Not One To Remember

It looked like a horrible afternoon to play football; it was certainly a grim one to watch it. You try and take positives from any game but I can’t think of any right now, we ended up well beaten having put in a disjointed, confused performance. Try and learn a few lessons (and there were some) then forget the match as quickly as possible, hope it was a bad day at the office, keep in mind we just won away at Forest, blame the conditions or the curse of ‘football for a fiver’, and move on.

We lined up in a 5-3-2 with Doughty and Matthews the wing-backs and Lockyer, Pearce and Sarr lining up in front of Phillips, as against Forest. The midfield trio saw Cullen and Davis retained from midweek but with McGeady starting instead of Oztumer. Taylor and Hemed were again paired up front. The bench was pretty similar to the Forest game too, with Green taking a place rather than Aneke and no sign again of either Pratley or Williams.

We started the game brightly and undoubtedly bossed the first 10 minutes or so as both teams got accustomed to the swirling wind. Didn’t fashion a serious chance (we did have a couple of shots) but moved the ball around well. We weren’t to know that was about as good as it got. Blackburn slowly worked themselves more into the game and started to look dangerous, keeping the ball on the deck.

Indeed, the first major incident of the game could have seen them take the lead. A clipped ball seemed to put their guy in behind Pearce, who appeared to wrestle him to the ground from behind. My first reaction was a penalty and to wonder whether Pearce would be given a red. But the ref may have seen something before his contact as he gave us a free kick. He may have been right, would have to see it again; undoubtedly we were very relieved.

Before long we did commit the cardinal sin in such conditions by going behind, giving away a soft goal. Their guy was allowed to run across the edge of our box without a serious challenge going in and was given the time to line up a shot. Still didn’t look that worrying but seems the strike took a deflection to leave Phillips and everyone else wrong-footed. From the East Stand we were all surprised that what looked like a rather tame effort had ended up in the net.

It got worse. A few decisions in quick succession went against us and fans and players were getting riled. A Blackburn player went over rather easily and another free-kick was awarded on the left side. Not an especially dangerous position but when the ball came in nobody rose to head it clear. Perhaps it was taken by the wind but it dropped easily to their guy in the middle of a cluster of players and he turned it into the net. As with the first goal, there had been no sense of imminent real danger, but there it was. And we’re 0-2 down.

Perhaps the real turning point of the game came just after and before the break. We floated a ball to the far post and Taylor read it best and peeled away. He was able to nod it goalwards but their keeper stretched to turn it over the bar. Get one back then and the second half might be a different story, would have been a different mood going into the break. But not to be. It was tough on us to be two behind, but after that bright start our midfield had failed to function, the front two were starved, and our defence had coughed up two soft goals.

Bowyer changed the formation at half-time to a 4-4-2 with Pearce sacrificed and Smith coming on to play on the right. The feeling was just get one back and we can still get something out of the match, but we struggled to get out of first gear. Blackburn were not surprisingly content to knock it around and probe, retaining possession much better than us and not having to chase the game. It all went rather flat as far as we were concerned.

On the hour mark Bowyer tried to freshen it up by bringing Green on for the ineffective Hemed, to play alongside Taylor. Perhaps this would give us some cohesion. But nothing really changed. And after 10 minutes or so of this set-up Bonne was introduced for McGeady, with Green dropping deeper having had a very short spell as a second striker. Again nothing really changed and by now Blackburn were looking very comfortable. We had a shot or two but so did they, one from a decent position which was perhaps surprisingly put wide.

With about five minutes left of the 90 we finally made their keeper work, with a free-kick just outside the box curled in by Taylor, who had previously put one from a similar position over the bar. That goes in and despite all that has gone before we have a barnstorming finish. Not to be and the game, for us, ended tamely.

This report seems pretty downbeat because that was the game, from our perspective at least. A formation and an almost identical line-up to that which had secured three points at Forest today just didn’t work, nor did the changes made make much difference. For that you have to give Blackburn some credit and take account of the conditions. It was an easy day to look bad (manager as well as players as his substitutions really didn’t work). Equally, you’re at home, 0-2 down at the break, make three substitutions, and it’s five minutes from the end before their keeper has to make a save. That wasn’t good enough.

So far in February we’ve had the joy of beating Barnsley at The Valley followed by what by all accounts was a poor display at Stoke. We beat Forest on their patch only to come back and get turned over by Blackburn. Perhaps we just have to live with the inconsistent performances, but we clearly can’t afford another poor one next time out against Luton. You’d hope that both Pratley and Williams are available for that one as we missed them today.

Player Ratings:

Phillips -  7/10. First goal was a deflection, second he seemed to have no chance for. Otherwise really didn’t have much to do.

Matthews – 6/10. Was caught out one by their winger but generally fine. Still that problem that with a back five you hope to see the wing-backs bombing forward and we didn’t get that.

Doughty – 6/10. Stuck to his task well enough. Still prefer to see him in the opposition half as an outright winger.

Lockyer – 6/10. Two soft goals for which the defence has to take collective responsibility.

Pearce – 5/10. Caught out a couple of times and might easily have conceded a penalty (possibly with a red card to go with it). Sacrificed at the break to change the formation.

Sarr – 6/10. Perhaps deserves a slightly higher mark as he did well enough, just that like others may have to take some responsibility for their goals.

Cullen – 6/10. Struggled to have an impact in a midfield three which at least today didn’t look effective.

Davis – 5/10. Tidy but generally ineffective, not really sure what he brought to the party.

McGeady – 6/10. Some good touches, a shot or two, nothing decisive.

Taylor – 6/10. Not his best game but kept at it to the end. A header in the first half and the free-kick might have ended in the net.

Hemed – 5/10. Thought this was a big game for him, given Bonne and Aneke coming back. He didn’t make a case today for keeping his place.

Subs – Smith (5/10 – not really in the game); Green (6/10 – on as a second striker then moved after 10 minutes for another substitute); Bonne (5/10 – had around 20 minutes on the pitch but failed to make an impact).

From Comfort To Panic - But Three Points

Now that was a strange one, perhaps football in a nutshell. Plenty of positives. We walk away with the points in what was the first six-pointer of the season, we were in complete control of the game for a period of time, and I get my first win post-boycott (now I’m 1-1-3). Against that, we were a whisker away from not winning a game we thought we had in the bag, for a period of the game we – including the crowd – came close to panic, which indicates the fragility which comes when you have been on the run we have, and without looking at the stats I’d expect them to show that Barnsley had the lion’s share of actual chances (including hitting the woodwork three times and a superb save from Phillips). And there’s no mystery when it comes to reconciling the two sides: when Taylor and Williams were on the pitch we were largely in control, and vice versa.

We set up in a sort of 5-3-2 or 3-5-2 (or if you like 3-5-1-1). Bottom line was that in front of Phillips were a central defensive trio of Lockyer, Pearce and Sarr, with wing-backs of Doughty and Matthews – except that while Doughty operated as a wing-back Matthews, while doing the defensive stuff well, didn’t venture over the half-way line. Pratley and Cullen formed the main midfield partnership with Williams having the role of linking defence and attack, while Green played as a kind of second forward alongside Taylor. That’s not to suggest it didn’t work, just that it was a quite fluid formation with both potential and also an uneasy balance.

In blustery conditions, which made it difficult to play the beautiful game, the early exchanges were pretty even. We had warnings that if Barnsley had the ball in space going forward they could cause problems, while most of our moves forward ended with fouls on Williams – I counted seven fouls on him in the first half, of varying severity - or Taylor. That did reduce pressure on the defence but also broke up play and put an onus on us to make the best of set pieces.

And within 10 minutes we had the lead from one of them, which looked like something practised on the training ground. A chipped free-kick and Lockyer (I think) managed to nod it into that area between the back line and the keeper. Whether it had been practised or whether Taylor simply read it better than anyone else he was first to the ball and only had to divert it one side of the keeper, which he did very well. Good goal well taken.

The surprise was that we almost conceded an equaliser from a set piece of theirs. The referee seemed to let play go on after one more challenge but eventually gave a free-kick. Floated into our area and their guy gets in a powerful header, only for Phillips to spring to his right to scoop the ball out before it crossed the line. Unfortunately it went straight to one of their guys but he hit his effort against the post. Give Phillips the credit for an excellent stop but we had the luck.

Through the rest of the half it seemed to be a case of which challenges the referee deemed to be fouls and which fouls were deemed worthy of a card. Having given a yellow to one of their guys it seemed that the same one then took out Taylor as he laid the ball off, but instead of a second yellow and a red there was only a long lecture. Lockyer also picked up a yellow.

The half came to a close with two more incidents that went our way. First, yet another flattening of Williams gave us a free-kick in a dangerous position. The previous one had been curled well over by Doughty and this time we had two over the ball and went for another training ground routine. One spins away and instead of crossing the ball its played to him. Except that Barnsley saw it coming and nicked it away, launching a counter-attack that saw the ball moved smoothly up to our area. This time it was blocked, but again the warning signs were there.

Then shortly before the break another set piece produced some head tennis only for the ball to finally break for Green in the box. He’d barely had a kick through the first half but hit it with venom into the bottom corner.

So at half-time we were 2-0 to the good and seemingly set fair. We were far from firing on all cylinders: Green was struggling to get into the game and a lot was being asked of Doughty, but Taylor and Williams were linking up well and causing them problems. Bottom line was that we had taken chances and they had been denied by Phillips and some desperate defending when we were caught on the break.

The first period of the second half was when we were really in control. We looked comfortable and more likely to add to the lead than be pulled back and by now Barnsley were starting to look out of the game. But whether due to injury, lack of match fitness, or some other reason, Bowyer decided it was time for a change and on the hour Williams was replaced by Forster-Caskey. That seemed a little strange as the formation was working well enough and Oztumer was on the bench, a change which would have meant continuity. Perhaps Bowyer was looking to tie up midfield and close down the game. As it was, we started to look less effective as the link between midfield and attack was lost.

No matter, we are still winning well. But after 70 mins we made a second change, with Taylor replaced by Hemed. Again, might have been a knock, desire to protect him, or lack of match fitness. Again, it was a change that weakened us. Might not have mattered – and I did think at the time that with Forster-Caskey, Cullen and Pratley on the pitch we should be able to control midfield – except that Barnsley rather out of the blue pulled one back.

We lost the ball in midfield and were caught truly on the hop, a repeat of Barnsley’s ability to move forward in space. Their centre-forward managed it well, slipping one desperate tackle and drawing in another defender, then laying the ball off to his right to the guy in space, who curled it past Phillips into the far corner.

From a position of control we descended into panic for a period of time. Barnsley hit the woodwork again, a free-kick flashed across the box and didn’t get the touch in, and we were reduced to desperate last-ditch tackles and clearances anywhere. Not surprisingly they had their tails up and we came very, very close to being pulled level. That didn’t happen and we were able to run out the game, despite six minutes of stoppage time, with Purrington coming on for Doughty at the death to shore up the defence.

So a strange game, one that perhaps highlighted the fragilities of both teams. We created few chances in the second half – one move which saw Pratley well placed to score only for him to decide to lay the ball off, an excellent cross from Green which Hemer didn’t get the right contact on – and not that many in the first, despite scoring twice. And for a period of time we nearly fell apart. But we ran out winners in a vital game – and for a club that is currently about getting returning players up to speed and looking at the newcomers, grateful that for the first time in a while we should have enough available players, we shouldn’t be asking for more.

Player Ratings:

Phillips – 9/10. A great save, no chance with their goal, dealt with everything else.

Matthews – 7/10. Defensively played his part well, against tricky opponents. Just that if you play five at the back you assume that the wing-backs will be getting forward and he never did, presumably under instructions.

Lockyer – 7/10. Solid and effective.

Pearce – 7/10. Same.

Sarr – 7/10. You’ll never say solid with Nabby, but no real mistakes and he played his part.

Doughty – 6/10. I’m not sure that playing him as a wing-back works, but that’s not his fault.

Pratley – 8/10. Another very important contribution, always competitive, usually successful. Just a pity he decided not to shoot when very well placed.

Cullen – 7/10. Very good for the most part but think he was the guy who lost the ball which led to their goal.

Williams – 8/10. Caused them all sorts of problems. When he left the pitch the game changed.

Green – 7/10. Barely had a kick in the first half until he scored. Worked his socks off.

Taylor – 8/10. Effective, combative, and took his goal well. We are all glad he’s still with us.

Subs:  Forster-Caskey (6/10 – not really his fault that the game changed when he came on, but looked not surprisingly a little short of match fitness); Hemed (6/10 – not easy for him either to get into the game, did some good stuff but failed to convert the chance that came his way); Purrington (no mark, too late in the game).

A Point Well Earned

OK, we didn’t get the outrageous last-gasp winner from the free kick, which would have been sweet, but a clean sheet and a point was an outcome most of us would have taken before the game. And in the end we deserved that point. If anything it was Fulham deteriorating and running out of ideas towards the end, they were far less threatening in the second half than the first, which was a tribute to the effort put in by all in red on the pitch. At times it wasn’t beautiful, but it was admirable.

We set up with a sort of 4-4-1-1 with a flat back four ahead of Phillips of Matthews, Purrington, Lockyer and Pearce (who took the captain’s armband), with Sarr and Oshilaja dropping to the bench. The most welcome returning Cullen partnered the now indispensable Pratley, with Morgan and Doughty making up the midfield, while Oztumer was in the hole and Hemed operated pretty much as a lone forward. And a strong bench (when was the last time that could be said?) contained Taylor, Williams and Green.

And there was a lively start from us as first one low cross managed to evade a man in red then one from the other side was deflected almost into the net. Fulham did settle and began to dominate possession, as was always expected. And their movement up front did start to trouble us. On half-chances it was soon 2-1 as a desperate block came in and later 2-2 as a shot across goal just went wide of our far post. Throw in some blocks from Phillips and for us a storming run box-to-box from Doughty, which ended disappointingly as he seemed undecided over how to end the move, and you had a decent game. Just that as the half wore on you had the impression that Fulham were highly likely to score at some point, while we could – but were starting to find it hard to threaten them as the emphasis was on keeping our shape in front of Phillips.

The second half wasn’t much different, except that Fulham actually deteriorated, which must be a concern for their promotion hopes. They started getting sloppier in possession, less fluid going forward, and looking back on it now I can’t think of a real chance they created in the second half. We weren’t exactly peppering their goal either – there was another promising move which ended with Doughty shooting from a tight angle rather than squaring it - but going into the last 20 mins or so it felt like there was some swing in momentum as the changes were made.

First it was Williams coming on for Morgan, with Doughty switching to the right. Next up Taylor replaced Hemed, who as they say had put in a shift (I kept thinking of the Monty Python sketch, especially given today’s sad news, something for him along the lines of ‘Scraps? We used to dream of feeding off scraps’). Their central defenders were suddenly obliged to become rather more physical than before and with more effective pressing of the ball we were pushing them more towards rather hopeful long balls out of defence. The final change was Green coming on for Oztumer, who had found a decent position for a shot but rather fluffed it – and, while having played very well, did take what I have to say was the worst corner I’ve seen in my life.

There was one more opportunity as Doughty again worked the position but the cross was wayward, then the free kick at the death that came to nothing. So be it, we had our point and they had not scored, something I wouldn’t have bet on at evens at half-time.

So plenty of positive to take from the game I think. Perhaps uppermost is the evidence that neither the January transfer windows stuff nor the recent results has had any adverse impact on the determination and effort being put in. Couple that with the news that Lee Bowyer has signed a new contract and the point we’ve secured tonight can be seen as an important step along the way of stabilising and rebuilding the season.

One aside, we have now played West Brom twice and drawn twice, Fulham the same, and have played Leeds once and beaten them. If only we could play the top three every week.

Player Ratings:

Phillips – 8/10. Dealt with everything thrown at him, claimed crosses when he needed to, don’t care about the occasional poor kick out.

Matthews – 8/10. Unobtrusive but can’t remember him being caught out or slipping up.

Purrington – 7/10. I thought he started the game rather unsteadily, but as it progressed he got stronger and played his part.

Lockyer – 8/10. Solid performance with some very good tackles and blocks.

Pearce – 7/10. Overall fine but did think there were a couple of errors losing the ball which put us in a difficult position.

Doughty – 7/10. Caused them real problems and this could have been a match-winning display. But in three good positions, which he had worked for himself, he didn’t manage to make them count.

Cullen - 8/10. Deserves that mark for being able to put in the full 90 mins so soon. A very welcome return.

Pratley – 8/10. Excellent, some timely interceptions and very good reading of the game.

Morgan – 7/10. Didn’t stand out but helped us to keep our shape and played his part.

Hemed – 8/10. Never stopped looking and working for an opportunity and to try to disrupt their play.

Subs – Williams 8/10 (made things happen, no question we were more of a threat going forward after his entrance); Taylor 7/10 (took some strong challenges to welcome him back, still very much hope he stays); Green 7/10 (not much of an opportunity to shine, only on for perhaps 10 mins).

No Cup Upset But Some Positives

We all knew the score (and the probable score) before setting off and confirmation that we will have to wait another season for FA Cup glory isn’t going to matter in the greater scheme of things. Of course we wanted to win the game but the real interest lay in whether the new owners would take a bow or provide some insight into their plans in the programme (in the event there was nothing along these lines, really just not the day for it), a first look at new loanee Andre Green, whether some of the returning injured on the bench might get some minutes (Jonny Williams and Tomer Hemed duly did), and whether some of the kids might make a name for themselves. With West Brom putting out a side containing Barry, Austin and Brunt it was going to be a tough ask; and thanks to the BBC for providing the stat of the day: apparently seven of our starting XI were not born when Barry made his debut in 1998.

So in front of Phillips in a back four were Solly, Oshilaja, Sarr and Stevenson (with Lockyer and Pearce given the day off), and whether you call it 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 the two wide players were Green and Odoh with Vennings, Henry and Wiredu in the middle and Davison pretty much the lone striker (with Taylor also given the break). The bench included Gallagher, Pratley, Williams and Hemed, along with Morgan, Harness and Powell, the notable absentee being Ledley, giving rise to the impression that we may have already seen the last of him.

In truth the first half was a rather dull affair, with West Brom seeming to be playing within themselves and us not looking to commit going forward; and the first ball towards Odoh was a lofted one, a tactic which seemed unlikely to produce results. Our one effort of note was a shot on the volley from a half-cleared corner which went narrowly wide. Green had one decent run but we struggled to get the ball to him in good positions, Wiredu did get into space a couple of times but overran the ball (the first time he had a bad bobble off the pitch), while the star of the show was Oshilaja.

In amongst all of this West Brom did score, around the half-hour mark. Having probed but seldom actually threatened they were able to score far too easily. Their big No 9 was allowed to amble around the box unchallenged and he moved forward, played a one-two with another of theirs, and found himself one-on-one against Phillips. He didn’t miss. Otherwise they threatened from a number of corners and towards the break we were just hoping that they wouldn’t notch a second as that would probably have been that. They didn’t, so there was still hope, especially as presumably a few if not fresh then older legs would be coming off the bench.

The second half did indeed prove to be a livelier affair, although for most of it the surprise was that West Brom did not extend their lead. We did manage to get the ball to Green outside the box and after he pulled it down with aplomb he moved inside and hit a good shot turned around the post by their keeper. This and greater adventure on our part seemed to sting West Brom into trying to ensure no unwanted extra time or replay. They had a shout for a penalty as a shot at the far post hit someone’s hand, then their big No 9 shrugged Solly off the ball and laid it off for Brunt, to curl one over Phillips only for it to come back off the underside of the bar. It seemed that Austin must convert the rebound but somehow it was kept out and scrambled clear. Then a few minutes later a more routine effort from Austin hit the outside of the post.

Our changes saw Hemed and Morgan replace Green and Henry, plus a little later Williams making a welcome return for Wiredu, who had just picked up a yellow. And as the clock ticked down and West Brom were content to sit on what they had we did threaten to level things up. Hemed had no immediate impact but did provide an extra presence up front, making a lofted ball forward not the waste of time it had been in the first half. And Sarr was bringing the ball out of defence to good effect, usually picking out decent passes forward.

Our first real chance came as Odoh was tripped right on the edge of the box (on another day it might have been seen as just inside). The curled ball in somehow wasn’t converted at the far post, being put out for a corner. And shortly after that a cross in was nodded back and down by Hemed and Davison went for the overhead kick. Thought it was in but that one too came back off the bar. Into four minutes of stoppage time (and two West Brom substitutions) and right at the death Hemed had a shot from the edge of the area which just didn’t dip in time. And that was it.

So no surprise victory but no broken hearts either. We all know there are far more important games to come. Just how we shape up by the end of January remains to be seen. What is most important is that a line is drawn under the past few months and we regroup, don’t get hangdog because games have been lost. The spirit still looks good and has to remain so. Of course the rest of the season begins with another visit from West Brom. Bring it on.

Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

It’s not yet clear whether Lyle Taylor has turned down the new contract offered as part of an as yet unfinished negotiating process or whether he has made up his mind to leave in January. As in most cases there is a strongly positive outcome for us, a clearly negative one, and plenty of grey in between.

The strongly positive result is that Taylor signs a new contract in the very near future, ie before the end of December. That would end the matter and leave Steve Gallen and our new owners all of the January transfer window to make changes they want to. His re-signing before the end of January for me still falls very much into the positive category. We are in a relegation struggle and a fit and motivated Taylor would be a massive factor in staying up. You’re lucky if any replacement gels quickly and there no doubting that the team plays at its best when he is part of it.

The strongly negative outcome is of course the uncertainty dragging on through January and Taylor being sold at the last minute. Past history indicates we are not very good at dealing with those situations. I’d also list as negative Taylor not signing a new contract with us but not being sold, perhaps with a pre-contract signed for the summer. We would then be in the twilight zone, unsure if Taylor will be up for the struggle (and then doubts about how fans would react if it looks like he is not).

What is clearly needed is resolution. If Taylor makes it clear that he wishes to leave there will be no griping from me. He’s 29 years old and this would probably be the final move higher of his career (if it is possible to go higher than Charlton). Nobody should blame him even if it proves to be just about the money. He’s been an outstanding player for us, played a central role in our promotion, and has been a leader on the pitch. That some fans might feel in some way betrayed by someone they have made a talismanic figure deciding to walk away really is their problem, not his.

Just please Lyle, make it clear very soon, for your own benefit if nothing else. There is no reason to part on bad terms, if him and us must part. If he is indifferent to such concerns he is not the man we thought he was. Who knows where paths will lead and when they will cross again.

Whatever the outcome, if Taylor leaves now and were to return to The Valley at some point in the future, I’d applaud him. There’s an element I guess of ‘salute the rank, not the person’. He has played a major role in our recent history; it’s not an exaggeration to say that without him we would be scrapping it out in League One and probably with the lunatic still looking for a buyer. That contribution should not be forgotten.

I though the booing of Karlan Grant during the Huddersfield match was a little silly but not outrageous (as opposed to the abuse he received on social media, which was shameful, disgusting and utterly unacceptable). I can’t blame anyone for taking the opportunity to advance their career and to escape from Duchatelet’s oversight. But when the history of Charlton is updated he isn’t going to get more than a line: ‘Brought into the first team too soon, had a number of chances to shine, finally got it right and after a very good half-season took the chance to get away’.

What I do find absurd, if it is repeated, is the booing of Scott Parker, if it gets repeated when he brings his Fulham team to The Valley in January. Parker is a Charlton legend and we don’t need to go over the reasons why. To say that he deserves our respect and thanks really ought to go without saying. Yes, he left us in acrimonious circumstances. That is unfortunate. But it should in no way overshadow what he did in a Charlton shirt.

There’s no question surely that if Taylor goes he will need to be replaced. I’ve no idea if and when Hemed might be available, which leaves Bonne and Aneka plus Leko trying to operate as another forward when he is surely a big asset playing in a wider and freer role. Our midfield problems can be fixed with players returning from injury, but options up front are too few to be confident. We need to know soon what they are.

Another Tough Night

Ahead of tonight’s game there was no doubt what was expected and what was hoped for. A much-weakened team without a win in eight games, coming off the back of what was by all accounts a poor performance at Boro, up against a side one place above the relegation spots and themselves without a win in five. Needless to say you take any sort of ground-out, ugly win – and don’t go in anticipation of a demonstration of the beautiful game, especially on a wet pitch in blustry conditions (to the point where it wasn’t just the North Stand lower tier running for shelter from the rain).

And in that context the first half didn’t disappoint. Bowyer opted for a back five with Pratley sitting in front of it, which with the full backs not venturing past the half-way line left Gallagher to contest much of midfield almost on his own, to try to supply a disparate trio of Bonne, Leko and Doughty. It looked as though the instructions might have been ‘keep it very tight, keep a clean sheet to the break, if we’re lucky we might nick something at the other end, then we’ll change it at some point in the second half’.

To say the forward players were feeding on scraps would be an understatement. A ball bounced over their defender’s head to let in Doughty but he shot over the bar, one or two set pieces (one after Lockyer – I think – made a good break forward only to be taken out, their guy picking up a yellow), and that was about it. At the other end Huddersfield’s front two (including Grant of course) had pace and movement, but our set-up afforded them no space. One routine save for Phillips (plus a strange decision from him to head a ball away when he was well inside his area; if he wasn’t sure fair enough), some threat from corners was the sum total. They’d had more of the ball but to that extent our gameplan had worked.

So at the break we’d had 45 minutes of pretty horrible stuff but the promise of a different second period attacking the Covered End, with a certain someone on the bench. One thing worth noting was that Gallagher had picked up a yellow, for his fourth or fifth slightly mistimed challenge, but he showed commendable maturity after that by adjusting his approach, not giving the ref an excuse to give him another but remaining combative.

The second half was likely to be different – and it was. Huddersfield found ways around our defenders twice early on (at least once from a corner) and both times hard, low shots prompted superb saves from Phillips to turn them around the post. In a game in which the first goal was becoming increasingly important it was only thanks to him that we were still on level terms.

However, after those scares we started to come into things more. It was noticeable that Solly was getting further forward, Sarr was bringing the ball out down the left side more often (not always to good effect but always with intent), and with the urging of the crowd we were starting to look as if we might carry a threat, although Bonne and Leko were being well marshalled by their defence (I kept noticing their number 27, Stankovic, who dealt with everything).

With 20 minutes left on the clock the change we expected was made, Taylor making his long-awaited return. Have to say I was a little surprised that it was Leko who made way. Not that he was having much of an influence but as I’d have liked to see what we might have done with him and Bonne either side of Taylor (and shortly after Doughty was replaced by Vennings). The change lifted the crowd again and we went looking for the winner.

And we did produce two moments when it might have come. First, good work down the left involving Gallagher and Bonne produced a low cross just behind Taylor but running onto it was Solly. He hit the shot well but a defender threw himself in the way to block. Then arguably the game’s defining moment as a ball into their box was deflected up and Sarr and Taylor seemed to combine to get it over the line. However, the linesman’s flag had gone up well before the ball was in the net. Seems Bowyer is saying it should have been a goal, I’d have to see it again.

Huddersfield did themselves have a moment or two in the final 20 mins, including one situation when their guys were lined up on the left side of our box in isolation only for the ball not to find a way through to them. But in that final 20 period there was really only one side looking to win the game – and looking likely to.

Into three minutes of stoppage time and it looked like we’d have to take the point. But a move down their left saw the ball covered by Solly, should have been a routine clearance. Instead he rather lamely knocked it out straight to their guy, who advanced and put in another low cross. Like the two before it early in the half the ball in was hit well and this time Phillips could do nothing about it. And shortly after the final whistle went.

One advantage of drowning your sorrows after a game rather than dashing back to scribble something is you can have a look at Bowyer’s comments. He said the players gave “absolutely everything”, which was undoubtedly the case, no questioning the effort and commitment. He added “we score a goal that gets disallowed for offside – He’s not offside”, which is possible, have to see the replays. He also said “we didn’t get anything that we deserved from the game today” and that “in the second half it only looked like one team was going to win it”. I’d say almost. In the final 20 minutes we were the team going for the win, but that was after two saves early in the second half which kept us in the game. Over the 90 minutes (45 really given that the first half was a waste of time) I’d guess a neutral would say a draw would have been fair and of course losing in stoppage time is always a kick in the teeth.

It's tough, the chances are we’ll drop some more in the table with tonight’s games, and we’ve Hull on Friday evening, with Bowyer indicating that Taylor shouldn’t be risked to start the game. Whether there’s any reshuffling of the small pack for that game remains to be seen as until Taylor is fully match-fit (and signed up on a new contract) we are bit in limbo. The real decision will probably be whether to stick with a back five and Pratley in front of it.

Player Ratings:

Phillips – 9/10. His two saves kept us in the game, no chance with their goal.

Purrington – 7/10. I saw nothing wrong and, like Solly, he got forward more often in the second half.

Solly – 6/10. Might have been an 8 rating if his shot had found the net and if he hadn’t made such a hash of the clearance for their goal.

Lockyer – 7/10. Can’t really have any complaints about the central back three, all of whom did their job.

Pearce – 7/10. Perhaps still looks a little rusty, one or two unnecessary fouls conceded, but overall sound.

Sarr – 7/10. Defensively a mistake or two and mixed results going forward, but he does give you something different.

Pratley – 6/10. Nothing wrong with him being asked to protect the defence, but with five of them didn’t leave much over for the midfield to cause them any problems.

Gallagher – 8/10. The mark isn’t because he had a great game. He didn’t. But he was aware enough to adjust after his yellow card, strived manfully with little help in the first half, and was involved in most of our best moments when we went more on the attack in the second.

Doughty – 6/10. Bright in the first 20 minutes or so but became increasingly peripheral as the game went on (to be fair he was subbed for the final period when we attacked most).

Leko – 6/10. Not much went his way and like Doughty was taken off for our most attacking period. Doesn’t look comfortable trying to play more centrally with a partner and had little joy against their centre-backs.

Bonne – 6/10. Kept going but for much of the game was outplayed by their defenders and didn’t manage to hold the ball to wait for support. We wait to see if he can form a good partnership with Taylor (or of course if he or Taylor leaves in January).

Subs – Taylor (6/10 – no miracle return, but that would have been expecting too much); Vennings (6/10 – questionable whether it was the best choice to send him on into an area where we were struggling to compete).

Hard To Take, But Not Unfair

Tough result to take. On another day we could have won, if we’d taken the lead in the second half, or taken a point. But nobody would say we were robbed. We know the list of absentees and the gaps that were being filled; Addicks may have turned up with their dancing shoes on but if we’d brought boots we had a fair chance of getting a game. Even had the thought that Bowyer or Jackson might have been able to do a job for us even now (and just imagine the impact on the crowd!). As it was we tried to patch up, to make do, and to win the game. It was a good effort, but on the day not enough against a rather ordinary but ultimately efficient Sheffield Wednesday side.

Both halves – and the game – turned on key moments within a minute or so at either end. Having had much the better of the opening 15 mins, Wednesday had taken the lead, all too easily. From an earlier corner their guy had been free to head the ball into the net, only to be ruled offside, and when a pretty routine ball came in from the left their guy was first to it ahead of Sarr to head home. It was a goal that they didn’t have to work that hard to score.

That wasn’t the turning point. Instead about 10 minutes later Wednesday missed an absolute sitter. Another ball in was won by them and Philipps made a good save, only for the ball to run loose to their guy, a few yards out and with the goal at his mercy. There was one of ours on the line but he somehow he managed to put it over the bar. Some let-off. And pretty much from that we got the ball wide left and Doughty pushed it past his marker and won the race, squared it, and with the help of a deflection and the post Bonne managed to convert. Somehow from being a whisker away from two down we were level.

That was pretty much the first half. We did have a free kick just outside the area, with the lively Oztumer brought down. But what looked like a training ground routine ended with a rather lame shot wide. At the other end Wednesday had a one-on-one well blocked by Philipps and generally threatened without creating many chances.

At the break I remember thinking that if I was the Wednesday manager I’d be pretty furious with my team. They were stronger, more cohesive, had the better chances, but weren’t ahead. Charlton get some credit for that as there was no shortage of hard work, but aside from Oztumer the creativity to fashion opportunities seemed to be missing.

Perhaps they did get a rollocking during the break as Wednesday started the second half seemingly in determined fashion, making one substitution. Only a superb save from Philipps, leaping to his right to turn around a shot, kept us level. But we were still in the game, by now Vennings was on for Morgan, and there was cause for optimism as Leko seemed to have the beating of his man. As the clock ticked down you had the feeling that if we could nick one from somewhere, to have something to hold on to, we could win the game.

Wasn’t to be as we had the second and what proved decisive set of events in short succession. This time all eyes were on the referee. From a set piece Addicks were up in arms as Lockyer seemed to be wrestled to the ground. Looked like one of those that are sometimes given, sometimes not. This ref was unmoved. And shortly after he was called on again to make a decision as their guy went across the box and went to ground. A neutral might say he was tripped by Oztumer, quite frankly it was too far away to be confident whether it was a foul and whether it was inside the box. The referee took an age but eventually gave the penalty, which was dispatched.

A possibly tiring Oztumer was soon replaced by Davison but through the final 10 minutes or so we huffed and puffed but failed to make their keeper work. Wednesday were by now more intent on holding what they had, but did manage to rub salt into the wounds with a third well into stoppage time. To say we were stretched was an understatement and with numbers to spare it was crossed from the left and an unmarked guy headed home. It was their second goal that decided the game, that just gave a scoreline that flattered Wednesday.

We knew it was going to be tough, for obvious reasons. And we’ve lost another because we’ve again not kept a clean sheet. But there are no real conclusions to be drawn, the squad is too threadbare at the moment – learnt after the game that Purrington came down sick and Morgan was unwell - and nobody’s going to either complaining or worrying yet.

Player Ratings:

Philipps:  9/10. No chance with any of the goals and Wednesday would have been out of sight but for his saves.

Matthews:  7/10.  No complaints, didn’t see a lot going forward but it wasn’t the sort of game for anything cavalier.

Doughty:  7/10. Slotted in it seems as a late replacement for Purrington, his piece of invention was responsible for our goal.

Lockyer:  7/10. Effective, calm. Only downside is that we’re not keeping clean sheets.

Sarr:  6/10. Perhaps harsh but he was beaten too easily to the ball for their first goal.

Oshilaja:  6/10. Put in a shift but can’t remember him doing much of note, aside from a decent shot over the bar.

Pratley:  7/10.  Not an easy game for him as we were lacking drive in a decimated midfield.

Morgan:  6/10.  Can’t remember moments of note but seems he wasn’t 100% and substituted early in the second half.

Oztumer:  8/10. Everything positive from us came through him. Sure, he’ll get knocked off the ball and not everything comes off. But he looks to make things happen, obliging Wednesday to take him out too often.

Leko:  7/10. Especially in the second half seemed to have the potential to win the game for us. Just didn’t quite happen.

Bonne:  7/10. Took his goal well enough and on another day that would be enough. But found it tough in the physical contest against their centre-backs.

Subs:  Vennings (6/10 – looked lively at times, not an easy game to get into); Davison (6/10 – only on for the last 10 minutes or so).