BSM Trophy: Charlton 3 (Leaburn 10, 52, Tyreece Campbell 90+4) Chelsea U-21 0.

Safe and sound at home, Kevin Nolan found himself warming to the much-derided BSM tie with Chelsea U-21s on telly.

It’s possibly unkind but no less true to point out that the experiment of adding Premier League U-21 sides to spice up the lightly regarded BSM Trophy is not turning out so well. Chelsea rather proved the point at The Valley on Tuesday evening where they were swept aside by a determined Charlton side which featured only a handful of first team regulars. Results elsewhere supported the contention that pitting boys against men generally ends only one way.

Not that Felipe Coelho’s fresh-faced Pensioners, it should be said, acquitted themselves poorly. There were scintillating passages of combination play to savour which, if Ashley Maynard-Brewer not been in such brilliant form, might well have affected the outcome. But Charlton were pretty nifty themselves and were experienced enough to have the final say. The exchanges up to and including Miles Leaburn’s 10th-minute opener made the point neatly.

Chelsea had made a bright, confident start with Tyrique George linking up cleverly with Deivid Washington to play in Harvey Vale, who shot narrowly wide; the visitors’ opening surge was continued by Kaiden Wilson, who drew the first of Maynard-Brewer’s numerous saves. Charlton’s response was swift, direct and potent.

Making his case for a place in Nathan Jones’ League One side, left wingback Thierry Small offers pace and the ability to cross accurately on the run. It doesn’t always work out but on this occasion, the Blues’ right flank was dismantled by his surge of speed. Picking out Leaburn at the far post was the next priority and Small’s deep centre delivered the goods. Disposing of his diminutive marker with an old pro’s artful nudge, Leaburn’s cool header did the rest.

The lead might have been instantly doubled but Max Merrick spared his own blushes by scrambling back to field Allan Campbell’s astute chip after gifting the Scottish midfielder his chance. At the other end, Maynard-Brewer’s right leg blocked Shumaira Mheuka’s angled effort as Chelsea’s kids gave as good as they got. Before the break, they came close to equalising but again Maynard-Brewer saved brilliantly, this time from Alex Matos.

More of Maynard-Brewer’s heroics after the break preserved his side’s lead; the Aussie keeper reacted superbly to parry Mheuka’s fierce volley after Richard Olise fashioned the chance. The Addicks again responded positively with the formidable Leaburn doubling the lead. Merrick initially staved off disaster by spectacularly tipping Greg Docherty’s full-blooded drive behind for a left wing corner; but the flagkick was swung in by setpiece specialist Terry Taylor and headed home at the far post by a curiously unmarked Leaburn.

Staying true to their footballing principles, Chelsea were far from finished. Shortly after their second setback, they were again victimised by the unbeatable Maynard-Brewer with an inspired double save which first denied Reiss Denny’s ferocious 20-yarder, then somehow blocked the follow-up formality from Ato Ampah at point blank range. It was all too much for Coelho, whose booking by referee Jamie O’Connor hardly set an example for his kids. On the other hand, you could hardly blame the put-upon manager. Enough sometimes is enough!

Proving, meanwhile, that Chelsea had a more than useful keeper of their own, young Merrick contributed a fine save to keep out Tyreece Campbell’s hard drive, then reacted athletically to save Danny Hylton’s powerful near post header. Deep into added time, he was finally beaten for a third time by the persistent Campbell, who finished off subtle work by Hylton and buried a low coup-de-grace inside the near post.

Their comprehensive victory qualified Charlton for the next round of this baffling competition (which includes among its various wheezes penalty shoot-outs to settle drawn games), where they will host Bromley in a first-ever serious meeting of next door neighbours. Not many of us recall – or indeed ever knew – who won it last season. Which won’t stop us turning up at Wembley — it is played at Wembley, presumably? — if the Addicks reach the final. There’s a hint of nerd in all of us, after all.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Asiimwe (Laqeretabua 86), Edmonds-Green, Zak Mitchell, Small, Docherty, Taylor (Dixon 86), Allan Campbell, Edun, Leaburn (Hylton 66), Rylah (Tyreece Campbell 66). Not used: Reid, Coventry, Gillesphey. Booked: Rylah, Edmonds-Green, Taylor, Hylton.

Chelsea U-21: Merrick, George (Ampah 58), Washington (Morgan 60), Vale, Hughes, Matos (Dyer 45+1), Olise, Rak-Sakyi (Deny 88), Samuel-Smith, Wilson (Akomeah 88), Mheuka. Not used: Sands, Boniface, Booked: Matos, Coelho.

Referee: Jamie O’Connor..Att: 2,004 (306 visiting).

Barnsley 2 ( Keiller-Dunn 34, Watters 90+5) Charlton 2 (Berry 77, 90+ 3).

Kevin Nolan covered his eyes as Charlton blew a golden opportunity to join League One’s promotion pace setters. Not that they “deserved” to, as if that has any relevance.

When the fourth official informed us that there would be five minutes added to this scruffy game, Charlton’s task seemed starkly simple. They needed to protect a useful, if frankly unfeasible, 1-1 draw and clear out of South Yorkshire before the performance police showed up. Debate was for later; now was not the time for explanations or apologies. Just those five inconvenient minutes to negotiate…

The Addicks had been bloody awful but, incredibly, went one better. In the fourth of those extra minutes, substitute Luke Berry added a second goal to his earlier equaliser and they found themselves mere seconds away from nicking all three points and moving improbably into League One’s play-off positions. Then they pulled themselves together and reverted to type. Max Watters was given time and space to turn and shoot inside a congested penalty area and two of the three points had to be refunded. It was a victory for justice lovers and one in the eye for those philistines who care nothing for aesthetics and for whom the result is all that matters.

Disjointed, disorganised and most alarmingly disheartened, meanwhile, Charlton got off to a deceptively bright start before degenerating into a leaderless rabble which was late to every second ball, won less than their share of aerial duels despite their hulking appearance and showed no appetite for the one-on-one challenges which determine the ebb and flow of most football matches. Win the small battles and chances are the war follows. It’s not clear who, if anyone, said that, but there’s truth lurking there somewhere. At Oakwell on Tuesday evening, Charlton defied logic by losing almost every personal skirmish before unbelievably coming within a whisker of making off with the only prize that matters.

Still working his way back to full fitness, Miles Leaburn led the visitors’ early charge by cutting in sharply from the right to force a smart save from Gabriel Solina at his near post. The presence of two colleagues in better positions will hardly have gone unnoticed but Miles was a man on a mission. Minutes later, Conor Coventry exchanged passes with Allan Campbell before setting up Matty Godden to spin and volley narrowly over the bar. And that was as good as it was to get for Charlton before they virtually disappeared as an attacking threat.

Goalkeeper Will Mannion had been untroubled until he was called on first to block a hard shot from Josh Earl, then to go full length in saving Georgie Gent’s corner bound drive. On 34 minutes, however, Mannion was sadly at fault as the Tykes moved into a lead which seemed, at the time, to promise of more to come. Getting down sharply to deal with Stephen Humphrys’ accurate but speculative effort, he parried the ball directly to Davis Keillor-Dunn, who could hardly fail to score from close range. Mannion’s glaring error undid an otherwise reliable contribution, proving that a goalkeeper’s lot, like that of a policeman, is not always a happy one.

Several chances to at least double their lead came Barnsley’s way but were spurned. Admittedly, Jon Russell was out of luck when hitting the bar and again as Leaburn, back to help defend a corner, scrambled his shot off Mannion’s goalline. It seemed academic anyway with the listless visitors showing little sign of the drama to come but while they were only a goal to the good, the home boys were statistically vulnerable. With 13 minutes remaining, they succumbed to the first of two flashes of quality from one of Charlton’s few bright sparks.

Almost invisible in an untidy penalty area scrimmage, Berry seized on Matt Craig’s scuffed clearance and threaded a crisp volley through the throng into the bottom left corner. As unexpected as it was expertly executed, the equaliser gave his side a timely shot in the arm but Berry, as it turned out, wasn’t through for the evening. Perfectly positioned to exploit Solina’s weak punch-out, his cleverly controlled volley was unstoppable on its way over the stranded keeper and neatly under his bar.

Berry’s second classy finish should have polished off Barnsley but his sloppy side couldn’t make it over the line. Watters’ desperately late counter punch gave the Tykes a share of the points and turned the draw, which had been the extent of Charlton’s ambition both before kick-off and at the outset of added time, into what seems demoralising defeat. It wasn’t, of course, but it’ll do until one comes along.

The last word belonged to a disgruntled Nathan Jones, who supervised the debacle from the grandstand and was less than enchanted with what he saw. “The level of performance,” he concluded, “was miles off. If we’d done the basics better, we’d have won the game but we didn’t… I had defenders who didn’t head it, I had defenders who didn’t defend the box, I had midfielders that got over-run… that’s not what I want from my football team… we were a mile off where we need to be tonight.” There was more from the irritated manager but we got the point. As did Charlton when all was said and done.

Barnsley. Solina, Russell, Roberts, de Gevigney, O’Keeffe, Gent, Earl, Keillor-Dunn (Jalo 90), Humphrys (Cosgrove 89), Yoganathan (Craig 63), Connell (Watter 78). Not used: Cotter, Pines, Lofthouse. Booked: Roberts, Earl, Connell.

Charlton: Mannion, Edmonds-Green, Alex Mitchell, Gillesphey, Edwards (Small 62), Coventry, Taylor (Berry 62), Anderson (Watson 46), Alex Campbell, Leaburn (Tyreece Campbell 71), Godden. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Docherty, Dixon. Booked: Edmonds-Green.

Refereee: Lewis Smith. Att: 12,441 (472 visiting).

Bristol Rovers 3 (Sinclair 30, Lindsay 57, Wilson 67) Charlton 2 ( A. Mitchell 79, Godden 90+4).

Kevin Nolan watched Charlton on Sky Sports+. He then struggled to find words to describe what he saw. Here’s what he came up with.

Do yourself a favour and read between the lines of this misleading scoreline. Charlton’s two late goals merely added a cosmetic touch-up which disguised their pitiful performance against one of League One’s poorer sides. But then, of course, they could be one of the poorer sides themselves.

Losers of their last four league games, Bristol Rovers were hardly daunting opposition but had more than enough about them to see off Nathan Jones’ clueless hoofers. And the usual mantras about “dusting ourselves off” and “going again at the weekend” ring hollow, especially with Birmingham City – and Alfie May – due at The Valley on Saturday. That’s about as tough as it gets but it does give Charlton a perfect opportunity for redemption. Certain to be rank outsiders, they might actually be worth a punt. Then again, maybe not.

Top of the league City will be only the third of the division’s current top ten faced by Charlton to date. The other two – Blackpool and Stevenage (no misprint, Stevenage, for crying out loud!) beat them as their promising start to the season proved illusory, the product of a fevered desire to clamber out of a division, in which they have wallowed since relegation from the Championship in 2020. Fact is, they are exactly where they belong and no amount of preening or posturing should be allowed to suggest otherwise. Charlton are bang average and that’s the painful truth. Have been for some time now.

Apparently incapable of picking, much less delivering, the simplest of passes and then possessing the necessary ball control to receive it at the other end, the Addicks soon resorted to hit-and-hope missiles launched from their own half into enemy territory, which were enthusiastically returned by their blue-and white quartered recipients. This pointless exchange of artillery continued until, on the half hour mark, an unexpected injection of class unexpectedly intervened.

Thirty five years old now, Scott Sinclair is one of those “been around the block” pros you assumed had retired years ago. Still plying his trade with Premier League level Everton, Ashley Young is another, whose experience and know-how is still valued in the quest for pace and power these days. Collecting a loose ball in the visitors’ half, Sinclair stepped inside a couple of uncommitted challenges, picked his spot from 25 yards and found it with an expertly curled strike which eluded Will Mannion’s full-length effort to turn it aside. Delivered with a supposedly weaker left foot, his goal stood out in this company as the proverbial pearl among swine.

Plodding on sightlessly, the Addicks showed no sign of improvement until, with two minutes of an otherwise dreadful first half remaining, Lloyd Jones squandered his side’s only chance by heading Karoy Anderson’s cross over the bar from no more than two yards out. His miss capped Charlton’s miserable contribution to a game guaranteed to make your teeth ache. Sinclair was its solitary saving grace and his quality alone made the difference.

The second half brought little relief to Nathan Jones men. In fact, matters took a turn for the worse when Scottish midfielder Jamie Lindsay doubled Rovers’ lead with a contribution which sought to emulate Sinclair’s effort. From similar distance, Lindsay’s first goal for the Gas sealed an issue that was already beyond Charlton’s reach. Ten minutes later, James Wilson headed home after Promise Omochere flicked on Mola’s corner and their humiliation seemed complete. Until, that is, they located some remnants of pride and, without genuinely troubling their triumphant hosts, at least gave them a brief flutter of concern.

With more than ten minutes left, Alex Mitchell supplied a finishing touch to Matty Godden’s possibly goalbound header before, in the fourth of six added minutes, Godden converted fellow substitute Chuks Aneke’s low cross to distort not only the scoreline but the story of a game which was always beyond Nathan Jones’ men.

“Too nice” is how Jones described his team after one of their recent defeats and he might just be on to something. A fixture at The Valley should mean visiting one of those fortresses you hear about, not the kiddies’ playground it is right now. It would suit some of us fine if Birmingham City arrive on Saturday without Friday night corn sufferer Alfie May – and flu-hit Kristian Bielik, for good measure – after ploughing through impossible traffic, stopping to repair a puncture on the team coach, then finding out they’d arrived without their scouting notes on Charlton. Well, perhaps not the scouting notes… Tuesday’s shocker would send their already sky-high confidence into orbit!

Rovers: Griffiths, Wilson, Mola, Sinclair (Forde 78), Omochere (O’Donkor 78), Sotiriou (McCormick 72), Taylor, Conteh, Bilongo, Lindsay (Garrett 72), Hunt (Forbes 72). Not used: Thomas, Hutchinson. Booked: Conteh.

Charlton: Mannion, Alex Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey. Watson (Godden 61), Anderson, Coventry (Docherty 79), Berry (Leaburn 61), Edwards (Ramsay 79), Ahadme (Aneke 54), Tyreece Campbell. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Allan Campbell. Booked: Coventry, Anderson.

Referee: David Rock. Att: 6,638.

Reading 2 (Savage 66, Smith 76) Charlton 0.

From the comfort of his favourite chair, Kevin Nolan watches Charlton revert to type at Reading. He’s seen it all before, more times than he can recall. He remembers Selhurst Park with nostalgia, co-authored Mike Small’s autobiography and, until he forgot what it was, had a good word for Roland Duchatelet. You could say he paid some dues along the way.

Charlton’s promising start to the season hit the buffers at Reading’s romantically titled Select Car Leasing Stadium, where two expertly taken second half goals made a mess of their perfect 3-0 record. They could hardly complain at the outcome, though a seething Nathan Jones took grave exception, not only to the sloppy defending that led to the second goal, but also to the myopic refereeing which overlooked a furtive but flagrant handling offence inside the Royals’ penalty area and denied the Addicks a “stonewall” penalty when the issue was still in doubt.

Hardly a fence-straddler, Jones was typically forthright in his comments about each issue. “I’m just disappointed on all levels”, he declared, his obvious chagrin making it evident that disappointment was a painfully inadequate description of his mood. “Physically, we were a mile off in the first half and the second half we should have had a pen. It was a stonewall penalty.”

Warming to his theme, the emotional boss expressed disgust at Reading’s 76th minute game-clincher, declaring it “a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. I’m raging so much today, this isn’t going to be a good interview. I’ve just got to be honest, I’m going off my nut” he continued, before sympathising with Charlton’s travelling road runners. “I feel sorry for them today, they’ve been let down badly.”

Jones hasn’t been around long enough to recognise the rinse-and-repeat nature of Charlton’s performance. Away from home last season, they reprised it often enough until it became almost a cliche. They flattered to deceive on so many occasions before finding a way to lose, then routinely vowing to “learn from their mistakes”… blah, blah, blah.

A stubborn, pragmatic display at Wigan on opening day offered understandable hope that a different attitude had been adopted, wherein errors had been eliminated and defending became the corporate responsibility of all hands. Two uncompromising clean sheets blunted Leyton Orient and, more impressively, Bolton Wanderers, but there is still obvious improvement to be made on the road.

Not that there was much Charlton could do to prevent the Biscuitmen’s first goal, which arrived when a creditable 0-0 draw appeared to be the least of their ambitions. There was no obvious danger as Charlie Savage carried Ben Elliott’s pass within shooting distance before detonating an uninhibited drive which left Will Mannion well beaten and found the net off his right hand post. More than a chip off his old man Robbie’s block, Charlie seems intent on building a block all his own. He seems a likeable lad – more likeable than his dad.

Ten minutes later, the Royals sealed the issue with another goal which, from their point of view. had similar merit but was entirely avoidable, according to an irate Nathan Jones. Launching a lightning-quick fast counter after clearing a Charlton corner, their breakout was triggered by Michael Craig’s alert pass, which sent Akande speeding through an undermanned rearguard on his way along the right touchline towards the byline. The impressive winger delivered a low, measured cross which Sam Smith turned past Mannion from close quarters.

Charlton, meanwhile, had their moments and enjoyed the game’s first chance when Macaulay Gillesphey’s cross was shanked by Jeriel Dorsett out to Tyreece Campbell, whose sliced effort veered badly off target. As the Addicks closed a sterile first half brightly, a surging solo run by skipper Greg Docherty carved an opportunity for Luke Berry, who made meaty contact with a right-footed half volley, which Pereira brilliantly parried.

Two half chances, the first volleyed over the bar by Docherty, promised more from the visitors in the early stages of the second half. It was promptly followed by Campbell’s hard driven cross, which fractionally eluded the fruitlessly toiling Gassane Ahadme on its way to safety. But apart from an added time header from Docherty, which Pereira spectacularly saved, the Addicks were comfortably beaten. Thanks to Kayne Ramsay’s brave recovery tackle after a dawdling Mannion was caught in possession by Akande, further damage was avoided and spared an already exasperated Nathan Jones additional palpitations.

There was no undue celebration of Charlton’s solid start to the new season. Nor should there be any kneejerk reaction to their first defeat. Nine points from the twelve available is entirely satisfactory but those points were accrued by a team without an obvious forward line, an observation which in no way implies criticism of either Ahadme or Tyreece Campbell. But if it’s goals that count, it might not be wise to expect too many from either of those sources.

Reading: Pereira, Craig, Mbengue, Bindon (Dean 73), Dorsett (Abrefa 63), Elliott, Wing, Savage, Akande (Tuma 87), Smith, Ehibhatunham. Not used: Boyce, Rushesa, Wareham, Garcia. Booked: Mbengue, Smith, Dean, Abrefa.

Charlton: Mannion, Ramsay, Mitchell, Lloyd Jones, Gillesphey, Berry (Anderson 46), Coventry, Docherty, Small (Kanu 78), Ahadme (Aneke 68), Tyreece Campbell (Godden 68). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Edmonds-Green, Allan Campbell. Booked: Berry.

Referee: Thomas Kirk. Att: 14,778 (2,684 visiting).

Wigan Athletic 0 Charlton 1 (Jones 81)

An opening day victory on the road, which was bitterly contested by the losers until the dying seconds of seven added minutes, gave Charlton just cause for celebration. And it was rightly hailed by 862 travelling die-hards and some uncounted gogglebox witnesses, many of us grappling with the teething pains of technology’s newest offer in following the action. The finished article was hardly a treat for neutrals but, for Nathan Jones, represented a triumph of pragmatism over romance.

Put bluntly, this almost brand-new group of Addicks are clearly not about to be anybody’s patsies. Before Lloyd Jones’ sharp volley put them in front, they had already demonstrated that if a goal proved beyond them, a scoreless draw was their second priority. Jones (the manager) is turning them into a hardbitten side which takes care of each other. They weren’t concerned with aesthetics and admittedly didn’t show much creativity but this project was less about entertainment than survival. A solitary goal would clearly settle the issue and it was Charlton who came up with one. And they weren’t remotely flattered by this encouraging result.

Shaun Maloney’s Latics had an edge in possession and made more chances, few though they were. But under Greg Docherty’s captaincy, the Addicks hung in doggedly, soaked up moderate pressure and stayed in a dour game. Their “shall not pass” attitude was best exemplified by two contributions of daredevil defending which were, in their own way, as vital to the outcome as Jones’ 81st minute matchwinner.

Some ten minutes after the break, the visitors were outwitted by the devastating pass Will Aimson produced to send dangerous striker Theo Aasgaard through their defensive ranks and confront an advancing Will Mannion. As Aasgaard set himself to finish past the apparently helpless keeper, the ball was whisked off his toe by a desperately pursuing Kayne Ramsay, whose cleanly executed recovery tackle stopped him in his tracks. It was defending of the highest quality and was enthusiastically saluted by his relieved colleagues.

Less than a quarter hour later, with the home side ominously on top, more expert defending kept the scores level. On this occasion, Jordan Jones crossed accurately from the left to the far post, where Dion Rankine was poised to apply a telling finishing touch. As he prepared to lower the boom, there appeared under his nose a yellow-clad Addick, whose lung bursting intervention smuggled the ball to safety. The second superhero turned out to be Josh Edwards and, like Ramsay, he had earned the heartfelt gratitude of his teammates. It’s sometimes as much about preventing goals as scoring them.

Time will tell whether Charlton’s defensive renaissance is short lived or permanent but Jones has wisely scrapped the clearly daft policy of “playing out from the back” which caused more problems than it solved. There was little sign of it at the DW Stadium, where the visitors were unashamedly direct and uncomplicated. Relieved of the pressure of pointless possession, the defensive corps did what came naturally, cleared their lines cheerfully and turned to the likes of Ramsay and Edwards on the rare occasions when their cover was blown. It’s unscientific but also safe to say they would have lost this game a few months ago.

There is more to come, hopefully, on an attacking front. In the unrelenting Lancashire sun, Tyreece Campbell and Gassane Ahadme toiled thanklessly until relieved at the perfect, psychological point by Daniel Kanu and Chuks Aneke. It was almost possible to sense Maloney’s men wilt as the fresh newcomers set them new problems. Though neither Kanu nor Aneke contributed directly to Charlton’s winning goal, their role in a subtle (well, not exactly subtle) softening up process was invaluable.

The build up to the Addicks’ crucial goal was simple but effective. Wigan’s undoing began with Tennai Watson’s deep cross from the right flank which Callum Hughes inconclusively cleared to Lloyd Jones. The centre back’s reaction was instant and lethal, his crisp volley leaving goalkeeper Sam Tickle beaten on its way into the right corner. His breakthrough featured Charlton’s only shot on target but it proved enough in a game of few chances, the bulk of which fell the way of the frustrated Latics.

An early scramble involving Ahadme and Docherty had, in fact, been resolved by an earth bound Tickle before the home boys took over. They were unlucky to see Matt Smith’s effort ricochet wildly wide off Alex Mitchell and came close again when Aasgaard volleyed Luke Chambers corner narrowly off target before the break. Following resumption, Aasgaard’s free kick ricocheted dangerously over the bar but the visitors coped comfortably with Wigan’s increasingly feeble efforts. It wasn’t the perfect away-day performance but came close and will do until one comes along. Nathan Jones was obviously delighted and celebrated by picking up a booking.

Wigan: Tickle, Sessegnon (Ramsey 61), Aimson (Hughes 73), Kerr, Chambers, Adeeko, M. Smith (S. Smith 80), Sze (Jones 60), Rankine, Aasgaard, Hugill (Stones 73). Not used: Lonergan, Carragher. Booked: Hughes.

Charlton: Mannion, Alex Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey, Ramsay (Watson 74), Docherty (Berry 90), Coventry, Anderson, Edwards, Ahadme (Aneke 74), Campbell (Kanu74). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Edmonds-Green, Small. Booked: Anderson, Nathan Jones.

Referee: Adam Herczeg: Att: 9,564 (862 visiting)

Charlton 2 (Campbell 9, Ahadme 51) Portsmouth 0.

As good at The Valley on Saturday as they were poor last week at Wimbledon, Charlton added a final flourish to their pre-season preparations with this emphatic victory over last season’s League One champions. It might be tempting fate to read too much into either result but the Addicks looked like a sound, well organised side which might feel more than a few collars in a division they – and their long suffering supporters – are desperate to leave behind. Consistency is the key to success and that’s a quality too rarely associated with flaky Charlton.

It might help to play Pompey every week. Charlton’s oldest foe once enjoyed supremacy over them. But in recent seasons, they have had scarcely a whiff of success. Even during their march to promotion last term, the best the South Coasters could manage was a pair of draws, the first of which featured a last minute equaliser by Conor McGrandles – his solitary league goal for S.E.7’s finest – which came as a surprise to nobody more than McGrandles himself. A bitterly contested scoreless draw at the Valley was later marginally edged by the hosts.

No doubt chastened by their flaccid outing against Johnnie Jackson’s Dons, a performance which deserved the rough edge of manager Nathan Jones’ tongue, Charlton could hardly have chosen more accommodating opposition to restore their confidence than John Mousinho’s complacent side. A string of victories over the likes of Gosport, Havant and Bognor Regis was rounded off during midweek by a 1-1 draw away to MK Dons. That’s hardly a schedule to stiffen sinews and Charlton – with an excellent draw against Premier League Crystal Palace in their CV – were hungrier and harder.

The clean sheet will have pleased Jones as much as his side’s ruthless punishment of errors at the other end of Charlton’s newly laid pitch. A well layered, authoritative rearguard, the pick of which was the formidable Kayne Ramsay, denied the visitors space and time, their catalogue of chances so sparse they hardly warrant mention. Goalkeeper Will Mannion – his name almost but not quite an echo of one of England’s finest-ever players – was hardly exercised as Ramsay, with Alex Mitchell, Lloyd Jones and Macaulay Gillesphey his loyal lieutenants, formed a protective shield in front of him. The tackling was crisp, interceptions intuitive and defensive cover unselfish. Jones was a happy, succinct guv’nor, whose post match comments were accurate and pithy.

“I’m pleased”, he began. “Last week we weren’t really at it but we’re a lot further on now. One week to go. I think we’re in a decent enough place. You saw what we had and how we played. Plus no injuries so that’s a good thing.” There was more but his point was made.

There were pleasing contributions elsewhere, none more encouraging than those made by midfield workhorses Conor Coventry, skipper Greg Docherty and Josh Edwards, with Karoy Anderson their tireless provider. And up front, the seemingly stronger Tyreece Campbell was too quick for a struggling Jordan Williams while Gassan Ahadme was an irksome pain in Pompey’s backside. Both Campbell and Ahadme scored goals which combined opportunism and execution. They were handfuls for the toiling visitors.

The first breakthrough arrived after nine promising minutes and, while arguably involving a goalkeeping error, was the end result of a lightning-quick raid which cut Portsmouth to ribbons. Ramsey’s quick throw was taken up by Edwards, who picked out Campbell near the left touchline. The fleetfooted forward wasted little time in cutting inside Williams before unleashing a powerful, right footed drive. Floundering at his near post, Norris was unable to keep the ball out and the Addicks had an early lead. They might have doubled their advantage but Campbell was unable to repeat his earlier accuracy and blasted Ramsay’s square pass wastefully over the bar. That second goal would have to wait until early in the second period. Again, the hapless Norris carried the can.

Lured from his line to deal with Ramsay’s lofted ball along the inside right channel, Norris disastrously underestimated Campbell’s footspeed and found himself a poor second in a race for possession. Rounding the stranded keeper, Campbell continued his breakneck run and produced a perfect cross which left a stooping Ahadme the easy task of heading into a gaping net.

It was soon time for a deluge of second half substitutes, among which the quick feet and crossing ability of Thierry Small stood out. Chuks Aneke was his usual, abrasive self and teamed up effectively with Daniel Kanu. A lively bench appears to provide Jones with several promising options.

Outstanding displays against Palace and Pompey made the diffident display at Wimbledon hard to understand but there seem considerable grounds for optimism. There was enviable togetherness on Saturday, which needs to travel with the team to Wigan. It’s not the most promising of venues to launch a new campaign but everyone has to start somewhere. And we’ll know more when it’s done and dusted.

Charlton: Mannion, Ramsay (Watson 67), Gillesphey, Alex Mitchell, Jones, Coventry (Edun 81), Ahadme (Aneke 67), Docherty, Edwards (Small 67), Anderson (Taylor 81), Campbell (Kanu 67). Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Berry, Hylton. Zach Mitchell, Asiimwe, Edmonds-Green, Potts.

Referee: Farai Hallam. Att: 3,909 (837 visiting).

Crystal Palace 1 (Rak-Sakyi 90) Charlton 1 (Aneke 38)

An organised, disciplined performance in all departments, particularly at the back, earned Charlton a well-deserved draw with a strong Crystal Palace side and had manager Nathan Jones purring with pleasure at the progress made by his pleasing blend of new arrivals and already entrenched Addicks. Halfway through their pre-season preparation, they ticked all the boxes, as they say. All the boxes, that is, but one – namely their failure to couple an encouraging display with a bragging rights victory over their Premier League neighbours. Try telling any Addicks’ supporter that didn’t matter.

Jones was right, of course, to take the longer view of his side’s energetic resistance in suffocating conditions. “I think we’re in a good place and I’m very, very pleased. In terms of being a team in and out of possession, being aggressive and disciplined – absolutely outstanding.” There was more, but the gaffer’s satisfaction at giving as much as they got was evident and fully justified. It seems almost churlish to bring up their late, late concession but it was a familiar scenario, not mitigated by the identity of its brilliant author.

Palace were frankly bereft of ideas by the time Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was included among a platoon of substitutes intended to freshen up their flagging efforts to impose their Premier League pedigree on their pesky visitors. Rak-Sakyi’s galvanic influence, as a loanee, during the 2022-23 season, included, if memory serves, 15 goals, and a number of man-of-the-match performances. His was a sterling contribution to another otherwise dreary campaign and earned him respect in S.E.7.

Rak-Sayki returned to Selhurst Park, expecting to challenge for a regular first-team place last season but spent more time in rehabilitation than on the pitch. Occasional glimpses on TV reminded us of his talent but the 2023-24 season was otherwise best forgotten. Looking taller and stronger than he seemed in a Charlton shirt, he produced a stunning, last minute equaliser here, which featured sparkling footwork to leave an ungainly heap of wrongfooted defenders in his wake before a perfectly weighted finish was passed beyond Harry Isted from close range. It was a goal of rare elegance, celebrated with considerate restraint by its scorer and re-awakened memories of a late equaliser at Cambridge, which might or might not have been his first goal for the Addicks.

Galling though their late concession was, the League One underdogs could direct attention to their 38th minute opener, scored by a deceptively skilful striker, as worthy of meritorious mention alongside Rak-Sakyi’s more cerebral effort. It was claimed by Chuks Aneke, who was making a rare start alongside Daniel Kanu up front, and cheered up not only Jones but the many contributors to Charlton’s Livestream. Aneke was already proving a restlessly physical problem for Palace’s when Kanu picked up Thierry Small’s headed deflection of a long clearance, held up play impressively under pressure and rolled a reverse pass intended for Aneke. From the edge of Palace’s penalty area, big Chuks thundered a rising drive past Sam Johnstone into the top right corner and the Addicks took a deserved lead into the interval break.

Snapping into tackles and urgently retrieving lapses in possession, Charlton were good value for their lead. Their industry restricted their hosts to rare sights of goal, among them Odsonne Edouard’s wild effort, which briefly endangered the Crystal Palace TV tower behind Ashley Maynard’s goal. Chances were, in fact, few and far between at both ends, the best of them the second half scorcher which Tyreece Campbell bent against Johnstone’s left hand post, following smart work by Tayo Edun. Second half substitute Harry Isted alertly repelled a raking drive from Jeffey Schlupp while Edouard haplessly headed wide, with Isted groping helplessly for Kamada’s teasing cross. Two desperately tired sides were already settling for a single-goal decider when Rak-Sakyi reached into his considerable repertoire to conjure his magical equaliser.

Nathan Jones might have been chagrined by the lateness of the Eagles facesaver but he was giving nothing away. A battling draw away to Premier League opposition ranks as positive progress and no whiff of disappointment was allowed to mar his upbeat mood. His fully committed players had shown impressive stamina and went toe-to-toe with supposedly superior opposition. There was plenty to admire… let’s draw a line under the late setback for now.

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer (Isted 46), Ramsay (Watson 62), Alex Mitchell (Jones 62), McGillesphey (Potts 62), Asiimwe (Zak Mitchell 62), Anderson (Coventry 62), Bishop (Edun 62), Small (Edwards 62), Taylor (Docherty 62), Aneke (Hylton 46), Kanu (Campbell 62).

Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Leahy 7, pen) Charlton 0.

As if with malevolent intent, Charlton saved their worst for last in verdant Buckinghamshire on Saturday. With the bar set depressingly low, this mind-numbing performance made its case to be considered the undisputed nadir of a dreary, miserable season. It was an affront to the 1,781 fans who turned up in support, each of whom is owed a personal apology and a refund of their expenses. With that outcome in doubt, they will find some consolation in having reached the end of their suffering – at least until they hug their chains again in August.

A ragged, ramshackle rabble which, on the evidence provided at Adams Park, resembled nothing more than a pick-up Sunday pub side, produced a logical conclusion to their chaotic journey through the 2023-24 campaign. They were bloody awful, a collection of apparent strangers unknown to each other prior to kick-off. Their 14-game unbeaten streak – an impressive if deceptive statistic, inasmuch as only four of the games were actually won – was ended by a 7th minute penalty conceded by the particularly hapless Terell Thomas. The rest of them, with one or two worthy exceptions, were pretty hapless too.

Manager Nathan Jones was refreshingly candid in his post-game assessment. “That wasn’t good watching today. I feel for the fans, I really do. Because I don’t like watching that and they had to pay to watch it. That wasn’t good enough today. We made changes at half-time because they weren’t contributing – how long do we leave it?”

Jones didn’t mention the lounge lizards back home, among which was your world weary reporter but none of us will be holding our breath while waiting for refunds on the tenner it cost us. We’ll be putting it down to bitter experience. And it doesn’t get more bitter than watching Charlton end up pathetically grateful for 16th position in an undistinguished League One.

The goal which decided this drab game neatly summed up eight months of ineptitude. After Josh Scowen’s short pass played Richard Kone dangerously goalside of Thomas inside the penalty area, the left back’s reaction was as boneheaded as it was predictable. “Stand up!” you could almost hear Jones and his touchline assistants warn Thomas but too late was their cry. In went a careless leg, over it tumbled Kone and referee Elliot Ball’s decision was instant. Up stepped Luke Leahy to efficiently beat Harry Isted from the penalty spot and, for all the good it did, we might sensibly have headed home. Except, of course, most of us were already home.

Thomas’ sorry afternoon took another wrong turn when he shouldered, instead of headed, George Dobson’s accurate left wing corner wide of an inviting target. “Should have been braver” was Steve Brown’s studio reaction – and he should know.

But it wasn’t all about Thomas. His colleagues were, by and large, his accomplices in a first half of spiritless meandering. Isted was blameless with an excellent double save to deny first Leahy and a point blank follow-up from Chris Fiorino and Dobson, while not at his dynamic best, stood out in admittedly substandard company. Wycombe, it should be said, were far from irresistible, but hardly needed to be.

Jones’ second half substitutions brought faint improvement, with Tyreece Campbell an occasional threat and it was his cross which Franco Ravizzoli crucially touched off Dobson’s head when an unlikely equaliser seemed possible. Campbell was then crudely brought down outside the penalty area to earn a free kick which fellow substitute Lewis Fiorini thundered against the Chairboys’ woodwork; and yet again Campbell, whose point blank shot was bravely blocked by Ryan Taffizolli after Chuks Aneke’s clever lay-off, set up the last minute chance.

With that late flurry ended a thoroughly dispiriting game which brought to an overdue end an even more dispiriting season. Charlton are by now entrenched members of a depressing division, with no immediate promise of deliverance. They mounted no serious bid for promotion but flirted, instead, with the grisly spectre of relegation to the horrors of League Two. Truth is, they weren’t nearly good enough and it will be Jones’ urgent brief to sift through his underachieving squad and during a summer of recruitment and a full pre-season of preparation, fashion a team ready to compete at the very top of their league. He will begin the process without Dobson, his best player, but that’s all too typical of Charlton. Life ain’t worth living without a self-imposed handicap. Thanks for the memories, George, by the way…

Wycombe: Ravizzoli, Connor (Taffizolli 90), Lontwijk, Fiorino, Leahy, Scowen, Butcher, Taylor (Jacobson 57), McLeary (Wheeler 57), Sadlier (Lubala 57). Kone (Vokes 78). Not used: Shepperd, Kadua. Booked: Connor, Butcher.

Charlton: Isted, Ramsay, Hector, Ness (Fiorini 46), Thomas, Dobson, Bakinson, Anderson (Campbell 46), Small, May (Lua Lua 46), Kanu (Aneke 58), Not used: Ward, Coventry, Edmonds-Green. Booked: Ramsay, Dobson, Bakinson, Fiorini, Aneke, Nathan Jones.

Referee: Elliot Ball. Att: 6,702 (1,781 visiting).