Diego Poyet has claimed that Charlton's foreign loan signings last season were not concerned about the club being relegated to League One. However, his real grievance seems to have been that they were picked ahead of him: Diego Poyet
In my view Poyet's move to West Ham hindered rather than aided his development as a player, taking away his creative sparkle and turning him into a loan player/bench warmer.
In shocking revelations, Diego Poyet has revealed that José Riga 'made decisions' about which players to use: Decision maker
It is quite extraordinary to think of a head coach selecting the players he thought would do the best. Maybe he did get it wrong, but I am not sure that Riga didn't use Poyet because 'his ideas had changed'. It may be that a period bench warming at West Ham meant that Poyet was not the sparkling player he was when he left Charlton.
Diego Poyet says that Charlton cannot succeed under the Duchatelet regime: Poyet
That's the general consensus, but it's nice of him to say so, even if it stating the obvious. Actually, the real exclusive would be to get someone to say that Roland is a strategic genius.
'Further revelations' are promised relating to decisions taken by José Riga, presumably not to make much use of Poyet.
Diego Poyet is upset at his treatment at Charlton since his return on loan. He feels he has not been given the game time he was promised: Disappointed
He hasn't featured as much as I had expected but, on the other hand, he has been a shadow of the game changing player who left us last year. It shows the risks of going to a bigger club.
As widely forecast, Roger Johnson will be joining the club next week, but the more surprising news is that he will be joined by Diego Poyet: Signings
There is also the possibility of a deal to get Yann Kermorgant to return to The Valley: Kermorgant
It has now been confirmed that Roger Johnson has joined the club on a 18 month deal.
The official site has now confirmed that Poyet has joined the club on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Sam Allerdyce is contemplating letting 'fringe' players Diego Poyet and Ravel Morrison go out on loan to Championship clubs: Poyet loan
After his enthusiastic embrace of West Ham, Poyet is regarded by many Charlton fans as not much better than 'Judas' Defoe. Morrison might be of more interest, but the question is would he fit in with our style of play, and in particular with Igor?
Charlton and West Ham have agreed compensation for Diego Poyet. The sum is undisclosed, but it might be somewhat more than if the case went to a tribunal. My guess would be in the low hundred thousands. He is, of course, worth a lot more.
Poyet declared that joining West Ham was a 'no brainer' and he now wanted to 'push on' with his career: Poyet
How quickly he will make it into the Hammers first team remains to be seen. This analysis, which praises the success of the Charlton academy, compares him with Scott Parker and analyses his strengths and weaknesses in depth: New Scott Parker?
Diego Poyet is to join West Ham on a four year contract, having turned down Newcastle and Stoke: Poyet
At a club like West Ham he will have more of a chance of getting off the bench than at, say, Chelsea. The more appearances he makes, the more cash we get.
His decision to go to the Premier League has attracted criticism from some Charlton fans, but for footballers it is a career. What fan would turn down the chance of a better paid job? I am grateful for the contribution he made to our fight against relegation.
The club has announced that Diego Poyet will not be reporting for pre-season training at Charlton as he wishes to explore his options elsewhere: Poyet
This is not a great surprise and it remains to be seen what compensation will be available. A figure of £600k has been mentioned, but that seems to be on the high side.
Back from a spectacular short break at the home of the world's smallest football league to find that the Addicks are increasingly being linked with Yoni Buyens: Buyens
The Liege midfielder could be seen as a replacement for Diego Poyet who has changed his biography to describe himself as a 'professional footballer' rather than a Charlton player. The word is that he is waiting to see what offers come in before making a final decision. The little known Buyens is hardly likely to compare in quality.
Meanwhile, Frédéric Bulot is not keen on coming to Charlton after two seasons at SL despite the fact that he is not part of their future plans and his agent would like him to go. Apparently, the wideman has been influenced by the fact that ace keeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien did not have a positive experience in London: Bulot
According to the South London Press Charlton have made an offer to Diego Poyet and are now awaiting his response: Poyet
It has been remarkable this season that we have a much longer squad list than many better teams who have played against us. A number of players were simply not up to Championship standard and a major clear out is now under way.
In that spirit it is understood that Danny Green has now left the club. Joining him are expected to be Jordan, Pritchard, Evina, Hollands, Cook, Feely and Gower. The loan players have, of course, also left.
The smart money is on Hamer leaving and Poyet staying, but minus his beard.
These matters seem trivial compared to the death of Elena Baltacha at 30 from liver cancer. Her father is professional lead development coach at Charlton and our thoughts and condolences go to him at this tragic time.
Not only did Charlton lose 1-3 at home to Blackburn, but signalling problems at Watford (a bad omen?) meant that I didn't get home until 9.30 p.m., hence no report last night. The various permutations of our fate are now difficult to work out. It really depends on whether Doncaster can secure a point away at Leicester and whether we can get a point from our last two games. It might be possible to lose both to Watford and at Blackpool and survive, but really we need at least a point on Tuesday evening.
Up until Blackburn's first goal, I thought that we were playing quite well and at least holding our own, although across the match as a whole we tended to be out muscled. I thought that Hamer could have done better to stop the ball going between the post and his hand. We then had a chance to get back in the game through the penalty. There was some confusion about who was going to take it, in part I think because Paul Robinson saved one from Jacko last year. Marvin Sordell stepped up and sent the ball down the middle, which would work with your average keeper who tends to dive to left or right, but not with a former England keeper. It wasn't a great penalty, but it was also a good save.
In the second half the first of two goals from headers went in, then Sordell gave us some hope with what was a good goal. However, when Blackburn's second goal went in, we had a mountain to climb and the players looked increasingly demoralised and tired.
I also thought that throughout the games we wasted our set pieces. Our corners never led to scoring opportunities and our free kicks never threatened. More later.
Match analysis
Once again Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to Diego Poyet. It wasn't his best performance, but he used the ball wisely and was active in defence and in setting up attacks. Understandably enough, he is waiting until the end of the season before deciding whether to commit to Charlton. Hamer could not have done anything about two of the goals, but was often too slow and hesitant in kicking the ball out. Fortunately I rarely dream at Charlton, but last night I dreamt that he had kicked the ball out of touch, a realistic enough dream. He made one excellent save from a point blank header from Gestede on 92 minutes. Morrison found the Rovers forward line a handful, but dealt well with Gesteede. Dervite brought the ball out of defence well to start attacks. On 21 minutes he dealt with Olsson's teasing cross well, clearing it to safety. He also cleared a strike from Rhodes off the line, but Cairney was then able to convert. He must be signed up for next season. Fox was constrained by a rather harsh yellow card, but his quick throw in provided the assist for the goal. Solly played well, but was tested by Craig Conway. Cousins was uncomfortable out of position but provided a good pass in the build up to the penalty. Harriott was quite lively and useful and I was surprised that José Riga substituted him, even if there were instances of poor decision-making. Ajdarevic put one good shot in on goal, but seemed uncertain where to position himself. He is not as good as he thinks he is. Jackson tried hard, but not always to great effect. Sordell, now our leading scorer, put in a determined and energetic performance. Reza is too selfish with the ball, he needs to pass to others. Church was energetic and relatively ineffective as always. Petrucci made no perceptible difference.
The officials had a good game, so Rescue Cat Reg has given the Hiss of the Match to Network Rail for delaying his evening meal.
That was the chant of the Covered End yesterday evening as they celebrated Charlton's 3-2 win over Yeovil at The Valley. The crowd set up a 'Chris Powell' roar and Johnnie Jackson responded by jumping out of the tunnel.
The win puts the Addicks six points ahead of Yeovil and five ahead of Barnsley who lost at home to Burnley. Millwall's surprise win at Wigan means that they are only two points behind Charlton, but the Addicks are only one point behind Birmingham and two behind Blackpool and Doncaster. They have two games in hand over all these three clubs and play Blackpool away in the last game of the season.
Charlton lived dangerously at times and the two goals conceded were down to poor defensive mistakes. The five minutes of time added on were an agony.
The starting line up did not include Lawrie Wilson who has injured his eye socket, but may be able to play as a 'masked man' against Brighton. The absence of a proper right back did cost us as Morrison is really not any good in that role. Ideally, Chris Solly would be available and our season might have been very different if he had not been injured. I would have considered Hughes or ever Nego who is a right back, but Riga does not seem to favour him.
Astrit Ajdarevic opened the scoring for Charlton on nine minutes when he collected a loose ball on the halfway line, beat one Yeovil challenge and fired past keeper Chris Dunn into the bottom corner. However, Charlton are often vulnerable when they have scored and Yeovil were level within two minutes, as James Hayter found Grant, whose shot was deflected in off Richard Wood after what looked like amateurish defending.
Hayter then scuffed a chance from eight yards out, before Reza Ghoochannejhad missed a good chance from close range. Joe Ralls had two chances in as many minutes for Yeovil, fizzing a shot just over from 20 yards and forcing keeper Ben Hamer to stop his left-footed drive, before Tom Lawrence hit the bar direct from a corner.
At the other end Dunn made a superb save to tip a Sordell shot around the post before half-time when the striker was one on one with the keeper. Dunn was helpless when Dervite powered home a 48th-minute header from Johnnie Jackson's corner. Sordell then added a third, tapping in after Dunn failed to hold Ghoochannejhad's right-wing cross.
Yeovil substitute Moore ensured a tense finish when he slotted into an empty net following a defensive mix-up on 74 minutes. Hamer came charging out of his goal and there was insufficient cover behind him when he left the goal exposed. This goal came at a time when I thought Charlton were on top and it made for some anxious closing minutes.
Charlton played a more direct game of a rather old fashioned English style than they did against Reading, with less pretty passing, but it seems to have worked.
Ivy the Terrible has once again awarded the Silver Bone to Diego Poyet who showed real skill and determination, but this time it has been engraved with 'Diego Poyet: he's better than Gus' in honour of the Covered End chant. Hamer couldn't do much about the two goals, although he shouldn't have rushed out for the second one. His distribution came in for some criticism from the row behind me. Morrison was played out of position and can't even do throw ins, getting caught out once for a foul throw. Dervite scored an excellent goal and was generally solid, he can be forgiven for putting a free kick way over the bar, however he and Wood seemed to have some difficulty in playing effectively together. Wiggins had a sparking performance and was a real threat going forward. Ajdarevic scored a great goal from distance, but clearly is not fully fit which is why he had to be substituted, earning warm applause when he went off. Cousins is a great battling midfield player and had one excellent run down the right. Jackson put in some good corners, although one of his free kicks was disappointing Reza showed some good touches, providing the assist for the third goal. A shame that he bottled out from a challenge on the halfway line. I told those around me that Sordell would score, they were not convinced, but he did It was a better performance. His shot at the tunnel was dire, but he had few options. Obika earned some boos from the Glovers when he came on as a substitute, but didn't offer very much. Harriott looked lightweight when he came on. Great to see Cort returning for a cameo.
Rescue Cat Reg came in from a night on the tiles when I returned shortly before 1 a.m. He considered giving the Hiss of the Match to the referee who was reluctant to hand out yellow cards in response to persistent fouling by the Glovers, but instead Reg has given it to Yeovil's lime green fluorescent kit with horizontal stripes. This is the first time the hiss has been given to a team's kit and the style police are investigating, starting with those Yeovil supporters wearing it in the Jimmy Seed.
Rhoys Wiggins outlined the hoped for scenario for today's game against Reading in the programme: 'If we can keep it tight for 60 or 70 minutes then you can give it a real push in the last 20 and, hopefully, win the game like we did at Forest and Leeds. That's what we're aiming for at the moment.'
Unfortunately, it was Reading who kept it tight and then scored a second half goal to emerge 1-0 victors. As Steve from Petts Wood remarked, 'How often have we seen a goal scored against us on a fast counter attack like that.' Charlton have lost seven games by a margin of 1-0 this season and won six by the same margin. With Barnsley drawing we remain two points ahead of them, although Yeovil and Millwall won. Tuesday's game against Barnsley is a real six pointer, although we seem to be winning on Tuesdays at the moment.
The first half was even between the two sides with neither posing a real threat. Certainly Charlton didn't with Simon Church up front. We were playing some neat, passing football but never looked like scoring. Reading stepped up a gear after the break and looked increasingly like scoring. José Riga tried to change things around by a series of substitutions, but they did not have the desired effect. He set us up for a draw and the strategy didn't work. Possession was 53-47 in favour of Charlton and our pass completion rate has been improving.
Match analysis
Yet again Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to Diego Poyet for his intelligent passes and the way in which he anchored the midfield. Ben Hamer made a good save from Danny Guthrie's free kick on 62 minutes and then had to be alert to deny McCleary after he evaded a challenge from Morrison. He had no chance for the goal. Morrison dealt with Pogrebynak well and picked up a rather harsh yellow card. Dervite brought the ball out from the back well and was generally solid. Wilson was solid defensively and looked at times as if he might create something. Wiggins controlled Drenthe well and picked up a rather harsh yellow card. Harriott put in a couple of good balls when there was no one there to connect with them, but other efforts were woeful. Ajdarevic started well and got past Reading a number of time, although to no eventual effect. As the game wore on, his recent bout of 'flu affected him and he had to be withdrawn, looking very disconsolate. Jackson tried his best and it's a shame he wasn't available after his substitution for what could have been a promising free kick. Cousins was energetic as always. He had a half chance on 21 minutes when he got past Gorkas, but his shot went straight to the keeper. Church couldn't be faulted for his work rate, but he was isolated up front and had problems with the two man mountain centre backs. On the train before the match I heard two Reading fans trying to work out when he had scored for them. Reza has difficulty doing the simple things like making a decent pass. Petrucci looked lightweight and some fans blamed him for an error leading to the goal. Obika came on too late to make a difference.
There were plenty of candidates for the Hiss of the Match, including Reading charm merchant Gunter and Danny Williams for his haircut. However, Rescue Cat Reg has awarded it to referee Andrew Madley who seemed less concerned about the fouls and diving antics of Reading than giving out yellow cards to the home side.
That was the plaintive plea of Big Dave Lockwood over the tannoy as disconsolate Charlton supporters left The Valley after today's 0-3 home defeat by Burnley. The Clarets looked like a side destined for promotion. There was, I thought, some improvement in Charlton's play, particularly in the first half. There was less hit and hope and more passing along the ground to someone in a red shirt. But ultimately Charlton were outclassed.
I have read some comments from fans since first writing this which said that Burnley were very ordinary and we made them look good. There was a sense in which the Clarets never had to get out of second gear, but I thought they had more in reserve and a lot of their play was impressive.
We held our own for the first half hour or so, but then Burnley scored with a bullet header after a good cross from the left. They then put the Addicks under the cosh for the remainder of the half with Ben Hamer making two excellent saves. José Riga made the first of three substitutions at half time, taken off Green and replacing him with Astrid, and I would commend the new coach for trying to change things around. We seemed to lose our shape somewhat in the second half and then Burnley were awarded a penalty which they scored to make it 0-2. I thought that the penalty award was rather generous in the sense that I have seen us not given penalties in similar circumstances. We kept on trying, but no avail and the third goal come out of nowhere in time added on.
The one crumb of comfort is that with Millwall losing and Yeovil drawing, we are still out of the relegation zone, but we have some very tough matches ahead.
I rather liked the following chant from the Burnley fans in the train to London Bridge: 'We speak with an accent exceedingly rare. Our side of Burnley will always be there. In our Lancashire home.
Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to Diego Poyet who was a class act despite being the target of some cynical fouling which should have been penalised by the referee who seemed reluctant to give a card for anything. Either they are card happy or the opposite.
Player ratings
Hamer did make two good saves and it would have been difficult to save the first goal or the penalty, let alone the own goal. However, I think he was indecisive at times, seeming uncertain what to do with the ball when he had it and wasting time as a result. Morrison was solid, although one might want to look at his positioning for the first goal. Dervite was singled out for attention by José Riga in the programme, praising him for having two feet like all Frenchman, but all saying that he was too introverted. Whether as a result, Dervitte did seem more confident to me and got forward well at times, bringing the ball out of defence. Wiggins had a rather disappointing game by his standards, he seemed to be sluggish and often dwelt on the ball too much. Wilson was a mobile presence on the right flank, although some of his passes forward could have been better. Green was, as always, inconsistent, at his best rather good, but not at his best often enough. He needs to beat his man before crossing the ball. I thought that Riga was right to substitute him at half time. Jackson seemed to be out of his depth against Burnley and crowned it all with an own goal, although that was an unfortunate ricochet. Cousins was energetic. I did ask Steve from Petts Woods whether he was involved enough, but he pointed out that while Poyet was providing the pleasing passes, Cousins was doing the hard graft. Both of us were still uncertain what his best position is. Church has a good work rate, but is not clinical enough in front of goal. Another striker might have scored when he burst through on 25 minutes to find himself one on one with the keeper, but his effort was tame. Obika was tireless, but not that effective. He burst through well at one point, but should have passed to Green who was better placed. Ajdarevic made a difference when he came on, testing the keeper will a well taken free kick. Reza may be getting us a virtual following in the Middle East, but he doesn't offer much on the pitch. The arrival of Sordell and his white boots did little to raise morale late in the game, but he did get stuck in and showed some skill.
José Riga was offering plenty of instructions to his players. He is featured in the Football League Paper this morning and I will post about later.
Rescue Cat Reg has given the Hiss of the Match to the bald East Stand lino. Bald officials always seem to under perform and this one must have broken his bottle of hair restorer in the dressing room because his mind was not on the job at hand. Someone advised him to stick his flag where the sun doesn't shine, but he preferred to hold it limply by his side and either not raise it all or belatedly.
After what was apparently a stunning performance by Diego Poyet last night, Charlton coach José Riga says that he has his 'eyes opened' about the player's situation: Poyet
It's not going to be easy to hold on to such a talent who is out of contract, but he might have better chances for development playing in the first team at Charlton than sitting on the bench at a Premiership club.
According to Sky Sports News, three Premier League clubs in London plus Inter Milan and Barcelona are tracking Diego Poyet: Poyet
Of course, 'tracking' can simply mean sending one of a large number of part-time scouts to take a look. However, there is no doubt that he is a real talent. I still wonder, however, if he might join his dad at Sunderland. What is almost certain is that he won't stay at The Valley, even if we stay up.
At the end of today's 0-2 defeat by Birmingham City, the Bloke Beside Me turned to me and said, 'I am now very fearful.' Earlier this week someone with great experience in football e-mailed me and said, 'I think the rest of the year will be a big uphill battle for a squad that's not of sufficient quality and/or has several new players, plus a manager who is still learning the job and hasn't impressed with tactical dexterity.'
The problem all year, however, has been that the players have not been quite good enough and on today's showing that balance has probably become a little more negative. I thought that in many ways we played fluently and with a good tempo, but we didn't create many chances and those we did we were not able to take advantage of. Possession was 67 per cent to 33 per cent in favour of Charlton and we had eight shots on target to Birmingham's four. Two mistakes gave the visitors their chance to score.
The pitch was probably in a worst condition than at the time of the Barnsley game. All week Charlton supporters had been confident that it would be called off, but my sense was that the club didn't want a repetition of Barnsley and would get it on come what may.
Just before the beginning of the game there was a mixture of sunshine and rain, indeed at one point it was raining at one end of the ground and not at the other. There must have been a rainbow somewhere but what was at its foot: a crock of gold or a crock of something less pleasant? Actually, the worst outfield player on the pitch was Marvin Sordell, not one of our new acquisitions. What summed up the day for me was when he managed to collide with Raz, destroying potentially promising attack. When he was eventually substituted, there was a cheer of relief from the Covered End. I wouldn't have started him and, as it was, Polish Pete only got a cameo giving us no chance to assess his merits or otherwise.
Katrine was at her first home game. Although in the 1950s I was sometimes able to pick out a Gliksten from a similar location on the old East Terrace, I wasn't sure where she was sitting. I don't think she was the lady with the big designer bag which I can't imagine as her style. In any event, she can't have been too pleased by what she saw and may have been tempted to send a message to the 'mother ship' in Liege saying 'beam me up'.
In any event what is very clear is that Roland is no lover of sentiment and tradition and relies heavily on statistics in his decision-making. It is also clear that there is a hierarchy in his clubs. Admittedly, as Voice of the Valley reported today, apparently he will have to pay £4m less if Charlton get relegated. It could still function in League 1 as a development club for Standard Liege, but the route to the Premier League would become much harder.
For one of the small band of Midland Addicks, today was his last home game before he leaves for a life of leisure and luxury in Oman where his wife has been recruited to fill a significant role. He has been asking in his blog what he will miss. Well, one thing I would not miss is making the trek back to the Midlands on a cold and wet day after yet another Charlton home defeat, particularly when the train service from Charlton is below par.
I was sorry to hear from the official site that a Charlton fan had been ejected for directing a racial slur at one of our own players. This is not what we want at Charlton.
The nominal attendance was 15,878, but was certainly much smaller with many fans doubtless being put off by the fear that the match would be postponed at the last minute. However, VOTV revealed that attendances are down 10 per cent year on year over the first 12 home matches, despite the club issuing more complimentary tickets. If you take out away fans, the number of home fans is down 13 per cent or 2,168 per match,a worrying trend.
Ivy the Terrible will be providing her match analysis tomorrow, but in the meantime has asked me to remind people that she is a Belgian Shepherd.
Match analysis
Diego Poyet received warm applause when he was substituted and afterwards was able to take home his first ever Silver Bone to mark his league debut at The Valley. Not only did he show great determination, there was also real skill. It was a very mature performance for someone who has inherited football skill, as well as developing it. Roland intends not to sell home talent as quickly as in the past, so hopefully we will see him for some time to come. I have noted quite a division among fans about the performance of Morrison. The young lad two seats down was angry when he was given a yellow card, but I thought that it was quite justified for a blatant foul when he had failed to check the opposition player. I thought it was a poor performance in terms of decision-making, tactics and speed. I know that he is not an attacking player, but he often acts like one (as no doubt he is told to do) and I thought that his distribution in the box was poor. In contrast I thought that Wood was composed and professional, but he did give away the foul that led to the first goal. Evina really had a mare. Twice his poor defending put the goalkeeper under real pressure. Wilson put himself about and showed some real skill at times, although often he had few options because he was boxed in by two or three opposition players. Jackson is, I am afraid, a bit of a problem. He lacks pace and didn't contribute much. Even his free kick did not come off. Cousins was energetic as ever. There is just a doubt about whether he and Poyet offer something rather similar, although Cousins was playing out on the right. He also missed a chance to score when Ajdarevic released him, but his low drive was saved. I had heard Ajdarevic dismissed as useless before the game, but I formed the opposite opinion. He is a big lad and he was all over the pitch getting involved. In fact, he clearly got to some of the Blues players because he was the target of off the ball incidents and a really nasty foul. He also has some real skill and it is not his fault that Sordell could not take advantage of his balls. An acrobatic volley was one of the few Charlton attempts that really tested Randolph. At the end of the match he sunk to the pitch in front of the East Stand in real despair. Reza is another player who in my view could be a real asset. He does actually act as if he was a centre forward and also put in some good crosses, one of which the hapless Sordell was unable to take advantage of. He is full of running, but he needs someone better to play with him. Sordell is, I am afraid, not up to the task. On three occasions he was in a key attacking position with someone in a better place to go on and score yet in all three situations he went for glory and the attack died out. He is not a team player and does not give one hundred per cent. I have left Thuram-Ulien to last. One fan commented that he was the worst keeper he had seen in 59 years following Charlton. Well, maybe. He did actually distribute the ball quite well by throwing it out and I think that the kicking off the pitch in the second half was due to the wind. When he did punch out from a corner it was very effective. However, he clearly has a problem with gathering the ball which is a basic flaw for a keeper. For the first goal the free kick was excellent and was deflected by the wind. He knew that he should have done better with the second goal, indeed one could almost see him mouthing 'M****'. In contrast the performance of Randolph was very composed. I was always thought he was a better goalkeeper than Elliott who was cut a lot of slack because he was a local lad. Green was a disaster when he came on. First, he drifted way over to the left, then he tried to be clever with the ball in a way that he is not capable of, gave away possession and set up the decisive second goal. Up to then we might still have a got a draw. Church didn't make much difference when he came on. Peter the Pole was given no chance to make an impression.
Rescue Cat Reg has given the Hiss of the Match to South-Eastern Railways for operating a reduced service from Charlton (no special) and hence delaying his evening meal.
Big Dave Lockwood
The announcer has been awarded a commemorative Silver Biscuit for the way in which he pronounced all the names. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't say, 'Mesdames et messieurs, c'est la Vallée.
Charlton suffered a cruel blow as they were defeated by two late goals at the DW Stadium this afternoon, but Wigan had dominated the second half.
The new look Charlton with a diamond formation faced Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium this afternoon. Sordell scored a goal for Charlton after three minutes after he sprang the offside trap, leaving him to beat the keeper which he did with great coolness.
Wiggins went down and required treatment, his right leg giving him discomfort. The Lactics put in a shot on target from Watson but Thuram-Ulien punched it away. Lennon came on to replace Wiggins. It started to rain heavily, having been a drizzle at the start of the match and the wind increased. It was grim ‘oop north. Chris Powell was wearing a wooly hat and tracksuit. Lennon blocked a shot at the expense of a corner.
Lennon put the challenge in the ball out of play, but the Wigan player trod on the upper part of his ankle and the youngster went down. Wigan put in a shot across the six yard box, but none of the home players could make contact. Lennon was back on his feet, Johnnie Jackson meanwhile helping the defence. Wood put in a good challenge at the expense of a corner which was unproductive.
A free kick for Wigan by Watson was awful and more suited to egg chasing. Charlton won their first corner of the afternoon which was taken by ‘Astrid’. Somehow Wood headed the ball clear. ‘Gucci’ rushed forward and put in a shot which was pushed away by the keeper. He then put in another which beat the keeper and hit the crossbar.
A Wigan corner was headed over. Poyet put in a great diagonal ball to Sordell but he wasn’t able to make use of it. Wigan attacked, but Lennon made a good challenge in the penalty area on McManaman. The resultant corner for Wigan was unproductive.
Charlton counter attacked and Sordell gave the ball to the lively Gucci, but Wigan held their line. A hard shot from Sordell deflected off a Wigan player, leading to a Charlton corner which was unproductive. The referee had a word with Lennon about a challenge. Wigan had two bites at the free kick, the second one leading to a corner. Morrison got his head to it and Charlton won a free kick.
Cousins turned provider for Sordell, but the keeper got there first as the striker tried to get round him. A few boos could be heard from the home support. McManaman hit the crossbar for Wigan in their best chance. Sordell went down holding on to his right shin, but signalled to the bench that he was ok. McManaman put in another shot which was wide and went into the Charlton fans.
Chris Powell told the constantly involved Sordell to calm down. Powell and Rosler had a little hug. Two minutes were added on. Beausejour fouled Cousins as he got away, the Wigan player being booked. There was poor movement by the forwards for the free kick. Thuram-Ulien punched the ball away, but Wigan won a free kick to the right-hand side of the D, but the wall did its job. Wigan attacked again and Thuram blocked an attempted shot with his leg.
HT: Lactics 0, Addicks 1
Wigan won an early free kick, a Wigan player turned the ball into the net, but the linesman raised his flag, the referee had a chat with him and decided that the goal would not stand. It was a tight decision.
Wigan were applying pressure and Charlton needed to weather the storm. Cousins shot over. Wigan made a double substitution, bringing on Fortune and their Chelsea loan player. McCann and Maynard went off.
Wigan had plenty of possession in the first quarter of an hour of the second half, but were not able to make use of it. Thuram-Ulien went down to his right to save from Watson. The Chelsea substitute was booked.
The Lactics won a corner off Nego. After subsequent play, Thuram-Ulien had to block the ball at his near post for another corner. Thuram-Ulien punched the ball away and Cousins cleared it further. Lennon was booked for a foul. The Fortune header from the free kick was wide.
’Astrid’ put in excellent ball to Sordell, but the move ended in a Wigan goal kick. Thuram-Ulien punched the ball out again when perhaps he should have collected it and gave away a corner. The keeper collected the ball and cleared. A shot from Watson was blocked by Wood. A shot from McClean was deflected for a corner. The ball was put over.
Pritchard came on for Sordell and went out to the right. McArthur went off for Wigan and Gomez came on. Wigan won a free kick close to the corner flag. The ball was cleared off the line by Wood and taken away by Poyet.
Fortune advanced, but Morrison stood his ground. Charlton were starting to defend a little too deep. Jackson got the last touch on a header, giving Wigan a corner, but the ball was cleared back to the home keeper.
Pritchard won a corner for Charlton. ‘Astrid’ was taken off. He had been helping ‘Gucci’ out in attack and Dervite came on for the last ten minutes. The ball was eventually collected by the Wigan keeper.
Nego put too much power on the ball as he tried to set up ‘Gucci’. Lennon conceded a corner. Charlton cleared, but were forced to defend again. Wigan won yet another corner which led to a second. Thuram-Ulien punched the ball away for a third corner. Fortune just headed a ball over.
Pritchard conceded a free kick. Wigan got the equaliser through Fortune with two minutes of normal time left. Morrison brought down Gomez on the edge of the ‘D’. The home fans had really come alive. The ball from Gomez went in to make it 2-1 with two goals in two minutes.
Can I recommend the match report by Chris Powell's Flat Cap who was there and writes to a very high standard: Flat Cap. He took plenty of positives out of the performance, especially that of Poyet.
He does, however, criticise the keeper for his unwillingness to catch the ball, and the sale of Alnwick may turn out to be a mistake. However, the Fooball League Paper this morning gives him a 7 and says that 'he produced some agile stops.'
