EFL League One
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.50
Attendance: 12,392 (1,160 away)
This evening would be Charlton's first midweek league game of the season, and would have an added dimension for me, as it would be played on my birthday.
Charlton followed up their 1-0 home win against Derby with a minor giantkilling of Queens Park Rangers in the League Cup, despite falling behind in the 80th minute, then equalising in the final minute before triumphing 5-3 on penalties. On Saturday, the Addicks had arguably one of their toughest games of the season, away at Sheffield Wednesday, and lost 1-0. Apparently the Addicks were the better side for large parts of the game, but just lacked a cutting edge. So, a win, a draw and a defeat from their opening three league games represented a solid start. On paper, this evening's opponents represented a tricky challenge. Plymouth just missed out on a play-off spot last season, and have opened this season quite well, having won both of their home games, against newly relegated Barnsley 1-0 and Peterborough 2-0, and lost their only away game, at Fleetwood.
On a fairly warm and sunny evening, a disappointingly sparse crowd - probably due to the excessively high prices that have been imposed this season - missed out on what was Charlton's best performancce I can remember for a long, long time. The Addicks took the lead on 11 minutes, when Albie Morgan sent a diagonal ball forward into the penalty area, Jayden Stockley's header was parried by the keeper, only for debutant Jesrun Rak-Sakhi, signed earlier on the week on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace, to take a touch befire tapping the ball home. And on 39 minutes came what was probably the game changing moment, when Charlie Kirk's fierce goalbound shot inside the near post was blocked by the hand of Plymouth defender James Wilson, who was promptly shown a straight red card, and Stockley converted the ball powerfully into the bottom left corner. And in the third minute of first half added on time, Charlton took a very commanding lead when Sean Clare struck an absolutely beauty, firing a shot from 25 yards out which went over the keeper, came back off the inside of the far post before and bouncing over the line.
At half time, it looked like the scoreline could become quite ugly for Plymouth , but credit to them for not caving in, and the away support certainly deserve great credit for continuing to give their side good vocal backing when, in honesty, there was not much for them to sing about. But they did pull a goal back on 71 minutes when Kirk gave the ball away with a poor touch close to the half way line, and Morgan Whittaker went on a jinking towards the penalty area before striking the ball powerfully low inside the left hand post. But Charlton soon restored their three goal lead, on 76 minutes, when Albie Morgan crossed from the right, ending at the feet of Kirk, who took a touch before striking the ball home via a deflection for his first goal for Charlton, and you could see how much it meant to him after he had endured a very difficult start to his career at The Valley last season. And Charlton scored their fifth on 84 minutes when the ball was hooked downfield for substitute Miles Leaburn to run onto, before playing the ball out to Jack Payne, whose attempted cross took a deflection back to the feet of Leaburn, and he drove the ball across the keeper and into the top left hand corner.
And so this turned out to be a glorious night for Charlton, the perfect birthday present for me, and this was the most convincing win I had ever seen - I have watched four goal wins before, but this was the first time I had seen Charlton score five.in securing a four goal margin. It has certainly been a start to the season beyond my wildest dreams, as I expected the team, with many new additions and playing a new brand of football under Ban Garner, to take time to gel. But dare I say it, things are looking promising for a season sniffing around the play-offs, as long as injuries to key players are avoided.
Video highlights of the goals can be viewed by clicking here
An official match report can be read by clicking here , also copied and pasted below.
OUTSTANDING ADDICKS NET FIVE IN VALLEY THRILLER
Five-star Charlton continued their perfect Valley record so far this season by sweeping Plymouth Argyle aside in Sky Bet League One on Tuesday night.
First-half goals from debutant Jes Rak-Sakyi, Jayden Stockley and Sean Clare – with the Addicks' second coming from the penalty spot and moments after the visitors had seen defender James Wilson sent off for a handball on the goal-line – had them in control at the break.
Argyle pulled one back through Morgan Whittaker in the second period but further strikes from Charlie Kirk and Miles Leaburn added some more-than-deserved gloss to the scoreline.
Ben Garner’s side end the evening in sixth position in the league table, setting them up perfectly for their second home game of the week against Cambridge United on Saturday.
The Addicks started the game brightly and almost broke the deadlock when Albie Morgan whistled a low free-kick narrowly wide from 25 yards on 10 minutes.
The hosts only had to wait 60 more seconds to grab the lead, though, and Morgan was again involved. His deep cross was met by the head of Stockley’s, whose header was saved but debutant Rak-Sakyi was perfectly placed to bundle the rebound into the empty net.
Charlie Kirk saw a volley kiss the outside of the post a few minutes later as the Addicks continued to dominate and the same man then curled off target, having been teed up by Scott Fraser with 17 minutes gone.
Plymouth had their first real shot in anger on the half hour mark when midfielder Adam Randell’s low strike forced Joe Wollacott into a save to his right-hand side.
But the Addicks responded with a great chance of their own shortly afterwards when the ever-dangerous Rak-Sakyi twisted his man inside and out before firing over the crossbar from inside the penalty area.
In the final five minutes of the half, Charlton firmly made their dominance count. Another Kirk volley was this time kept out by the arm of James Wilson, leaving referee Sam Purkiss with no choice other than to point to the penalty spot and send the Argyle defender for an early bath.
Stockley made no mistake from the spot, claiming his first goal of the season, and before the half was out the hosts had grabbed another goal.
Unfortunately, this match report will never be able to do the strike from Clare justice, so we would suggest that head to CharltonTV to take a look at it yourselves.
It ensured that the Addicks held an unassailable lead heading into half time and they maintained that until the visitors bagged a consolation through Whittaker’s effort from the edge of the box on 71 minutes.
The three-goal parity was restored five minutes later when Kirk claimed his first goal for the club, converting a low Morgan cross.
But arguably the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the 84th minute when academy graduate Leaburn dispatched a loose ball into the top corner of the net from the edge of the box.
The goal drew chants of ‘Leaburn, Leaburn, Leaburn’ from the Valley Faithful and brought the curtain down on a great evening in SE7.
Charlton: 1 Jojo Wollacott; 4 George Dobson, 5 Sam Lavelle, 6 Eoghan O’Connell (4 Ryan Inniss 77), 9 Jayden Stockley (capt), 10 Albie Morgan, 14 Charlie Kirk, 17 Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (33 Miles Leaburn 64), 21 Scott Fraser (19 Jack Payne 64), 28 Sean Clare (12 Conor McGrandles 58), 29 Charles Clayden. Substitutes (not used): 13 Craig MacGillivray (gk), 2 Steven Sessegnon, 23 Corey Blackett-Taylor.
Plymouth: 1 Mike Cooper; 5 James Wilson, 6 Dan Scarr, 3 Macaulay Gillesphey; 8 Joe Edwards (capt) (21 Nigel Lonwijk 84), 4 Jordan Houghton, 20 Adam Randell (7 Matt Butcher H-T), 17 Bali Mumba (22 Brendan Galloway H-T); 18 Finn Azaz (31 Luke Jephcott 55), 9 Ryan Hardie (11 Niall Ennis H-T), 19 Morgan Whittaker. Substitutes (not used): 25 Callum Burton (gk), 10 Danny Mayor.
Attendance: 12,392 (1.160 away)
Referee: Sam Purkiss
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