EFL League One
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 17.639 (2,712 away)
At the conclusion of my earlier game at Meridian, I then walked back across Charlton Park and down the hill of Charlton Lane to reach The Valley for the opening game of the EFL Championship season.
Today saw the official renaming of the East Stand to become the Alan Curbishley stand, and various activities took place to mark the occasion, with a number of legends from the Curbishley era in attendance on the pitch, along with the club's owner Thomas Sandgaard addressing the crowd on the first occasion that The Valley has had an unrestricted attendance, as well as a presentation from Sandgaard to Curbishley.
Having spent recent seasons in the lower tier of the Covered End, I decided to upgrade to the upper tier of the West Stand this season, which offered far better views of the action, although the atmosphere would inevitably less intense.
As usual for Charlton's first home game of the season, the programme was a bumper edition costing a fiver, although this year it did not include the club's handbook, but instead was enhanced with memories and tributes to Curbishley and his era in charge. Consisting of 92 pages, it was a very interesting read for Charlton fans certainly, but probably hardly a good buy for the Sheffield Wednesday fans.
Charlton just missed out on a play-off place on goal difference last season, having finished in seventh place following 20 wins and 14 draws from 46 league games. Whilst the Addicks made some solid signings in the summer, most notably signing Jayden Stockley on a permanent deal, Akin Famewo on another season long deal, signing Portsmouth player of the year goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray on a free transfer to replace last season's number 1 Ben Amos, and some decent additions in midfield in George Dobson and Sean Clare. But there is very much a feeling that there is a worrying lack of depth to the squad, with more than half of today's bench made up of academy products, with four substitutes having made one previous appearance between them. Sheffield Wednesday find themselves back in their third tier for the first time since 2012, having finished bottom of the Championship last season, with relegation confirmed on the final day, although had they not been deducted 12 points for financial irregularities, they would have finished in the comfortable safety of 17th place.
On an overcast evening, with rain also falling at times, this was not a game which live particularly long in the memory, with not a single shot on target registered by either team. The game was delayed on ten minutes when Sheffield Wednesday's Callum Patterson needed extensive treatment for a head injury before being taken off the pitch on a stretcher and substituted. Charlton's first chance came on 25 minutes, when a free kick played in from the right by Albie Morgan was met by the head of Stockley, but the ball went wide of the right hand post. Shortly afterwards, Morgan sent a free kick whistling just over the bar, and just before the break, the ball was delivered into the area from a free kick in Charlton's own half, Stockley headed the ball goalwards, but just evaded the touch of Conor Wasghington.
As the game approached the hour mark, the ball was crossed low from the right by Clare, into the path of Morgan on the penalty spot, but his first time show went very high and wide. The Addicks then had several off target shots as they certainly upped the tempo in the second half, without really threatening to open the scoring. But five minutes from time, Sheffield Wednesday could and probably should have won it with one of their very few attacks. MacGillivray kicked the ball out straight to Barry Bannan 40 yards out, and after a good turn sent him past Dobson, he drove towards goal, played it past Famewo, before unleasing a low shot from the edge of the area which just wide of the left hand post.
But in the end, a goalless draw was a fair result for a game with few chances, and from a Charlton perspective, there was plenty to be positive about, with the team looking solid defensively and energetic in midfield, and although Stockley looks to be a very good target to launch balls towards and flick balls on, the lack of cutting edge was a real concern.
Short video highlights of the match can be viewed by clicking here
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