into action with 20 minutes remaining when substitute Isaac Olaofe shot high at his near post and he did well to tip it over the bar for a corner, which was cleared.

The visitors continued to search for a third goal to really kill the game off and almost got it when Luke Ayling crashed a header against the bar.

But Charlton made it a nervy finish when Edmundson diverted substitute Rob Apter's cross past a helpless Brynn - and Olaofe squandered a chance to salvage a point for Charlton in stoppage time, blazing over from the edge of the area.

Shell shocked supremo Nathan Jones said: “I'm really disappointed with elements of the first half, we kept giving the ball away.

"These are a good side, we were aggressive against them, we knew it would be tough, especially with what we have missing."

"Overall, when we are us and we keep the ball better, we can compete with anyone in this league. Second half, I thought we were really good."

"They had to change to curtail us; we scored, we had other opportunities, we should have had a penalty. We are in a tough moment, but we need to come through it."

"The second goal was the killer. If it is only a one-goal lead and we equalise, I fancy us to go on and win the game. As it was they made changes and saw it out, and we probably didn't show enough quality in the final third to punish t hem.”