Charlton Athletic 1 v 4 Bolton Wanderers

Tuesday 28th September 2021, Kick-off 19.45

EFL League One
The Valley, Charlton

Admission: Season Ticket

Programme: £3.00

Attendance: 12,707 (888 away)

Well, it was certainly very tempting to give this game a miss, being a midweek fixture, rain forecast and Charlton remaining in very average form. Inevitably, I did decide to go, and whilst much of the game saw the Addicks play well, particularly during the first half, a second half capitulation did leave me feeling why did I bother making the long journey to The Valley this evening.

Despite picking up a point on Saturday following a 2-2 draw at home to Portsmouth, Charlton actually dropped a place in the table, coming into this game in 22nd place following a solitary win and three draws from their opening nine league games. Following promotion from League Two last season, Bolton have had a decent start to their League One campaign, having picked up three wins and three draws from their opening nine league games, but they had lost their last two games, at home to Rotherham and most recently away to Sunderland.

On a mostly wet evening, Charlton actually started strongly, and duly took the lead on 14 minutes. A Bolton ball forward was intercepted Sean Clare, who drove forward before feeding Jonathan Leko to the right of the penalty area, he crossed the ball into the centre, and Josh Davison stuck out his boot out to tap the ball into the roof of the net. The Addicks were on top for most of the first half and had decent chances to extend their lead, but on 41 minutes, the visitors got back on level terms as right back Adam Matthews, not for the first time (this week), allowed a player - Oladapayo Afolyan - to cut inside instead of being shown the line, before unleashing a lovely low shot from the edge of the area which curled just inside the far post.

The second half started off evenly, and both sides had their chances to take the lead, and it was Bolton who broke the deadlock on 73 minutes, Gethin Jones crossing from the right, and Kieran Lee saw his shot from just behind the penalty spot take a deflection to send the ball past MacGillivray. The visitors opened up a two goal lead on 81 minutes, when Afolyan speculative shot took a couple of deflections before landing at the feet of Lee all alone just outside the six yard box, and he had the simple task of striking the ball into the net, And the scoreline became rather ugly in the first minute of added on time, when Bolton scored their fourth, Antoni Sarcevic timing his run perfectly to beat the offside trap to run onto a ball played forward from the left by Lee, and he eventually rounded MacGillivray before slotting the ball home. Unsurprisingly in the current circumstances, the atmosphere was toxic around The Valley, with the crowd loudly booing and chanting for the removal of Nigel Adkins as well as hardly positive comments about the players. It was a very harsh scoreline on Charlton, as for long periods they were on top, but paid the price for failing to convert chances, and also showed up the glaring weakness of the team in all-too-readily caving in and throwing in the towel.

Short video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here

Charlton Athletic 2 v 2 Portsmouth

Saturday 25th October 2021, Kick-off 15.00
EFL League One

The Valley, Charlton

Admission: Season Ticket

Programme: £3.00

Attendance: 16,278 (2,995 away)

As a Charlton fan, there is little to look forward to with a trip to The Valley this season. After new owner "Thomas Sandgaard" confidently predicting at the end of the last season that "next season we are going to blow it out this division" raised fans hopes, the reality has been very different so far this season. After promises of getting business done early in the transfer window, most meaningful activity was conducted after the season started and much of it close to the deadline, with the result that the squad is looking ill prepared, the manager Nigel Adkins does not seem to have a clue what his best XI is, nor what his tactics should be, with the result that the Addicks are, on paper at least considering the decent quality within the squad, facing a battle against relegation rather than striving for the play-offs. So, not much look to forward to as a Charlton fan, although this was one of the games where there promised to be a decent atmosphere, with the visitors always bringing a large and loud following, and indeed they packed the away end today.

Charlton came into this game down in 21st place, in the relegation zone, with a 1-2 defeat at Wycombe and a 1-1 draw at Gillingham following Charlton's last home game. The result that Charlton still only had one win to show from 8 league games, that coming against a poor and decimated Crewe side. After winning their opening three league games, Portsmouth have been in poor form themselves, having picked up just two points from their last five league games, and came into this game in 12th place in the table, following three wins and two draws from their 8 league games.

Ahead of kick-off, a mosaic was unveiled outside of the West Stand for Charlton superfan Seb Lewis, who clocked up 1076 consecutive Charlton games, home and away, before succumbing to Covid-19 in the early stages of the pandemic. The mosaic is truly stunning, visually attractive and capturing his devotion to the club excellently, and more about Seb and the mosaic can be read from a very moving tribute on the Charlton website,  

After conducting his usual shuffling of his pack to try ond find a winning solution, Nigel Adkins making a further five changes to his starting line-up today, but it was soon the same old story for the Addicks, falling behind as early as the sixth minute, Ronan Curtis bizarrely invited to cut inside by Charlton right back Adam Matthews instead of being shown the line, and this was duly punished when Curtis fired in a lovely curling, dipping shot over former Pompey keeper Craig MacGillivray and inside the far post. And they really should have doubled their lead on when John Marquis received the ball on the six year line but couldn't trap the ball, and when he recovered the ball with defender Jason Pearce having fallen over, Marquis inexplicably sent a tame shot beyond the far post.with the goal very much at his mercy. Charlton had some decent chances to get back on level terms, with Jonathan Leko providing the spark, but at half time it was 0-1 to the visitors

However, within two minutes of the restart, Charlton got back on level terms following a free kick virtually on the byline which was passed backwards by Elliott Lee for half time sub Sean Clare to run onto all alone, and he drilled the ball low inside the keeper's near post. Lee then saw a shot from an angle blocked by the keeper's legs, and Leko saw a fizzing, swerving long range shot parried over the the Portsmouth keeper, but on 72 minutes, it was the visitors who went back in front. The ball was played forward to Marquis at the edge of the area, who deftly guided the ball into the path of the onrunning Marcus Harness, and he struck the ball home from a central position just inside the penalty area. All was not lost for the Addicks as on 87 minutes they levelled the scores for a second time with two subsittutes combining, Corey Blackett-Taylor receiving the ball on the left wing before driving towards the byline and then playing a perfect low cross into the six yard box for Josh Davison to tap home. The Addicks pushed hard for a winner in the closing minutes, but a 2-2 draw was probably a fair result, and from a Charlton point of view, would hopefully provide something to build on in the hope of salvaging their season.

Short highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here

Brighton & Hove Albion 2 v 0 Swansea City

Wednesday 22nd September 2021, Kick-off 19.30
EFL League Cup 3rd Round

American Express Community Stadium, Falmer

Admission: £15.00

Programme: None

Attendance: 8,838

For my midweek entertainment this week, I decided to pay a visit to the Amex, mainly seduced by the rare opportunity to see Swansea City in action locally. Having spent four years in West Wales, I attended every home match I could at The Vetch, and inevitably I retain a strong soft spot for the Swans despite the passing of the many years since then.

Brighton have made a terrific start to their fifth consecutive season in the Premier League, sitting in fourth place following four wins and a defeat from their opening five league games. Tonight's squad would not contain many first-teamers however, but even with a young team who have hardly played in the Premier League so far this season, they beat another Welsh side, Cardiff City, 0-2 away in the previous round of this competition. After missing out in the Championship play-of final in May, Swansea have had a difficult start to the new season, having lost their manager Steve Cooper, replacing him with MK Dons' Russell Martin, and continuing to lose their best players. In the Championship, they won just one and drawn four of their eight league games so far. To reach tonight's tie, Swansea won 0-3 at Reading in the first round, and then despatched Plymouth Argyle 4-1 in the second round.

Inevitably, the teams lined up for this evening quite different to recent league fixtures, and although Brighton fielded a mainly under 23 side, exciting rising star Tariq Lampey would be making his first appearance after nine months out injured, and other players with decent Premier League experience included defender Dan Burn, midfielders Steven Alzate, Alexis MacAllister and Jakub Moder, and striker Aaron Connolly.

On a clear evening, this game started off at a fast tempo, somewhat end to end, but it was Swansea who created the better chances, the best of which in the first came on 7 minutes when Liam Bullen forced a great save from the Brighton keeper Luke Steele. But Brighton opened the scoring on 33 minutes when Alexis MacAllister slipped the ball for Aaron Connolly to run onto and into the penalty area, and his shot took a deflection off a sliding defender to take the ball past the keeper and into the net. And the double act teamed up again on 37 minutes when Brighton doubled their lead. Again MacAllister played a low diagonal path forward for Connolly to run onto and at a defender, before cutting inside and firing in a low curling shot from the edge of the area beyond the keeper's dive and into the net. Connolly came close to sealing his hat-trick on 43 minutes when Jakub Moder passed the ball to him close to the penalty area, but he drilled his shot low just wide of the right hand post.

Swansea were probably slightly unfortuante to be two goals behind at the break, but they started the second half strongly to try and get back in the game. On 47 minutes, a first time clipped shot by Liam Cullen hit the crossbar, and as the ball dropped, it was headed up and down onto the roof of the net, while on 50 minutes, a volley by Morgan Whittaker 12 yards out forced another good save from Steele. On 59 minutes, Swansea were almost gifted a goal when the Brighton keeper ball passed to a defender, a Swansea player put in a tackle, diverting the ball to a team mate just outside the six yard box, and he passed the ball to Smith, who struck the ball onto the crossbar and away. But Brighton weathered the storm, and slowly gained control over the match, creating some reasonable chances to extend their lead, and in added on time it was their turn to rattle the woodwork, this time subsititute Pascal Gross  firing a free kick against the crossbar. But they had done enough to seal their progress to the next round, where they will face a trip to Leicester City. Swansea can consider themselves unlucky, but paid a heavy price for not being clinical enough

Video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

Railway Athletic 2 v 1 Sibsey

Saturday 18th September 2021, Kick-off 14.00
Sharman Burgess Sports Cup Round One

York Street, Boston
Admission: Free (Donations accepted)
Programme: None
Attendance: 65 (estimate)

There was something gloriously bizarre and surreal about today. Travelling nigh on 400 miles round trip to watch a cup game between clubs below the National League System, but this was not a typical venue to watch grassroots football being played at. Rather than some council owned open recreational field, this match  would take place at a stadium that hosted Football League matches for five seasons between 2002 and 2007. This was a trip I was very much looking forward to, with an intense sense of relief and happiness. It certainly did not disappoint.

When it was announced that Boston United would be leaving York Street after 87 years at the end of the 2019-20 season due to the expiration of their lease to play there, with the presumption that the stadium would be bulldozed soon afterwards, I planned to visit one of their last games on March 21st 2020. As it turned out, that date came a week after the country was plunged into Covid lockdown, and to say I was absolutely gutted to have seemingly missed out on visiting York Street forever would certainly be an understatement, and with it the opportunity of visiting a beautifully old-fashioned and historic stadium. But then suddenly, at the beginning of August this year, Railway Athletic, of the Boston & District Saturday League, announced that they had struck a deal with the ground's owners, the Malkinson family, to play their home fixtures at York Street this season. Frankly, it scarcely seemed believable, but looking at the club's fixtures, I planned to take advantage at the first available opportunity, booked my train tickets, taking advantage of a LNER rail sale to keep costs down, and anxiously counted the time down, very much keeping my fingers crossed that there would be no last minute snags to get in the way of this game going ahead.

York Street is about a 15 minute walk from Boston train station, through the town centre en route, and seeing the old fashioned floodlight pylons standing out in the distance on my approach certainly made for a heart-warming sight. Although all of the stands and buildings remain intact, unsurprisingly much of the signage has been removed, mostly auctioned off by Boston United to raise funds I believe, but Railway Athletic have installed a large welcome sign to the outside of the York Street stand. It is a very nice addition, giving the club some identity at the stadium. A fair sized car park is located in front of the York Street stand and to one side there is a standalone building which used to house The Pilgrim Lounge, but is no longer in use. These days, spectators enter the stadium through a gate in one corner of the ground, leading onto the Spayne Road stand, a 13 step covered terrace stretching the entire length. Spectators are permitted onto the large terrace behind the far goal, the Town End, which is mostly covered, apart from areas stretching either side from the lower half. The other two stands are inaccessible these days - the Main Stand running along the length of the pitch and containing seven rows of seating from an elevated position, and the York Street end contains wooden seating above a wall, with a small amount of terracing at ground level. A tea bar hatch is in operation these days, located just inside the entrance, serving hot and cold drinks and snacks, with pin badges also available, as is a bucket for any donations. In some ways, it is slightly sad to see the stadium rather rough around the edges, and a football pitch that is currently not in the greatest condition to say the least, which is inevitable for a ground that lay abandoned for well over a year. But never mind, it is absolutely fantastic to see such a historic stadium remaining in use, and very well done to Railway Athletic and all those involved for the hard work in making that happen. I am sure that there are many people like me who will be eternally grateful!

It is fair to say I knew next to nothing of the Boston & District Saturday League, and information about it online is rather sketchy. However in terms of league status, to an outsider, this cup game seemed like it would be something of a mismatch, with Railway Athletic in the Premier Division and today's visitors Sibsey three divisions below, in Division Three. Railway Athletic started their campaign with a 3-0 away defeat, while Sibsey won their opening game of the season 0-1 away.

On a warm and mostly sunny afternoon, it was Sibsey who started the stronger, and with barely a minute on the clock, they saw a shot from just outside the area blocked by the keeper, but the referee blew for a foul just outside the area, which was fired just over the bar. They had another great chance three minutes later when the Railway keeper was drawn out to the right of his area, and a cross took a deflection, and the Sibsey forward lurking behind couldn't adjust quickly enough to get his effort on target with the net unguarded. But on 14 minutes, Railway Athletic took the lead, Steve Appleby running through on goal from a slight angle and although he stumbled as he was closed down, he still managed to retain possession, getting to the byline before passing the ball low into the six yard box, only for a defender to stick out a boot to divert it into his own net. On 33 minutes, Sibsey grabbed a rather fortunate equaliser, when a corner seemed to be punched into his own net by the Railway keeper. Unfortunately for the underdogs, after receiving something of a gift, they presented one themselves within a minute when, following a low ball forward by the hosts, the keeper didn't manage to connect properly as he tried to take the ball past the advancing Railway player, it spilled to 54 year old Appleby, and he showed good composure to gently float the ball from just inside the area, over a couple of players, and into the empty net. The game then settled down to pass without much further incident in the remaining minutes of the first half, and with all to play for after the break.

The second half saw Railway Athletic have more of a measure of control on the game, creating some decent chances, although Sibsey finished quite strongly, themselves coming close to levelling the scores on a couple of occasions. But in the end, despite Railway having Ryan Leggett sent off for a second yellow card in the final minute of normal time, the second half brought no further scoring and so it was Railway Athletic who progressed to the next round, although full credit to Sibsey who put in an excellent, battling performance and were probably slightly unfortunate to lose. 

This was a thoroughly enjoyable day out, just the sort of quirky, slightly bizarre day out that makes groundhopping so enjoyable, and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the fortunes of Railway Athletic, a very friendly and welcoming club who I wish all the very best to and I would certainly not rule out a return visit to York Street in the future, should the opportunity arise.