Wilson given Bolton trial

Former Addick Lawrie Wilson is being given a trial at Bolton after failing to secure a contract at Rotherham: Lawrie Wilson

Lawrie Wilson leaves

Lawrie Wilson has not been offered a new contract and has tweeted his thanks to the Addickted for their support: Wilson

Whilst thanking him for all his efforts, I do not think of he is of a consistently high enough standard if we want to push for the play offs.

There has been some disquiet about the way in which news of these departures is leaking out.

However, the club has now released a full list of departures which include Tal Ben Haim, Chris Eagles and Roger Johnson. Attention will now turn to new signings.

Wilson goes on loan to Rotherham

Lawrie Wilson has gone on emergency loan to Rotherham, reports the official site: M1 emergency

The Millers are engaged in a battle against relegation and Wilson could appear in Saturday's derby clash against the Massives. If Rotherham pull away from the relegation zone, it will help to seal Millwall's fate.

Wilson is a player who divides fans. I think that he is an honest player who gives his best, and sometimes can produce some really good contributions. However, his best is sometimes not good enough for the Championship.

I wish him well at the New York Stadium. I have one friend who comes from Rotherham although she supports Manchester City.

When I was at university, one of my flat mates had a girl friend who was a scion of the now departed traditional department store, Muntus of Rotherham. He said that when he went up there for a tour of the store, the staff were practically bowing and scraping. As the town declined, and out of town shopping grew, it went out of business and for a while was a bar and live music venue.

The family also had a rather nice house at Fowey in Cornwall which he and his girl friend visited in the vacations. Yes, I was a bit envious.

Wilson is Powell target

Lawrie Wilson is a target for Chris Powell's Huddersfield, but Guy Luzon wants him to stay at The Valley for now: Wilson

For me, Wilson has disappointed on his recent appearances (admittedly some think that he was only League 1 quality in the first place), but that is true of a number of players. For him, a loan to Huddersfield might be a good move.

Apparently the search for a striker is not going too well, no surprise really as good ones are thin on the ground and are not usually attracted by a relegation struggle. There is no prospect of 'Gucci' returning from Kuwait which in any case would not offer an answer in my opinion.

Fewer shots but more goals

Charlton Athletic and Leeds have had the least shots in the Championship, yet have each scored eight more goals than Sheffield Wednesday. The Addicks have the lowest number of shots on goal of any team in the division. Despite having just 172 shots compared to Norwich City's 289, Charlton have managed to score 20 goals.

For Sheffield Wednesday the opposite applies. The Owls have managed 221 shots in total, 49 more than Charlton - and scored eight less goals.

According to the South London Press, Lawrie Wilson may be the next player to go out on loan.

Charlton remain unbeaten draw specialists

Whilst it was no bore draw, there seems to have been more excitement at the Charlton Moscow game

Charlton remain the unbeaten draw specialists of the Championship following today's 0-0 draw at The Valley with Middlesbrough. The Addicks remain 8th in the table.

The game started with both teams taking a cagey approach to each other. However, Charlton seemed hesitant and had difficulty retaining the ball and Boro had the better of the game. It has to be said that Boro had a good defence that was difficult to penetrate.

The injury to Gudmundsson just before half time was a blow, as he had been one of the livelier players, but the arrival of Moussa as substitute after the break seemed to add some sparkle to Charlton's performance. Bulot managed to hit the post for the Addicks.

However, their best play came in the closing ten minutes or so after Boro charm merchant Admomoah had been sent off for a high foot, earning a second yellow card. Charlton pressed for a winner and substitute Lawrie Wilson drew a save from the keeper. From the resultant corner, George Tucudean's header was cleared off the line.

Possession was 54-46 in Charlton's favour, but each side had only one shot on target.

There was a curious incident at the end of the game when a fan ran the length of the pitch with what appeared to be the corner flag. He tried to join his fellow Boro fans, but was caught and hauled away by security. It has been suggested that he might have consumed an illegal substance.

Match analysis

My man of the match was Chris Solly. Tireless in tracking back and going forward, he showed real precision in his passing. Henderson didn't really have a lot to do, the header going just wide from a corner when they should have scored. However, once again he looked in command of his area, although his kicking out is a bit like that of Deano's. I thought that Ben Haim had an excellent game, some really good interventions. Bikey attracted the ire of the Boro supporters after a collision with one of their players, but their boos when he got the ball were drowned out by Charlton cheers. Interesting that he was positioned up front at the end of the match. Wiggins had a better game than of late.

Buyens was a disappointment, he was very one paced. Jackson really lacks pace and was eventually substituted. Cousins was more effective once he was moved into the middle after Jackson went off, he then contributed to a better last twenty minutes. Gudmundsson made some good runs before he was injured, it didn't look good.

Bulot looks very promising. Vitokele was energetic, but sometimes got muscled off the ball. Moussa was quite effective when he came on. Wilson livened things up with his appearance. Tucudean looked better coming on as a substitute.

I thought that the referee was over fussy, e.g., getting Henderson to move a free kick back a couple of yards. He was also inconsistent, penalising an offence then doing nothing about the same offence a few minutes later. The Bloke Behind Me kept up a stream of grumbling throughout the match.

Derek from Dymchurch has been at the UKIP conference in Doncaster.

Some fans have asked me, 'Is it possible to support Charlton without being exposed to Acworth? I am afraid that the answer is "No". Acworth is on of the downsides of being an Addick. The only way I can stop him clogging him up my comment columns is by stopping comments altogether and I don't want to do that. I have encouraged Acworth to set up his own blog for his insights.

Some players rested for cup tie

Although Vetokele is on the bench, and Wilson comes in with Solly rested, Bob Peeters has still put out quite a strong team for tonight's cup match with Colchester United. Gomez gets a start and Morrison returns to the sign. Wiggins is replaced by Fox. Tucudean gets another chance to see if he can get the ball in the net with Church and Pigott on the bench. I thought that Pope might get a chance in goal but Henderson kept his place.

01 Henderson 03 Gomez 21 Fox 24 Cousins 05 Morrison 06 Bikey Amougou 02 Wilson 17 Buyens 29 Tucudean 10 Moussa 11 Harriott

Substitutes 07 Berg Gudmundsson 14 Vetokele 18 Church 22 Nego 23 Pigott 26 Ben Haim 30 Pope

The Addicks have never lost to Colchester in a cup game, but the U's have won in three of last five outings to The Valley.

On 13 minutes Moussa put in a shot from outside the box but it was blocked. Charlton had the edge in terms of possession in the first quarter of an hour.

On 23 minutes the Adddicks went ahead through a penalty. Yoni Buyens converted the penalty with a right footed shot to the centre of the goal. Magnus Okuonghae was shown the red card for hand ball. The Us had to make a forced substitution and Charlton's share of the possession went up to two-thirds. Charlton pressed for a second goal, but attempts by Tucudean, Moussa and Harriott in quick succession were saved. However, Charlton failed to score before the break.

HT: Addicks 1, Us 0

Henderson dealt comfortably with a shot from outside the box by Sears in the first minute of the second half. Wilson put in a shot from outside the box but it just missed the target.

On 54 minutes an assist by Cousins allowed Lawrie Wilson to make it 2-0 with a shot to the centre of the goal. Four minutes later it was Moussa who turned provider as Wilson scored again with a shot to the bottom left hand corner. Vetokele replaced Moussa.

Church came on in place of Tucudean. Gudmundsson tried a right footed shot from more than 35 yards which was saved in the bottom right corner. Callum Harriott put in a right footed shot from the left side of the box which was too high.

On 88 minutes Church made it 4-0 shooting into the bottom right corner. Fox had a narrow miss with a shot from outside the box.

Even if it was against League 1 opposition, this was a morale boosting win for Charlton, showing that they can score goals and that Belgian Bob has something going for him.

Jenkinson joins his friends

Former Addick Carl Jenkinson has joined West Ham on a year's loan from Arsenal. He says that he has 'a lot of friends' at the Boleyn Ground and it is the place where 'he always wanted to go'. Possibly one new friend he will make is Diego Poyet and they can swap stories about their escape from The Valley. Read more here: Jenkinson

My season ticket has arrived, something that always heralds the start of a new season. Equine magnate John Window got his last week and I was in some trepidation about mine coming at all after the local Post Office managed to lose a parcel addressed to me. However, the mystery was solved when it transpired they had been looking at the sender's address in Andover rather than mine.

Apparently Michael Morrison and Lawrie Wilson, two popular players, have been delivering season tickets to some fans personally this afternoon, a nice idea.

Many fans will, of course, be using the Rickshaw service this season which will be augmented by new First World War surplus vehicles from Belgium - picture below.

New standards of rider comfort

José Riga's Red Army

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.

Wilson named in dream team

Burton defender Phil Edwards [who he? ed] names Lawrie Wilson in his dream team in this morning's Football League Paper. He writes, 'I played with Lawrie at Stevenage. He has bags of energy and pace, he got up and down the right well and he was an exciting player going forward but he was a good defender as well.'

With Chris Solly's future career sadly in doubt, some Addicks are talking of Wilson as a possible candidate for Player of the Year. Others think that his performances are too inconsistent, but I rate him highly for both dedication and skill. A good signing by Chris Powell.

Edwards also names former Charlton keeper Rob Elliot: 'We had him on loan from Charlton when I was at Accrington and he was outstanding. He had a great kick on him and was really commanding in the box and was a great shot stopper as well.'

Disaster at Donny

Charlton surrendered three points to a relegation rival at Doncaster tonight.

Charlton lined up with a 4-4-2 formation at the Keepmoat Stadium, with Yann Kermorgant back in the team and Dale Stephens with a strapped right wrist included despite reports of a move to Brighton. Cedric Evina played on the left side of midfield, having recovered from a knock at Huddersfield.

Jackson tried an early shot from distance, but it went wide of the target with the 448 Addicks behind Turnbull’s goal in a crowd of 7,289. Lennon stood up well and avoided giving away a free kick as Coppinger threatened.

Church threatened, but Meite defended well. Coppinger put in a decent ball but Alnwick claimed as Sharp threatened. Sharp looked dangerous after Jackson under hit a back pass, but Dervitte dealt with it well. They threatened again, but this time Morrison came to Charlton’s aid. Alnwick was eventually able to make a confident claim of the ball.

Sharp won the first corner for Doncaster off Morrison. The corner was headed clear by Cousins. Alnwick managed to push the ball clear from the throw in.

Doncaster were causing trouble down the right for Lennon and won another corner which was unproductive. After a Jackson free kick, Lawrie Wilson won a corner. Doncaster counter attacked.

Charlton were possibly defending too deep and allowing Doncaster to get their full backs forward. Johnnie Jackson had to clear the ball on the line. Then the ball was bundled in by Meite from very close range and Doncaster Rovers took the lead on 26 minutes.

Coppinger won a free kick off Dervitte in a potentially dangerous position. It came off Lennon for a corner which was won in the air by Dervitte.

Lawrie Wilson was sent off for a professional foul, the referee not having a choice, and Doncaster were given a penalty. Brown sent Alnwick the wrong way to make it 2-0 on 36 minutes. Evina went to left back and Morrison to right back with Jordan in the middle alongside Dervitte. Chris Powell looked pensive.

The ball floated into the box, but Dervitte got it clear. Wellens was unhappy with a challenge from Jackson. A shot went in from Coppinger which might have crept in, but Alnwick saved it. Almost immediately he had to make another good save from Sharp.

HT: Donny 2 , Addicks 0

Richard Wood was brought on for Evina. Simon Church was playing on the right of midfield. Alnwick punched a free kick clear. Morrison defended well against Brown and got the ball away from danger.

Doncaster won their fourth corner of the game. Wood had a false tooth knocked out and he gave it to the physio. It was a dangerous one and Alnwick had to tip the ball over the top at the expense of another corner which was headed clear by Kermorgant.

Cousins, who was battling away, picked out Church who got a shot away which went over the top. An effort from Duffy after a spell of possession football by Donny was claimed by Alnwick.

Duffy scored the third goal, putting the ball into the bottom corner. He had his back to the goal when he received the ball and had plenty of time to turn. It was far too easy for him.

Coppinger was charged down by Lennon as Donny threatened after no free kick was given when Dervitte was fouled. Husband floated in a free kick and Dervitte had to concede a corner. Charlton were given a free kick for a foul.

Alnwick saved a Duffy free kick comfortably. Fouls against Kermorgant and Jackson were ignored by the referee. Church was taken off and Harriott came on. Donny looked as if they were going to score their fourth, but Dervitte defended well. Donny made a double substitution.

Stephens, who had been booked was taken off, and ‘Astrid’ came on. Donny had a couple of more efforts on goal which were not far off target. Doncaster hit the bar from 35 yards out in stoppage time.

It was seven points from nine for Doncaster while there were no positives to take from the Charlton performance. It will be a dilemma who to play at right back on Saturday.

'We're winning at home'

That's what the Covered End Choir sung as Charlton tore up the form book and beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 at The Valley this afternoon in front of a crowd of 17,704 with the Jimmy Seed almost full. The Addicks are now 19th in the table, ahead of Millwall who lost 4-0 at Watford. Manager Steve Lomas has been sacked.

Brighton went ahead in the game after a build up that included a foul ignored by the referee. Charlton equalised before the break through Lawrie Wilson. Brighton applied sustained pressure after the break, but it was Charlton that went ahead through that man Wilson. A excellently executed free kick by Kermorgant then gave the Addicks a two goal margin. This was lost in time added on through a goal that had more than a suspicion of offside.

Thanks are due to Deutsche Bahn (trading as Chiltern Railways) for putting on a Boxing Day service that allowed me to get to the game: South-Eastern please note. I had a smooth journey, a bus arriving just as I got to the stop at North Greenwich (where announcements implored us to use the Dangleway).

We started the game quite brightly, although we often do. A free kick led to a Charlton corner but it was unproductive. A good spell of possession ended when the ball was surrendered by Stewart. Kermorgant was felled. Morrison deserves credit for having a go, but his shot was blocked.

Then Brighton went ahead on 22 minutes after Ulloa pounced on a loose ball and put in a low drive. We thought that Church had been fouled in the build up by being pulled back. A Charlton attack ended with Stewart putting the ball wide. A Stephens free kick sailed over the bar. Wood put in some good defensive work.

Kermorgant provided the assist that enabled Wilson to equalise. Brighton won a corner, but it was unproductive. Kermorgant had a word with Stewart about his contribution to the game. Sallor got a yellow card for manhandling Solly. Wiggins put in a great run. Alnwick claimed a threatening cross well.

Half time: Addicks 1, Seagulls 1

Brighton took charm merchant Saltor off after the break and replaced him by Calderon. Cousins put in some good work. A Charlton corner was caught by the keeper. El-Abd got a yellow card for halting a threatening Charlton attack with a professional foul. The free kick was played to Solly. Wilson pounced on a loose ball to score.

The ball was headed off by a Brighton player, but the referee failed to award a corner. A Brighton corner led to a shot that went over. Charlton actually got two free kicks off the referee, who was perhaps realising that his efforts to prove that he was not a homer were overstepping the mark. Bolton won two corners in succession and the ball had to be cleared off the line by Wood. Charlton won a free kick in a dangerous position and we agreed that this looked like Kermorgant's range and indeed it was as he put the ball in the top corner of the net to make it 3-1.

The Covered End choir started their chant of 'How **** must this lot be if we're winning at home.' A Brighton corner led to a free kick but the move petered out in a throw in. The Seagulls then saw the ball come off both posts in quick succession. Brighton won a couple more corners and we made our defensive double substitution. This attracted some criticism from those who think that the most effective form of defence is all out attack. The Addicks had a penalty call: either it was that or a yellow card for diving. Once again the referee's decision was baffling.

A Brighton corner was claimed by Alnwick. In the four minutes added on Ulloa scored again from a goalmouth scramble, but we had no real difficulty in hanging over for the three points. An intense and entertaining match which gave the Addickted some festive cheer.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible had no hesitation in awarding the Silver Bone to Lawrie Wilson for two well taken goals. Just before he scored the first, a bloke a couple of rows in front of me was screaming 'You're useless Wilson. Take him off!' I wouldn't particularly blame Alnwick for the two goals, as I think that he was unsighted. He did make a couple of good saves, but Brighton did not put him under that much pressure. Morrison showed some really good skill and once again I wouldn't blame him for not scoring. Wood once again showed his skill as a defender. The presence of Solly makes a real difference to our side, for one thing it frees up Wilson for a midfield role to which he is well suited. Wiggins had a good game, apart from one piece of poor ball control and made a surging run down the left. Stephens had a bit of an off day. Cousins displayed some good skill and had a solid game. Stewart attracted a lot of criticism in the first half from those around me, most of it justified. He lost control of the ball and then made a foolish tackle which left him limping. He seems reluctant to get stuck in. However, he did improve as the game went on, becoming more of a threat. Kermorgant got very much involved, as was evident from the state of his kit, and his free kick was first rate. Church showed plenty of effort, including one great run, but never really threatened. Dervitte was brought on later on to shore up the defence, as was Evina but neither made a great impact. Pritchard came on in time added on and did get involved.

Rescue Cat Reg did think of giving the Hiss of the Match to referee Mick Russell, but made allowance for the fact that he had not yet been able to use the Specsavers voucher he was given for Christmas. Instead, the award went to south coast clogger Bruno Saltor. He eventually got a yellow card for his fouls and the Brighton bench had the sense to take him off at the break before he got a deserved red card.

It doesn't get any better

I have to say that I felt really despondent after the 0-1 defeat by Burnley, to the extent that I delayed writing a preliminary report until this morning. I was disappointed by the Nottingham Forest result, but Forest were a much better team than Burnley. Indeed, the difference between us was really Charlie Austin who scored the winning goal.

Chris Powell changed things around for this match and it didn't really work. Admittedly, he had to change things around with Kermorgant suspended and Solly off sick. Dale Stephens was dropped, with some justification, and Button brought in for Hamer, again with some justification. However, it was the formula of three up front that didn't really work with Haynes uncertain about his positioning.

Once again, there was an almost complete lack of creativity with the midfield disappointing once again. We were often hesitant on the ball and too slow to it. The ball was also in the air far too much, particularly in the desperate closing minutes. I also don't think the condition of the pitch, which has deteriorated further, helps us very much. I know that both sides have to play on it, but I think that it discourages any attempt at flowing football on the ground.

After the game I heard some negative comments about Chris Powell on the lines of 'He hasn't got a clue' and 'I've had it with Powell.' One should always remember that any other manager would have to deal with the same bunch of players and Powell was reportedly prevented from bringing in all the signings he wanted over the summer.

Pessimists, always in abundance at Charlton, are already chalking up a loss at Peterborough on Tuesday. We have to remember that this is an away match, although the Posh have hit a streak of form. Hopefully, we will have Chris Solly back and we missed him yesterday as one of our few Championship quality players.

Match report

Arriving at Charlton Station, someone let off a very loud firework and the Boys in Blue set off in (moderately) hot pursuit and seemed to have got their man.

The sides changed ends at the start of the match, which always makes me uneasy. It meant that we weren't attacking the Covered End in the second half which is my preference. Burnley put the ball in the net after 11 minutes, but it was ruled offside. Wilson turned provider for Fuller, but his header missed. Lee Grant in the Burnley goal punched the ball out from a Jackson corner and then made a good save from a header from Fuller. Another Charlton corner was unproductive. Jackson was not far opff within an effort. An error by Morrison gave the visitors a corner. Fuller had to go off for treatment.

A Burnley corner led to an effort that was way off. The referee refused to give anything for what looked like a back pass to Burnley's keeper and this led to the move which created their goal. We had been giving Burnley too much space and Austin found plenty to power the ball into the top corner of the net from 30 yards out leaving Button with no chance.

HT: Addicks 0, Clarets 1

Charlton won a corner in the first minute of the half but it led to an eventual save. The hapless referee managed to fall over, giving some light relief. Burnley won a cheap corner. Wilson combined with Fuller but a Charlton corner was all that resulted. This led to a second and the move petered out in a throw in. A Charlton free kick was put over by Cort.

With the game entering the final third, Obika and Dervitte were taken off and Green and Harriott brought on. Wilson was held back by Austin who received a yellow card. Haynes won Charlton a corner which was caught. Lafferty received a yellow card for a foul on Fuller. Green won Charlton a corner, followed by a second. From a half clearance, Morrison found himself behind the defence but put the ball just wide. Another Charlton corner led to Morrison missing an open goal at the back post. The cynical fouling continued with Vokes, who had just come on, receiving a yellow card.

Charlton started an aerial bombardment as the minutes ticked down, but this artillery fire was unproductive. Fans kept shouting 'get it in the box', i.e., hoof it, but it would have been more productive to play the ball along the ground. Five minutes added on created no real chances, although Paterson got a yellow card.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to Lawrie Wilson who showed real skill and determination, made some good runs forward and kept the ball on the ground. Button spilled the ball once, so he has something of the same problem as Hamer. He wasn't tested that much, but was perfectly competent. Whether he is any better than Hamer is doubtful, but it was worth a try. Morrison squandered two good chances to score and did make some errors. Cort was solid and caused Burnley some problems when he switched to the centre forward role late in the game. Wiggins got forward well and showed his pace, but was often isolated when he did so. Made an excellent last ditch tackle on Austin. Dervite was an improvement on last week and his withdrawal was for tactical reasons. Pritchard really struggled to make an impression and when he did get in a good position he failed to take advantage. Difficult to say whether he should have been wider or narrower, but he looked out of his depth. Jackson lacked pace and his set pieces failed to deliver. Some were calling for him to be taken off. Obika really made little impression and does not look like any improvement on Wright-Phillips. Haynes looked uncomfortable in his initial position and contributed more when the formation changed. Fuller tried his best but never really got in a decent shot on goal. Green did manage to play the ball on the ground and did make use of his long throws. That it led nowhere was not his fault. Harriott looked lively when he came on and showed some skill. He is definitely showing promise.

Juneau the Soccer Cat awarded the Hiss of the Match to Burnley's Martin Paterson who clearly had a very high opinion of himself as he charged around the pitch and then engaged in a cynical foul in time added on.

Pritchard: I still don't feel comfortable

Bradley Pritchard is the subject of a full page feature article in The Football League Paper today. Recalling how he signed for the Addicks, he was volunteering as a part-time match analyst for the club and when he was called into Chris Powell's office, he thought he might be offered a full-time analysts post. When he was offered a playing contract, he thought he might have to double up as an analyst.

Promotion brought with it the realisation that he was about to hit the big time. 'I was nervous at the start of the season, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't,' commented the midfielder. 'For the first few games I was a bit overwhelmed and after the Crystal Palace game, about five or six games in, I was taken out of the side.'

'The games are widely publicised. I was used to playing in front of 700 people ar Hayes and all of a sudden I'm playing in front of 20,000 people. The boss was really good with me though, we had a chat and he relaxed me by redirecting the pressure - he told me to enjoy the experience.'

'I started slowly this season and looking at my own performance there were a lot of things to work on. I still don't feel comfortable, not yet anyway. I've come up directly against the likes of Danny Murphy, someone who I watched for years, and you can't help but think: "Should I actually be here"?'

'But once the whistle goes it doesn't matter. Even Lawrie Wilson came up with Stevenage. I remember playing against him when I was at Tamworth the year they got prompted, now here we are playing in the same team in our first year in the Championship.'

Charlton maintain unbeaten run

Charlton maintained their unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton and Hove Albion at The Valley today. The Addicks moved up to 12th in the table.

A win was beyond Charlton's grasp because there were too many unforced errors and misplaced passes, notably a rare mistake by Michael Morrison which set up Brighton's first equaliser. Brighton played some attractive football in what was one of the better games we have seen at home this season and it would be difficult to claim that a draw was not a fair result.

The supposed foul which set up the free kick for their second goal looked like a fair tackle to me, but the referee was inclined to give every marginal decision to the visitors while ignoring their pushing and pulling in the box. Even though he came from Surrey, I don't think he was biased, it was just a case of another referee trying to show he is not a 'homer' by giving the benefit of the doubt to the visiting team.

Haynes set up a corner for Charlton. Corners in the first half were taken as part of a new short cormer routine. This one was caught. Wilson put in a good cross. A mistake by Kuszczak in the Brighton goal gave Charlton a corner. It was taken by Dale Stephens, and the subsequent goal was initially attributed to him, but it was Lawrie Wilson who put the Addicks ahead.

An effort by Hulse was turned over the bar by the keeper and from the subsequent corner Morrison headed over the bar. Frimpong was brought down and the free kick led to a Charlton corner which was punched out by the keeper and eventually cleared. Brighton then launched a threatening break, but Chris Solly dealt with it very effectively.

A Brighton corner was eventually cleared, but Hamer was furious with his defence. Solly provided excellent cover. The Covered End launched into a rendition of 'We hate Palace more than you do.' From a Brighton corner Hamer eventually claimed the ball. With the linesman refusing to lift his flag for offside, Hamer did well. Charlton launched a good attack, but the ball seemed to ping off the woodwork, although the keeper may have played a part. A fierce Brighton shot from distance went not far over, but Hamer had it covered and it was always going to go over.

Morrison then made his disastous error with an attempt at a back header. He might have been able to put into touch or let the ball run and Hamer could have dealt with it, but Mackell-Smith was able to score for the equaliser.

Haynes won Charlton a free kick, but it was caught. After a spell when the Seagulls had been dominant, Charlton were getting back in the game more and an attack ended up with the ball in the side netting. A good build up provided a chance for Dale Stephens, but he was off target.

Half time: Addicks 1, Seagulls 1

Brighton won a number of corners early in the half, one leading to a follow up but Hamer was able to catch the ball. Dean Hammond was given a yellow card for a foul on Dale Stephens. Brighton continued to push and pull in the box under the benign gaze of the referee. A Charlton error in a pass across the pitch allowed Brighton to attack and Wilson committed a foul and received a yellow card. Brighton took off Hoskings and brought on LuaLua before the free kick was taken, but it came off the wall at the expense of a Brighton corner.

Charlton launched a good attack and Bradley Pritchard was able to put the ball in the net from close range to make it 2-1. A Brighton free kick was awarded on the 'D' for what I thought was a good tackle. The ball took a deflection off the wall, allowing LuaLua to make it 2-2.

Either side could have scored in the remainder of the game, but although the vigorous contest continued, it ended all square. The chairman confidently predicted a 20,000+ attendance in the programme but in fact it was 19,080 which was a bit disappointing given that the away end was sold out. Perhaps some people were down at Bluewater.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has given the Silver Bone to Dorian Dervitte. I was quite surprised to see Cort dropped after his highly rated performance at Millwall, but Dervitte was excellent in defence and contributed throughout, not least in the four minutes added on. Hamer was not really at fault for the two goals. He had to make a few saves, including an excellent one from Dobbie in the first half, and was particularly good at catching the ball from corners and crosses. A surprising number of Brighton shots went well wide. Morrison made a serious error, but otherwise he was up to his usual standard. Wilson made an excellent return, scoring a goal and making a storming run up the pitch in time added on. Solly excelled once again, even though he was playing at left back. Stephens showed some real touches of class. Great to see Pritchard score, and it was clear from the way they piled in that this team mates were delighted as well, otherwise he was his usual busy self. Frimpong showed that he has pace as well as class. Jackson had a few nice touches, but there were limits to his contribution. Haynes showed his pace, but he needed better service. Hulse was energetic, but he looked isolated quite a lot of the time. Kermorgant didn't make a big difference when he came on. Kerkar was disappointing.

The Hiss of the Match was given to the East Stand linesman by Juneau the Soccer Cat. He seemed to have a poor understanding of the offside rule and ignored repeated infringements by Brighton players.

Full report tomorrow.

Simply not good enough

'I don't know who was worse - us or the referee'. That was the comment of Steve from Petts Wood as Charlton went down 0-1 at home to Barnsley to fall to 18th in the table. The only good thing about the day from a Charlton perspective was the attendance of over 26,000, and it is questionable how many of them will be encouraged to come back.

It's easy to blame the referee, but I was not convinced that the penalty earnt by Solly was one at the time and apparently the replays tend to confirm this. I did, however, think that I saw the ball cross the line in the goalmouth scramble.

But the fact is that we were outplayed by Barnsley for most of the match. We had a storming finish, but by then we were down to ten men with Fuller having gone off injured having apparently pulled his hamstring and all three substitutes used up. Barnsley were crisper in their passing, faster to the ball and kept possession better.

Our back four are the strongest part of our set up. I remain seriously concerned about the midfield and I am not sure that bringing Jackson on at half time changed things much for the better. Bradley Pritchard made some impact when he came on for the hapless Green.

Up front I am not sure that 4-4-1-1 works at home and this appeared to be confirmed when Wright-Phillips came on at half time, although Razak hadn't done that much wrong. For once Chris Powell threw caution to the winds in his substitutions and it didn't work out. Dale Stephens said in the programme that he thought most of the players had made the step up to the Championship level, but unfortunately I don't think they have.

Match report

The train from London Bridge was crowded and I was sitting next to a well-spoken group, one of whom had worked in China and had a stylish Chinese girl friend. They were debating whether they should have gone to Fulham instead, but the £5 seats were seen as a big attraction. Probably they regretted it later. As the Football League Paper commented this morning, 'In a week where the cost of watching football was under scrutiny, there was little of value on display'.

I had pointed out in my preview that Barnsley have some good players, one or two of whom are being watched by Premiership sides. They certainly did well in the midfield battle in the first half, while Stones - usually unmarked - was always a threat as he foraged forward.

Their keeper Alnwick is well regarded, but he did make an early mistake which gave Charlton an early corner, but he was able to catch it without too much trouble. Green did put in a good tackle to stop a threatening Barnsley attack. Good work by Wilson won Charlton a corner.

Hamer had to make a rather routine save. Kerkar put in a good cross, but there was no one there to connect. Would there have been if Bradley Wright-Phillips had been on the pitch. Charlton won a free kick just outside the 'D', but it came off the wall. It is on occasions like these that Jackson can be very useful.

Dagnall threatened and should have scored, but he messed it up - which perhaps helps to explain why the Tykes aren't higher up the table. Fuller put in a decent cross. Barnsley won a corner. Their first attempt was intercepted and Hamer, the walking advert for laser eye surgery, caught well from the second. Charlton won a free kick and Razak drew an excellent save from Alnwick whuch led to an unproductive Charlton corner. Golbourne had been putting himself about and earned a yellow card. Dale Stephens put in a free kick which would have gone if the alert Alnwick had not tipped it over.

HT: Addicks 0, Tykes 0

Clearly things had to be changed and Sir Chris made his double substitution. You're damned if you and damned if you don't, but something radical was needed. A Charlton free kick taken by Jackson was unproductive. Dagnall managed to miss a scoring opportunity again, but we were running out of get out of gaol cards. Sure enough Barnsley went ahead, an error by Green giving them the opportunity. Hamer was at the near post and Cywka turned the ball in from an impossible angle. To be fair, it was one of the better goals I have seen this season.

Green was taken off and Pritchard came on. All those around me went ballistic when Solly was challenged from behind, but it looked like a fair if robust challenge to me and I think the referee made the right decision in not awarding a penalty. Solly lost his rag shortly afterwards and there was an outbreak of handbags which led to Solly and Dawson getting yellow cards.

Clearly I need to go to Specsavers (actually I use another optician but a car drove into their store recently) as I thought the ball had crossed the line in the goalmouth scramble, but someone who was in line with the goal assures me it did not. In any event Wright-Phillips was judged to have fouled the keeper as a number of players ended up in a heap.

Barnsley used up their three substitutions in the four minutes added on, but by then I knew that we were not going to score even when Hamer was waved forward by Sir Chris. On the Northern Line, bemused passengers were serenaded with chants of 'To the Barns-ley 1-0.'

Barnsley manager Keith Hill commented, 'We controlled everything - having the ball is key and so is getting it back. If we keep the ball the opposition can't score, and if we press the opposition they can't be creative. Football is a simple game which gets confused by people who want to retain their jobs.' I suspect that this remark was directed at the would be Italian owners of Barnsley who have hinted that they will want a more sophisticated manager.

Any team coming to The Valley knows we can be shaken at home. Our away fixture at Leeds is a tough one, but anything is possible.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has given the Silver Bone to Lawrie Wilson who shows a nice turn of speed, will take players on and can put in a decent cross. Hamer didn't actually have a lot to do, as Barnsley didn't make the best use of a number of their chances which perhaps explains their recent record. There was nothing he could do about the goal. Morrison who was captain managed to snuff out a number of Barnsley attacks by being in the right place at the right time. He is one player who has made the step up. Some fans have criticised Cort but I thought that he had a solid game and generally dealt with Davis well. Solly had another generally good game and I would not be surprised if he departs in the January transfer window. Hollands was simply woeful and was rightly taken off at half time. Stephens was not very impressive overall and finally got booked for an unnecessary foul. Green kept drifting into the middle when he was supposed to be on the wing and then set up Barnsley's goal through an error. Razak showed some very neat footwork and he is clearly a player of great potential. It may be felt that he was affected by the serious riot that broke out when he was on the bench for Ivory Coast in their match in Senegal after the visitors took a 6-2 aggregate lead. Kerkar showed some sublime skill getting round or tricking players, but it did always lead to anything, although that was not necessariy his fault. Faded as the game went on. Fuller displayed his experience, but he never really got close to scoring, but losing him to a hamstring injury is a blow. Jackson didn't make a great difference when he came on. Wright-Phillips showed plenty of commitment when he came on, but was not able to be a game changer. The 'he's better than Shaun' chant from the Covered End sounded a bit half hearted. Pritchard always plays to the limit of his abilities, but he was unable to unsettle Barnsley as much as some other teams which reflects credit on them. He did get a shot in on goal at the end which is to his credit given the lack of shots by us during the game.

Hiss of the Match Referee Russell got booed off, but I think that he did try to get most of the decisions right and kept the game flowing. However, this was clearly not the view of the row behind me whose colourful language about the referee drew a wry smile from the two young boys in front of me. The jobsworths at Charlton Station didn't try to stop me boarding my train (which is more of a concern at evening matches when I am trying to make the last train home). Apart from the game, everything went well. As my wife said when I set off, 'they won't do much' and she was right. So no hiss of the match.

'Solly going nowhere'

Chris Powell has made it clear that Chris Solly is staying at The Valley. He has denied speculation that Solly will leave the club this summer, despite the signature of Lawrie Wilson.

Powell has said that it is important to have strength in depth in a squad, and as such he sees Solly's future at the Valley and not elsewhere. 'Every manager wants two players for every position and that is how I see it,' Sir Chris told Pravda.. 'We all ran out of superlatives for Chris Solly last year - and he's going nowhere as far as I'm concerned.'

The Addicks retained the Crown Berger Cup with a comfortable 4-0 win over Welling United at Park View Road. The goals came from an own goal, a header from Smith, Haynes and a Jackson penalty. Two different teams played in each half. Players who did not take part included Hollands (recovering from foot injury), Sullivan and Hamer.

The Addicks had only real chance in the first half when on 24 minutes Bradley Wright-Phillips saw his shot parried with the follow up by Callum Hariot going wide.

The first goal came on 48 minutes following good work from Michael Smith when his through ball found Dale Stephens on the far side of the Wings' area. Stephens fired a long ball into the box which allowed Obersteller to score a comical own goal.

A Stephens corner picked up Smith who scored with a downward header on 54 minutes. Johnnie Jackson scored from the spot on 78 minutes after Haynes was fouled. Haynes scored from a Stephens corner on 87 minutes. The match ended with an impromptu pitch invasion by the Addickted.

Those who were there thought that Michael Smith looked the part and led the line well with good hold up play. Jordan Cook also pleased some fans, even through he was playing wide.