Wigan Athletic 2 (Fortune 88, Gomez 90) Charlton 1 (Sordell 3).
Kevin Nolan reports from the DW Stadium.
Unique among the transfer window deals cut by new owner Roland Duchatelet was his ruthless replacement of Ben Alnwick by Standard Liege’s surplus-to-requirements goalkeeper Yohann Thurma-Ulien. It might also become the one he comes to bitterly regret, assuming, of course, that he dreads relegation as much as the rest of us.
The Alnwick-Thuram-Ulien dispute drove an inevitable wedge between Duchatelet and his neatly shafted manager Chris Powell. Goalkeeping was obviously the least of Charlton’s problems, as evidenced by their impressive goals-against column and the recent inclusion of the nervous newcomer at Middlesbrough was a huge surprise explained, to sceptical guffaws, by the enforced absences of Alnwick and deputy Ben Hamer due to illness and injury respectively. As usual, the fans were treated on a need-to-know basis. In other words, they were impolitely ignored. As was Powell apparently.
It hardly strengthened Duchatelet’s hand that Thuram-Ulien’s early blunder at the Riverside Stadium, despite several fine saves later on, cost the Addicks a worthy point. But the football-innocent owner, advised possibly by an all-knowing eminence grise, was merely biding his time.
Solid, dependable Alnwick was duly re-instated for the cup ties at Oxford and Huddersfield, where he kept clean sheets before the three personally blameless goals he conceded during a lamentable team performance at Doncaster became his swan song. With unceremonious haste, he was bundled off to Leyton Orient, leaving Thuram-Ulien, in Hamer’s continuing absence, No. 1 goalkeeper by default. Powell had won one or two battles but it was Duchatelet who won this particular war.
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Thuram-Ulien’s contribution in this most heartbreaking of defeats, was a bizarre combination of instinct and folly. It included another of his colourfully trademarked saves with his feet and featured again a curious aversion to catching high balls. Patting, palming, occasionally punching weakly clear, his lack of penalty area authority spread confusion and panic among a defence heroically striving to protect the 3rd minute lead given them by Marvin Sordell. There’s nothing a beleaguered rearguard appreciates more than a keeper who bosses them about while dominating his area. It offers them welcome respite, breeds confidence and mutual respect. You can be certain about this much in the short term. The word will quickly out that Charlton’s goalkeeper has an almost religious aversion to fielding crosses, preferring to try his luck by alternative, unorthodox methods. Against Birmingham City next weekend, for instance, expect him to have plenty of company under corners, free kicks and crosses. Should be interesting but more than likely costly, unless his colleagues are especially alive to the scraps he leaves.
Sordell’s excellently taken opener, meanwhile, gave the visitors heart as well as something to defend. It’s been a desperately disappointing season for the 2012 Olympian but clearly his manager believes in his potential. Sordell repaid that trust somewhat by running purposefully on to Johnnie Jackson’s lancing through pass, then composed himself before slotting calmly past the advancing Ali Al Habsi.
Confidence duly flooded through Powell’s unfamiliar team, featuring as it did three starting debutants and when 19 year Harry Lennon arrived to replace injury victim Rhoys Wiggins, a third Academy graduate to join the impressive Diego Poyet and constantly evolving Jordan Cousins. It’s becoming a new-look Charlton and none the worse for it.
Though the Latics dominated possession, the Addicks had their moments. Slimline forward Reza Ghoochannejhad (that’ll be Reza, then) started brightly and before understandably tiring, showed an encouraging willingness to shoot. One uninhibited drive tested Al Habsi, a better one clipped the bar. Emerging right back Loic Nego struggled early on but improved: Astrit Ajdarevic showed again that he’s an elegant craftsman with more to offer. There’s hope for the future. Trouble is the future’s right now and it’s bleak.
The second half of this ultimately disastrous game turned into an almost non-stop siege of Charlton’s goal, during which Thuram-Ulien cut a chaotic, sometimes awkwardly effective, figure. His reward was ironic applause from the away end for a solitary catch but to paraphrase the French observer of the Charge of the Light Brigade, his madcap antics were magnificent but not goalkeeping. Not as we know it, anyway, and eventually his wildness wore Charlton down.
Having survived goalmouth scramble after scramble, the Addicks were glimpsing the finishing line when the roof fell in on them. As they began to weaken, a smart pass from substitute Josh McEachran gave fellow sub Marc-Antoine Fortune room to sidefoot a neat finish past Thuram-Ulien.
The disappointment was heartfelt but worse was to follow. From a free kick wearily conceded by Michael Morrison to the left of goal, third substitute Jordi Gomez squeezed a not altogether convincing winner between Thuram-Ulien and his near post.
It was easy to be angry about the late surrender of even a vital point but this was wonderful, if unrewarded backs-to-the wall defiance, which has a perverse beauty of its own. It deserved better but that’s football. It knows exactly where to kick you and delights in doing so. Wonder how Ben Hamer’s recovery progressing? Or if there’s any point in even wondering about it?
Wigan: Al Habsi, Perch, Boyce, Barnett, Beausejour, McArthur (Gomez 74), Watson, Mcmanaman, McCann (McEachran 57), McLean, Maynard (Fortune 57). Not used: Nicholls, Crainey, Espinoza, Browning. Booked: Beausejour, McEachran.
Charlton: Thuram-Ulien, Nego, Morrison, Wood, Wiggins (Lennon 8), Poyet, Cousins, Jackson, Ajdarevic (Dervite 82), Sordell (Pritchard 73), Ghoochannejhad. Not used: Phillips, Hughes, Green, Church. Booked: Lennon.
Referee: Michael Bull. Att: 14,321 (729 visiting).