Easter Monday 1st April 2024, Kick-off 15.00
EFL League One
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.50
Attendance: 14,251 (1,043 away)
A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below
Brief video highlights can be viewed by clicking here
Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-0 Stevenage
A dire match at The Valley on Easter Monday had a silver lining for our returning match reporter KEVIN NOLAN.
This mind-numbing bore draw had, at least from Charlton’s point of view, the dubious virtue of leaving them one win away from securing their future in League One – hardly a cause for celebration but a crumb of comfort on an otherwise bleak Easter Monday.
Their fourteenth draw of a desperately disappointing season extended their unbeaten run under Nathan Jones to ten games, though few among the traumatised home fans saw that as reason for satisfaction.
Jones took over from deadpan Michael Appleton in the wake of a 3-2 home defeat by Northampton Town in January, which left Charlton in 16th position and in serious danger of relegation. His immediate brief was to avoid the drop and it looks like he has achieved his goal. It’s not guaranteed yet but the Addicks are now within three points of the 50 generally considered to be the safety cut-off point.
Pragmatic and single-minded, the new boss deserves credit but is advised not to expect it.
Monday’s visitors Stevenage have, along with Lincoln City, emerged as this season’s surprise packet. Promoted from League Two last term, they have adjusted smoothly to their new challenge and arrived at The Valley within touching distance of the play-offs.
Having played a full part in an awful apology for a game, however, Boro left with a significant dent in their hopes and no doubt cursing their obvious lack of ambition.
They possibly lacked touchline guidance. Manager Steve Evans was serving the second of a two-game ban – the most recent of many – which was good news for fourth official Justin Amey, who was free to perform his duties without need of earplugs.
Say what you like about Evans – perhaps from a safe distance – but he has little to learn about lower league management. The stout Scot’s salty comments, more in thrall to Rab Nesbitt than Rab Burns, were easily audible but his overbearing presence in the coaching area was clearly missed.
The first half of this affront to the “beautiful game” was especially irksome.
Both sides seemed at pains to surrender possession with indecent haste, ball control was an alien concept, while attempts on goal were almost studiously avoided. Almost but not quite, to be fair, because a check of the notes reveals that Alex MacDonald’s meaty volley, after Nesta Guinness-Walker’s long throw was cleared to him outside Charlton’s penalty area, disappeared into Harry Isted’s perfectly positioned clutches some 31 minutes after kick-off.
Charlton’s sole response came from Alfie May but the less said about his wayward potshot, the better. Rarely was an interval as eagerly anticipated as it was by thousands of fellow sufferers on Easter Monday.
With the bar set miserably low, the second half brought a distinct improvement. It opened with visiting left-back Dan Butler meeting Jordan Roberts’ accurate cross but skewing his header hopelessly off target.
Butler’s miss began a costly sequence of missed headed chances by Boro, the second of which saw top scorer Jamie Reid send a point-blank effort over the bar when substitute Vadaine Oliver nodded back McDonald’s cross from the far post.
Boro skipper Carl Piergannni added to the visitors’ profligacy by heading Harvey White’s free kick almost predictably wide.
As the game meandered to a longed-for close, Stevenage continued their policy of creating, but squandering, acceptable opportunities of heading home with three urgently needed points. On two separate occasions, Oliver found himself well placed to beat Isted but directed his headers too close to Isted.
At the other end, combative substitute Chuks Aneke’s instinctive flick turned Thierry Small’s low centre narrowly wide.
Small had been the Addicks’ brightest spark with his left-wing raiding frequently stretching the visitors and scrambling to deal with a series of searching crosses.
There were other solid contributions, among them the continuing excellence of Michael Hector at the heart of the home defence. Up front, Daniel Kanu worked his proverbial socks off without reward.
Now seven points above the last relegation spot, Charlton will regard this dour, dull goalless draw as progress made toward survival in League One. With results elsewhere doing them no favours, Stevenage have no such consolation. Their sterile, ultra-cautious approach was as surprising as it was ill-judged.
A second successive promotion seems highly unlikely, which means, at least, we’ll have Steve Evans’ company next season. You just wouldn’t want him living next door to you!
Charlton: Isted, Edmonds-Green, Hector, Thomas, Dobson. T. Watson (Ness 73), Coventry, Small, May (Bakinson 69), Ladapo (Aneke 62), Kanu. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Edun, Campbell, Lua Lua.
Stevenage: Ashby-Hammond, James-Wildin, Butler, Piergianni, MacDonald, Roberts (Hemmings 76), Vancooten, Burns (Freeman 46), Reid (White 72), Guinness-Walker (L Thompson 72), B Thompson (Oliver 76). Not used: McGillivray, N Thompson.
Referee: Scott Oldham.
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