Groundhog day

 Charlton were without injured Chuks Aneke and Conor Washington at Wigan while Scott Fraser was struck down by Covid.   Akin Famewo did not feature due to loan limits but Kanu was on the bench.

Clare took one for the team as Wigan broke.   In following play Wigan won a corner but the ball went over the bar.

Matthews put in a great cross, after a good initial ball by Burstow, and Lee scored for Charlton on seven minutes, his first goal since October.

Wigan won a second corner.   The ball went straight across the six yard box but went out for a goal kick.

Gilbey got the ball off the crossbar, after a lovely turn by Leko sent it forward to Lee.   Charlton were holding the ball up well.    They started to play with some confidence in attacking areas.

Purrington challenged Magennis and they both went down in a heap.   Wigan claimed a penalty with some justice, but a goal kick was awarded.

Clare was judged to have taken out Lang who got in the area easily and a penalty was awarded on 25 minutes from which Wigan equalised through Keane.   Curbs thought that Matthews should have made a challenge before the ball got anywhere near the box.

Purrington did well to win Charlton a corner, but Lee's effort was unproductive.   A penalty appeal for a foul on Gilbey was waved away.

Wigan won a corner taken by Max Power.   The referee spotted a foul on Inniss as he headed away.  

Leko put in a shot in time added on but it went over the bar.   It had been a non-stop first half.

Curbs said it was a terrific goal we scored.   Brown said it was superb in terms of the build up and the delivery.  

HT: 1-1

The blustery wind continued.    The referee had a word with Sean Clare after he fouled Magennis.  

Inniss had to clear away a ball across the goal.  After Charlton went forward, Wigan broke well and Dobson got a yellow card after a foul.  Max Power took the free kick but Lee did well to get it away.

Wigan made another penalty appeal.   After a flat second half, it was the first piece of movement. 

Wigan were able to win a corner after Charlton were slow to react.   Wigan made it 2-1 through Humphries after 74 minutes.   Curbs noted that two Wigan players got away from our players.

Castillo and Kanu came on with Burstow and Matthews going off.  

Wigan advanced but Magennis couldn't get a touch. 

Five minutes were added on.   MacGillivray had to make a good save from Humphries.  

In the second half Charlton struggled to create anything while Wigan had a little bit more quality when it mattered.

Curbs said that not many clubs could cope with three centre forwards missing.   Steve Brown agreed that we were light up front.   Curbs said it looked as if we were going to concede from a set play in every game.

Curbs said there was a lot of thinking to be done, we had a lot of players coming to the end of their contracts.  There were a lot of loans.   Steve Brown said that you couldn't do anything until the manager knew he was here next year.

Johnnie Jackson said: 'I thought we played better today [than at Bolton].  They're probably going to get promoted, we were more than a match for a good part of the game, certainly in the first half.   From the corner we lost the first contact and the second contact.   We're getting done with soft goals.   Brilliant for Kanu that we got involved, but it shows where you are when you have to get a kid on.'   Jacko thought it was unlikely that Fraser would be back for Oxford.   He wasn't able to say anything certain about Aneke and Washington.  Jacko said he hoped to finish the season as strong as possible.   'I want to be that so we are in a great place in the summer, I haven't had a pre-season with these lads.   There's great glimpses of what we can be, how I want to progress, that requires time, pre-season, recruitment.  For players who are out of contract every game becomes vital for them, I have my own ideas of how I want to take it forward, it's up to the players to show they want to be part of it.'

Charlton are now 14th.

Louis Mendez says that Charlton have only themselves to blame for their defeat: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/four-takeaways-from-charltons-defeat-at-wigan-another-loss-for-which-they-only-have-themselves-to-blame/

Curbs: we face a relegation battle

Charlton lost 2-1 at Lincoln this afternoon and it would be difficult to claim that it was an unfair result. Charlton have dropped a place in the table.

Lincoln had twelve attempts to five and five on target to two.  After starting brightly, the Addicks never seemed to recover from the substitution of Elliot Lee after what appeared to be an injury but in fact was an illness.

Curbs said that after Lee was substituted we were second best all over the pitch.  'We've got so many flair players, if we can't get hold of the ball and impose ourselves, we are on the back foot.'  After the equaliser, we never kicked on.

Jon Fortune said that the shape of the back four didn't look right, the balance of the team wasn't right.  No individual performances stood out for him.  He didn't believe that we were going to put a run of four or five games together.   Nothing was going to happen until we put performances together.

Curbs said it was flat.  If we didn't put the run together, we faced a relegation battle.  It was going to be a long slog.   We had to start on Tuesday.  Scott Minto said that this was where the team really needed the fans.

Arter could have been sent off for a second yellow.   He was trying to get the side going as other players were arm waving and screaming at each other.

Nigel Adkins said we had changed it a bit at half time.  He said we had a clear blatant penalty on the 90th minute.  (The analysts found it difficult to comment on this subsequently).  We should have stopped the cross coming in.   It's fine margins.  Tight calls go against you. Charlie and Josh had not done as well as Josh and Elliot.  

Scott Minto asked if he had been tempted to go for two up front, but didn't get a clear answer.   Adkins said that he wanted to get consistency in the team.

Match report

Charlton started with a 4-2-3-1.   The Addicks started well, but Famewo had to make a good block as Scully and Lincoln threatened.   Leko put in an effort to the right of the post.  Gilbey got a yellow card after a necessary intervention.

Lee had to come off and Blackett-Taylor replaced him, Kirk moving to the centre.

Scully scuffed a shot wide from a good chance after Blackett-Taylor was caught out.  Arter got a yellow card.

Charlton were on the back foot and Johnnie Jackson was screaming at Blackett-Taylor.   Lincoln had a succession of three corners, Davison making a good clearance with a header from one of them.

HT: 0-0

Davison had not been very effective and Srockley replaced him ten minutes into the half.  A hard ball came from a Lincoln corner and Stockley turned it into an open net.  Curbs said that it was a terrible goal to concede.

From a Charlton corner, Stockley flicked it into the danger area, it was blocked on the line but Lavelle poked it past the keeper to make it 1-1.

Stockley got a yellow card.   A Scully shot was saved by MacGillivray at the expense of a corner.  Maguire shot wide.  Stockley headed away from a corner.

Arter was replaced by Watson.  Blackett-Taylor seemed to be struggling with his fitness.  A Scully header found the back of the net but was disallowed for offside.

On 91 minutes from a Lincoln corner the tireless Maguire put in a cross and Poole had a free header to make it 2-1.

Away point leaves Charlton in relegation positions

Tonight's performance against Gillingham was in many respects an improvement, but Charlton could have made more of their early dominance.   Nigel Adkins thinks it gives them something to build on : https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-boss-nigel-adkins-gives-his-verdict-on-1-1-draw-at-gillingham/

In the first half Charlton counter attacked to good effect with Corey Blackett-Taylor catching the eye on the right wing.  He twice pulled the ball back for Conor Washington, but he was unable to convert from inside the box.

However, Elliot Lee made the Addicks' early pressure pay on 18 minutes when he latched on to a cross from Blackett-Taylor before producing a clinical finish to beat goalkeeper Jamie Cumming from inside the penalty area.

Steve Evans made a double change at the break to inspire his Gills team into life, and it did not take long for his troops to react.

Kyle Dempsey's shot on 56 minutes cannoned off the upright with defender Ben Purrington only able to put the loose ball through his own net from a yard out.

Chelsea loanee Cumming then made two stunning saves to deny both Josh Davison and Sam Lavelle, with substitute Danny Lloyd striking the post at the other end.

Both sides had to settle for a point each as Jayden Stockley wasted a glorious chance in added time for the visitors by heading over from a corner.

Charlton remain in the relegation positions fourth from bottom.

Lee talks about his football upbringing

In an interesting interview, Elliot Lee talks about his football pedigree.  His dad is his biggest influence and his biggest critic: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/paul-gascoignes-magic-tricks-and-playing-five-a-side-football-with-alan-shearer-elliot-lee-on-his-football-upbringing-and-making-charlton-history-with-dad-robert-lee/

Robert Lee's son joins Charlton

Former Addick Robert Lee is a proud man as his son Elliot joins the Addicks on a year's loan from Luton Town: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/exclusive-former-charlton-midfielder-robert-lee-a-proud-man-as-son-elliot-joins-addicks-on-loan/

Lee is an attacking midfielder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliot_Lee

Negativists have found it difficult to come up with a critical narrative, but have settled for an argument that we have too many midfielders.

Of course we need defensive strengthening, but the window isn't closed yet.