 |
Charlton
Athletic v West Bromwich Albion
The Valley, Charlton.
31st January 2006 8.00pm. |
| Back
to Previous Page |
Match
Preview |
 |
 |
| Result |
Charlton Athletic |
0 - 0 |
West Bromwich Albion |
| Scorers |
None |
None |
| Attendance |
25,921 |
| Teams |
4-4-2
36 - Thomas Myhre (GK)
24 - Jonathan Fortune
3 - Hermann Hreidarsson
22 - Chris Powell
2 - Luke Young
18 - Darren Ambrose
8 - Matthew Holland
20 - Bryan Hughes
25 - Alexei Smertin
6 - Marcus Bent
10 - Darren Bent |
4-4-2
(GK) Tomasz Kuszczak - 29
Martin Albrechtsen - 14
Neil Clement - 6
Curtis Davies - 19
Paul Robinson - 3
Darren Carter - 17
Jonathan Greening - 8
Junichi Inamoto - 33
Andy Johnson - 10
Kevin Campbell - 21
Geoff Horsfield - 9 |
| Substitutes |
16 - Stephan Andersen
(GK)
23 - Jonathan Spector
7 - Radostin Kishishev
38 - Jay Bothroyd
14 - Jerome Thomas |
(GK) Chris Kirkland -
20
Richard Chaplow - 12
Jan Kozak - 13
Nathan Ellington - 22
Stuart Nicholson - 31 |
| Substitutions |
R Kishishev for M Holland
(43)
J Thomas for D Ambrose (72)
J Bothroyd for M Bent (83) |
N Ellington for
K Campbell (55) |
| Yellow Cards |
None |
Paul Robinson (62)
Martin Albrechtsen (82)
Jonathan Greening (90) |
| Red Cards |
None |
None |
| Referee |
P Walton (Northamptonshire) |
To a backdrop of a hectic final day of the transfer window, Charlton and Albion played out a nil-nil draw that was high on commitment but lacking in any real quality. The fans may have been talking about what transfers may or may not be going through, but the players were fully committed to the match and, from an Albion point of view, it was an encouraging performance.
Once again, many felt that the starting line-up was ill-conceived with the decision not to play new signing Jan Kozak a particular mistake. I would’ve liked to have seen the latest Slovakian Baggie in action, but you have to accept that the coaching staff have a better understanding as to whether he is ready to play. An injury to Steve Watson meant that Andy Johnson got his first Albion action since the reverse fixture against Charlton in September, and Ellington’s recent poor form finally saw him dropped to the bench leaving a front two of Campbell and Horsfield. Kozak did make the bench and, surprisingly, so did Richard Chaplow despite talk earlier in the day that he may be on his way to Southampton on loan.
Charlton fielded their “Bent double” strike force from the start for the first time but were without Danny Murphy who was in talks regarding a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, and the injured Dennis Rommedahl.
The home side’s lack of creativity was evident and, consequently, their only real chance of the first half came as a result of a rare mistake by Davies as Darren Bent managed to get hold of a loose ball but fired wide.
Albion were equally lacking in invention until after the half hour, but they penned Charlton in for the last fifteen minutes of the half and came agonisingly close to scoring when Horsfield got onto the end of a cross from Greening only to see Myrhe parry the ball onto the post before the ball was cleared. Moreover, as Greening’s ball came across, Campbell was clearly held back by Hreidarsson in the box – the referee was unsighted but one would’ve hoped that the linesman would have seen such a blatant offence.
The second half was dominated by the home side after Kishishev was introduced just before the break. He added an extra urgency to the Addicks play and they had Albion pinned back for much of the second period. But Albion stood firm thanks to a number of solid performances. Inamoto and Johnson worked well as a midfield pairing with AJ his usual energetic self and Ina strong in the tackle and neat and tidy with his passing. I was pleased to him clear the ball on occasion when under pressure in dangerous situations – he has been prone to losing the ball when trying to play his way out of trouble, but he’s hopefully learning to judge when “safety first” is the right option.
Up front, Horsfield had an excellent game with his work rate and willingness to chase lost causes forcing errors from the Charlton defence. Campbell did OK alongside him in the first half, although he struggled to win anything in the air against the impressive Hreidarsson. Jonathan Greening had another improved performance providing Albion’s only real creative spark and almost found the net with a powerful volley from 25 yards that Myrhe just managed to get a hand to.
At the back, Clement continues to make the odd mistake and will be under pressure going forward from new signing Martinez. Curtis Davies, on the other hand, was hugely impressive once more, bar his one slip in the first half, and saved the blushes of his less accomplished defensive partner on more than one occasion.
It was a good solid performance away from home against an improving Charlton side and, while the home team did miss a number of good chances, it was encouraging to notch up another clean sheet.
Kozak and Quashie will hopefully add a little more attacking flair and with Kamara and Kanu due back in the next couple of weeks, I would hope that the improved attacking options coupled with the level of commitment we saw at the Valley will lead to improved results.
Marks
Tomasz Kuszczak - 8 - A couple of excellent saves; accomplished performance once more.
Martin Albrechtsen - 6 - Did well although he never had the beating of either Powell or Hughes on the Charlton left.
Neil Clement - 5 - Remains the weak link at the back.
Curtis Davies - 8 - MOM. Another excellent performance.
Paul Robinson - 7 - Starting to get back to his best.
Darren Carter - 5 - Disappointing once again; would benefit from being dropped.
Jonathan Greening - 7 - Much improved; worked hard and provided good skills.
Junichi Inamoto - 7 - Good solid performance.
Andy Johnson - 7 - Surprisingly impressive; if only he could do it week in week out.
Kevin Campbell - 6 - Did OK but was well marshalled by Hreidarsson.
Geoff Horsfield - 8 - Excellent performance. Worked hard, harried, hassled, good on the ball; unlucky not to get a goal.
Nathan Ellington - 6 - Enthusiastic but had little service.
Bryan Robson - 7 - Good team selection, apart from Carter, who
needs a rest for his own good. He managed to get the best out
of an unlikely group of players and earn a precious point.
Jon Want, 1st February 2006.
|
| ^ Back to Top
|
|
