Friday, 18 March 2022

Charlton Athletic 1 v 0 Gillingham

Tuesday 15th March 2022, Kick-off 19.45
EFL League One
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 9,728 (1,559 away)


In truth, it was hard to feel much excitement at the prospect of making my way up to south-east London after work, for Charlton’s last midweek fixture there this season. Sadly, a season that started with so much hope and expectation has turned into a disastrous one, with the ever growing desire for the season to be over as soon as possible.




Following a goalless draw at home to Sunderland last time out which, despite being a game that Sunderland really should have won, a clean sheet and breaking a run of five straight defeats to an end, Charlton reverted to current type on Saturday with an apparently all too familiar gutless and uninspiring performance at Accrington Stanley leading to a 2-1 defeat, despite taking the lead thanks to a very dubious handball, and Accrington being reduced to ten men on 63 minutes. That left the Addicks in 17th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone, with the club currently occupying 21st place being tonight’s visitors Gillingham. And since the sacking of former manager Steve Evans in January, when they were seven points adrift of safety, their form has certainly picked up since Neil Harris was appointed,  and are now outside of the relegation zone on goal difference, in 21st place. Overall, they have won seven and drawn twelve of their 37 games played. When the two clubs met at Priestfield in late September, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.





An official match report can be viewed by clicking here

Short video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

So, not a particularly exciting nor enjoyable game to watch, with few goalscoring chances, but Charlton dominated possession and deserved the win overall. It felt like a crucial three points, opening back up a ten point gap to the relegation zone, and was probably enough to erase remaining, but previous ever increasing, fears of being dragged into a relegation scrap.

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