Great win, there is no way we would have picked up 11 points from the run of our last 5 matches last season (4 away and 1 home) so credit to Karl and all the playing/coaching staff.
Keep this form going and throw in a takeover next week and I'll start dreaming of promotion.
Just heading home on the train with very wet feet and jeans clinging to my legs but the result was worth the discomfort. Thought we played really well, looked organised and I'd have been disappointed to come away with anything other than the three points. Have to thank Amos for the two quality saves near the end for that. Sarr I thought was fantastic.
Lovely to see Fanny in the pub before the game as well. All in all a good day out.
A very even game, and one that easily could have gone the other way, but a cracking win nonetheless.
It was clear that both teams were trying to play the ball on the floor rather than going long, despite the aerial presence of Josh Magennis and Charlie Wyke (who is possibly the closest equivalent in League One to Adebayo Akinfenwa) respectively. After a positive start from us, Bradford began to see much more of the ball, with their number 7 Nicky Law an industrious and dangerous figure in midfield. The best chance of the half came from a scramble in our area, a header which required Ben Amos to pull off an excellent save from close range. Billy Clarke had our best effort at the other end, cutting in onto his left inside the penalty area and firing wide of the far post.
If anything, the Bradford pressure increased in the second half, with the threat from the wings more prominent than in the first. One low cross from the right saw Amos make his second top-notch save, narrowing the angle and blocking Law's near-post strike, while his third was a desperate clawing dive to keep out a back-post header that most of the ground thought was in.
By no means was it all Bradford though. Forster-Caskey found a yard of space outside the box, Doyle palming his curling effort around the post, and Fosu channelled his inner Ronaldo from a free-kick which was fisted away. Our winner came from a quickly taken throw on the right: Fosu's volley at the far post bounced across the goalmouth towards the lurking Forster-Caskey, who tapped in from two yards out to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.
Bradford renewed their onslaught, but the visiting defence held firm. Isolated panicked moments aside, this was an impressive display from the Addicks' back five, and we might even have made the margin of victory more comfortable if Magennis had fired a few inches the other side of the post as he broke clear. But in the end one goal was enough.
Man of the Match today has to be Ben Amos for his three superb saves and all-round solidity. Konsa and Bauer dealt as well as could we expected with the aerial threat of Charlie Wyke, and Solly put in his usual decent performance. Naby Sarr was a bit of a mixed bag. He played very well in the first half, linking up superbly with Fosu - one move in particular was as good as any I've seen us put together - and making one excellent sliding challenge. However, he struggled after the break. He was twice beaten by his man, while he was out of position from one long ball, letting Bradford in down the right, and misjudged another, though the wind may not have helped. I'm glad we have him back, but there are still areas of his game that don't inspire confidence.
If it weren't for Amos then Kashi would probably have been my Man of the Match. He comes into his own when the team needs to soak up pressure, as he's very good at clearing up loose balls and getting us moving forward. In front of him Forster-Caskey put in a good performance, capped off with the goal, but it is noticeable how left-footed he is - someone with his talent should surely have more confidence with his weaker foot. Although Holmes didn't have his best game, firing the one free-kick opportunity he got over the bar, his running always causes the opposition problems, while Clarke, warmly applauded by his old fans, was quietly effective bar the odd risky pass that didn't come off. Fosu was very exciting to watch, and he will be very difficult to drop if he keeps it up.
Magennis, who struggled to have any impact on the game today, is a cause for concern. He already looks shattered, and there is little prospect of him getting a rest any time soon given the paucity of our striking options. If Leon Best is any good then a short-term deal is surely an idea worth pursuing, but even so, reinforcements in January are a must.
Overall, then, we can be very pleased to get a win and a clean sheet against a pretty decent side. If nothing else, today's result shows that this team has considerably more balls than we've been accustomed to in recent seasons. Whether that will be enough for promotion remains to be seen.
Watched on a stream , although fell asleep at ht and missed the first 20 minutes of second half . Amos is completely different to the flapping version from early on in the season , outstanding . Sarr comfortable and much improved but was that him who ducked late on and let them in. Just a great composed all round team performance. As stig I think said, a win with the whiff of Roly selling feels better than if the stale old twat is staying put .
Well done to the travelling faithful , enjoy the journey home .
Very strong showing from us as the away team at a good side. We've been more fluid in attack but the conditions did not help, and we probably got a slice of luck with the goal. However, in defence we were excellent with a only a couple of half chances conceded until Amos made one fantastic save he maybe didn't know everything about, and one flat out incredible save that he most definitely knew everything about, as well as making a few important punches/catches.
Kashi and JFC continued to show why they are probably the best pair of centre mids in this division and Sarr showed himself a genuine option at left back. Solly was back to his usually very solid self and Konsa and Bauer looked masters of their own destiny throughout.
All worked hard and the team spirit was high and clear to see. Great stuff and the kind of result promotions are made of...
Watched on iFollow: can't add to this as a summary of the game. Watched Tuesday as well, and the difference today was that we seemed to consciously play with more patience. Against Oxford we looked like we wanted to rip them to pieces, which was great to watch but if you don't then convert all the chances, you see what happens.
This was a highly professional performance, probably the most SCP like I have seen since, well SCP days. And that's two games where I actively wanted to take time out and pay to watch them. A long time since I felt like that. Got to acknowledge Robinson for that. He's done a very good job.
And don't forget what Sir Lennie said. "By October, the die is cast..."
I thought we controlled large parts of the game and occasionally let Bradford back into it but not for long.
Could've / should've been 3-0 if Magennis had put his chances away.
Forster-Caskey is our most underrated player and is a sneaky bet for player of the season for me. A well deserved goal for him that came from a brilliant cross from Solly who did well to even make it to the ball.
Only criticism would be we were a bit slow to push up and press when clearing a Bradford attack.
5th visit to Bradford inc trip to Odsal in the 80's. Celebrated that goal like a man possessed. A pivotal win and great support again. Get yourselves down the Valley next weekend.
Just back on the train after scoffing a quality lamb curry. Bumped into Ahearne Grant on the train to Leeds and exchanged a few pleasantries. Didn't mention his shooting prowess.
Solly said early in season we had a team that could win any way we needed to. KR set them up to play a gritty tight game today, the silky flair stuff can be left for another day. Kashi and Jake were on a mission and showed their quality, intercepting, tackling and denying space for Bradford to have any control of the midfield, these are the games they were made for.
Churlish to be negative, but Josh's lack of pace was exposed, and the couple of chances he had were not convincing efforts for a number 9. Tiredness, fatigue I don't know but the need for a more potent threat in the last third continues to shout out.
Bradford have the art of drawing a foul down to a fine art and although they had a few wasted scoring opportunities they were fewer than ours I think.
We defended with as much confidence as Ive seen for a long time and with Amos in form when the wall of Bauer, Sarr and Konsa was breached, I was strangely relaxed as Bradford mounted attacks. Their goal if it came was always going to be a set piece job, but the height we now have in the back 4 makes us more solid than earlier in the season.
If we keep up this mentality I can't see this team capitulating in any game, whether we win or lose.
A performance and team that represents the club. Hopefully a serious challenge for promotion come May. It must not be forgotten how pathetic and disgraceful RD and KM have been from taking over. Some of the players have been so out of their depth that only fools would have put them in the team. A number of those that were ok were on such worthless contracts they then went at RDs will eg Bulot, Buyens. Add to this the disrespect and lies from KM along with her compliance in the appointing of managers/ coaches that were totally inadequate and damaged the team and club. For the last 3 years there has been no team. RD and KM destroyed the club, it is improving, but they can revert to type at any time.
Some observations from the stream. I thought Bradford were attempting a world record for playing the ball into touch from unforced errors. We are in a new era of what constitutes a correct throw in. Naby Sarr seems to have two styles of throw in, a long throw, or a foul throw (which referees seem to allow these days). Is it me or are we in an era of throw ins that would never have been tolerated in the Woolwich and District league?
PWPOTHADKFC...( posting whilst pissed on train home and destroying KFC..) Firstly..... Fuck yeeeessss!!!! Get in lads!!! Quality performance by all. The comments prior to mine sum up the team effort and performance, to a man they all stood up. How good is Sarr! He's a big man, and he may look out of shape, but for him it's a full time job so behave yourselves! The lad was mustard. As was everyone else. Amos pulled off a couple of screamers, one effort from them in particular that I thought was going in the top corner for sure. You know what... we worked hard today, we hustled, we pressured, we applied a bucket full of big bolllocks football. We played like a team who wants it. Reminded me of 2012.... First half was a evenly matched affair, although I felt we edged it. Bradford came out second half and had a right good go for 15 minutes, and we rode that like a seasoned prostitute, barely breaking a sweat. There load was blown and we took control, knocking it about with purpose and guile. The goal was coming, and JFC popped up at the rear post to knock in Fosu's goal bound effort. Que joyous madness for the 600 odd souls who braved the weather!
When I sit at home, listening to the match commentary many miles from England, these are the away days I imagine. I'm well pleased I can say, 'I was a Bradford away'. I've got a family do next Saturday, I'll be telling em I'll be late as I'm going to the Wimbledon game. Lastly, and far from least, I want to say a massive massive thank you to @RedChaser for a superb day. I met him to pick up my ticket here in Bradford, and ended up spending the day with him, his son and his cousin, who were absolutely brilliant. I had a right laugh with these fellas. Thanks mate, you really made my day extra special. Come on you reds!!!
on the train back now, brilliant day, game could have gone either way but take the result. We were competitive and Sarr was class again. His weekly error towards the end didn't cost us due to Ben Amos being so alert and great beers to be had in the Sunbridge Wells after, great pub.
What with the takeover talk something tells me i'm into something good! Win at Shrewsbury in a few weeks and its game on.
Just heading home on the train with very wet feet and jeans clinging to my legs but the result was worth the discomfort. Thought we played really well, looked organised and I'd have been disappointed to come away with anything other than the three points. Have to thank Amos for the two quality saves near the end for that. Sarr I thought was fantastic.
Lovely to see Fanny in the pub before the game as well. All in all a good day out.
COYA!!!!
I hope you took the opportunity to get rid of some old pound coins in the pint glass?
Can anyone confirm the lyrics for the latest Charlton song by Herman Hermits - I'm into something good? Us old un's are trying to muster a singsong on the coach.
Comments
Keep this form going and throw in a takeover next week and I'll start dreaming of promotion.
Safe journey home traveling Addicks.
Lovely to see Fanny in the pub before the game as well. All in all a good day out.
COYA!!!!
Great result, predicted a draw as thought it would be a close game. Looking forward to seeing these 2 amazing saves from Amos.
It was clear that both teams were trying to play the ball on the floor rather than going long, despite the aerial presence of Josh Magennis and Charlie Wyke (who is possibly the closest equivalent in League One to Adebayo Akinfenwa) respectively. After a positive start from us, Bradford began to see much more of the ball, with their number 7 Nicky Law an industrious and dangerous figure in midfield. The best chance of the half came from a scramble in our area, a header which required Ben Amos to pull off an excellent save from close range. Billy Clarke had our best effort at the other end, cutting in onto his left inside the penalty area and firing wide of the far post.
If anything, the Bradford pressure increased in the second half, with the threat from the wings more prominent than in the first. One low cross from the right saw Amos make his second top-notch save, narrowing the angle and blocking Law's near-post strike, while his third was a desperate clawing dive to keep out a back-post header that most of the ground thought was in.
By no means was it all Bradford though. Forster-Caskey found a yard of space outside the box, Doyle palming his curling effort around the post, and Fosu channelled his inner Ronaldo from a free-kick which was fisted away. Our winner came from a quickly taken throw on the right: Fosu's volley at the far post bounced across the goalmouth towards the lurking Forster-Caskey, who tapped in from two yards out to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.
Bradford renewed their onslaught, but the visiting defence held firm. Isolated panicked moments aside, this was an impressive display from the Addicks' back five, and we might even have made the margin of victory more comfortable if Magennis had fired a few inches the other side of the post as he broke clear. But in the end one goal was enough.
Man of the Match today has to be Ben Amos for his three superb saves and all-round solidity. Konsa and Bauer dealt as well as could we expected with the aerial threat of Charlie Wyke, and Solly put in his usual decent performance. Naby Sarr was a bit of a mixed bag. He played very well in the first half, linking up superbly with Fosu - one move in particular was as good as any I've seen us put together - and making one excellent sliding challenge. However, he struggled after the break. He was twice beaten by his man, while he was out of position from one long ball, letting Bradford in down the right, and misjudged another, though the wind may not have helped. I'm glad we have him back, but there are still areas of his game that don't inspire confidence.
If it weren't for Amos then Kashi would probably have been my Man of the Match. He comes into his own when the team needs to soak up pressure, as he's very good at clearing up loose balls and getting us moving forward. In front of him Forster-Caskey put in a good performance, capped off with the goal, but it is noticeable how left-footed he is - someone with his talent should surely have more confidence with his weaker foot. Although Holmes didn't have his best game, firing the one free-kick opportunity he got over the bar, his running always causes the opposition problems, while Clarke, warmly applauded by his old fans, was quietly effective bar the odd risky pass that didn't come off. Fosu was very exciting to watch, and he will be very difficult to drop if he keeps it up.
Magennis, who struggled to have any impact on the game today, is a cause for concern. He already looks shattered, and there is little prospect of him getting a rest any time soon given the paucity of our striking options. If Leon Best is any good then a short-term deal is surely an idea worth pursuing, but even so, reinforcements in January are a must.
Overall, then, we can be very pleased to get a win and a clean sheet against a pretty decent side. If nothing else, today's result shows that this team has considerably more balls than we've been accustomed to in recent seasons. Whether that will be enough for promotion remains to be seen.
Amos is completely different to the flapping version from early on in the season , outstanding .
Sarr comfortable and much improved but was that him who ducked late on and let them in.
Just a great composed all round team performance.
As stig I think said, a win with the whiff of Roly selling feels better than if the stale old twat is staying put .
Well done to the travelling faithful , enjoy the journey home .
15% Automatic promotion ........ 55% Play offs ........... 30% 7th-12th ....... 0% 13th-20th ...... 0% Relegation
100% Roland Out (come on perleeeeeease)
This was a highly professional performance, probably the most SCP like I have seen since, well SCP days. And that's two games where I actively wanted to take time out and pay to watch them. A long time since I felt like that. Got to acknowledge Robinson for that. He's done a very good job.
And don't forget what Sir Lennie said. "By October, the die is cast..."
I thought we controlled large parts of the game and occasionally let Bradford back into it but not for long.
Could've / should've been 3-0 if Magennis had put his chances away.
Forster-Caskey is our most underrated player and is a sneaky bet for player of the season for me. A well deserved goal for him that came from a brilliant cross from Solly who did well to even make it to the ball.
Only criticism would be we were a bit slow to push up and press when clearing a Bradford attack.
It's a new dawn... Almost.
COYR.
A pivotal win and great support again. Get yourselves down the Valley next weekend.
Solly said early in season we had a team that could win any way we needed to. KR set them up to play a gritty tight game today, the silky flair stuff can be left for another day.
Kashi and Jake were on a mission and showed their quality, intercepting, tackling and denying space for Bradford to have any control of the midfield, these are the games they were made for.
Churlish to be negative, but Josh's lack of pace was exposed, and the couple of chances he had were not convincing efforts for a number 9. Tiredness, fatigue I don't know but the need for a more potent threat in the last third continues to shout out.
Bradford have the art of drawing a foul down to a fine art and although they had a few wasted scoring opportunities they were fewer than ours I think.
We defended with as much confidence as Ive seen for a long time and with Amos in form when the wall of Bauer, Sarr and Konsa was breached, I was strangely relaxed as Bradford mounted attacks. Their goal if it came was always going to be a set piece job, but the height we now have in the back 4 makes us more solid than earlier in the season.
If we keep up this mentality I can't see this team capitulating in any game, whether we win or lose.
Hopefully a serious challenge for promotion come May. It must not be forgotten how pathetic and disgraceful RD and KM have been from taking over. Some of the players have been so out of their depth that only fools would have put them in the team. A number of those that were ok were on such worthless contracts they then went at RDs will eg Bulot, Buyens.
Add to this the disrespect and lies from KM along with her compliance in the appointing of managers/ coaches that were totally inadequate and damaged the team and club.
For the last 3 years there has been no team.
RD and KM destroyed the club, it is improving, but they can revert to type at any time.
I thought Bradford were attempting a world record for playing the ball into touch from unforced errors.
We are in a new era of what constitutes a correct throw in.
Naby Sarr seems to have two styles of throw in, a long throw, or a foul throw (which referees seem to allow these days).
Is it me or are we in an era of throw ins that would never have been tolerated in the Woolwich and District league?
Firstly..... Fuck yeeeessss!!!!
Get in lads!!! Quality performance by all. The comments prior to mine sum up the team effort and performance, to a man they all stood up. How good is Sarr! He's a big man, and he may look out of shape, but for him it's a full time job so behave yourselves! The lad was mustard. As was everyone else. Amos pulled off a couple of screamers, one effort from them in particular that I thought was going in the top corner for sure.
You know what... we worked hard today, we hustled, we pressured, we applied a bucket full of big bolllocks football. We played like a team who wants it. Reminded me of 2012....
First half was a evenly matched affair, although I felt we edged it.
Bradford came out second half and had a right good go for 15 minutes, and we rode that like a seasoned prostitute, barely breaking a sweat. There load was blown and we took control, knocking it about with purpose and guile. The goal was coming, and JFC popped up at the rear post to knock in Fosu's goal bound effort. Que joyous madness for the 600 odd souls who braved the weather!
When I sit at home, listening to the match commentary many miles from England, these are the away days I imagine. I'm well pleased I can say, 'I was a Bradford away'.
I've got a family do next Saturday, I'll be telling em I'll be late as I'm going to the Wimbledon game.
Lastly, and far from least, I want to say a massive massive thank you to @RedChaser for a superb day. I met him to pick up my ticket here in Bradford, and ended up spending the day with him, his son and his cousin, who were absolutely brilliant. I had a right laugh with these fellas. Thanks mate, you really made my day extra special.
Come on you reds!!!
KR's team currently stands at W8, D 3, L3. Points 27.
So only 4 points behind the team that eventually broke the 100 barrier. Which at this stage of the season is really neither here nor there.
Mind you, SCP's team won its next 5 games. No pressure then, Karl!
What with the takeover talk something tells me i'm into something good! Win at Shrewsbury in a few weeks and its game on.
JFC
Thanks all and so glad you've all been rewarded for your loyalty.
Us old un's are trying to muster a singsong on the coach.
Er, remind me who we're talking about?