POST-MATCH THREAD; Charlton Athletic V Bolton Wanderers | Saturday 28th January 2023 | KO 12.30pm

LoOkOuT

A lively game at the Valley saw a good, resolute Bolton side come away with all three points. Bolton got off the mark early with an inch-perfect free kick that curled into the top right corner past an outstretched Ashley Maynard-Brewer. Charlton tried to pick up the pieces but Bolton’s pressure was relentless. We grew into the game with time and our own pressuring kept them at bay. We had our own moments, but were unable to find an equaliser.

In the second half we came out on the front foot and caught Bolton off guard. A passage of quick, one-touch-passing put Albie Morgan through to find the back of the net with a beautiful strike from 18 yards. We continued to press forward with a new found momentum, but Bolton were able to see us off and eventually find their second goal after a momentary lapse in concentration at the back. I felt Clare got sucked out of position attempting to follow the ball, which left his man free for an easy tap in. We had opportunities to score again but it wasn’t to be.

We lost this one, but there was more fight in the team than we’ve had previously and we proved to compete well against one of the better sides in the division. Earlier in the season, we would have collapsed after their early goal and conceded many more without reply. We were competitive, which is more than we can say about many earlier performances.

Charlton 1 Bolton 2

Over to you.

Callumcafc

I feel more depressed after that than I did watching any of the defeats a few weeks ago.

Valley11

Holden has done well to make us semi competitive. But it’s the same old same old.
Until the club is on a solid footing behind the scenes the team will forever feel less than solid. 

Chris_from_Sidcup

Thought we were lucky to only be 1 down at half time. People can say it probably wasn't a free kick but i think we got away with the penalty incident in the second half.

Battled well after the break, great goal from Morgan and i think JRS should've done better when he shinned that chance wide. But overall i think Bolton were better than us, 24 shots to 12 says a lot.

Also felt Leaburn should've been on earlier. 

ValleyGary

Totally outclassed. Any suggestion of playoffs can be put to bed. Fair play for staying in the game but Bolton had so much quality in the final third, popping it about, we are miles away from doing that. Mid table mediocracy it is. 

Leuth

A good, keenly fought game against a good side in form. We were overwhelmed a bit in the first half but it could have gone either way in the 2nd. Dunno why it's cause for depression at all - we know the squad isn't there yet 

Croydon

Overall thought we were pretty poor. Bolton a decent side who should have scored more. We really lack quality in certain positions.

Leuth

ValleyGary said:

Totally outclassed. Any suggestion of playoffs can be put to bed. Fair play for staying in the game but Bolton had so much quality in the final third, popping it about, we are miles away from doing that. Mid table mediocracy it is. 

Which team actually scored a goal from a short-passing team move though? 

sirjohnhumphrey

We were good in spells. They were very good for the majority. As Holden said before that game, Evatt has been moulding this squad for two years. We saw that today. 

Whist it’s frustrating that the goal came from another mix up the ball shouldn’t have got anywhere near our box given how tight to the line their player was in the build up.

CharltontillidieCOYR

I thought it was a decent entertaining game

we looked a threat throughout attacking wise especially from out wide with JRS AND CBT but as always its defence we look abit of a shambles at times and allow far too much room for the oppo to attack and cross/shoot from

we come up against a well run and managed club who have spent a fair bit and recruited well of recent times and it shows

its not the end of the world it wasnt all bad and no need for people to over react like some seem to do after a loss

onwards and upwards onto the next !

ValleyGary

Leuth said:

ValleyGary said:

Totally outclassed. Any suggestion of playoffs can be put to bed. Fair play for staying in the game but Bolton had so much quality in the final third, popping it about, we are miles away from doing that. Mid table mediocracy it is. 

Which team actually scored a goal from a short-passing team move though? 

Which the goalie should have saved. They worked multiple opportunities from calm, inventive football. If it finished 4-1 I would have had no complaints about the result.

TellyTubby

Entertaining game.

I think I have nothing nice to say about Innes, so I won't say anything. 

The Ref made about 6 wrong key decisions,  only one in our favour.

Dobson was great again, Ness was very good. Bonne was hardly in it.

Can't complain about the result though.

FishCostaFortune

I thought on the whole it was a good quality and enjoyable game and we certainly played our part in it.

Also a little reality check on how far behind we are in terms of quality, and where we need to be to truly challenge for top 6. 

ct_addick

Better team won….showed where we are….a mediocre mid table team likely to give up a goal due to stupid defensive errors…we won’t be anywhere near the playoffs 

BigRedEvil

Decent game but Bolton were unlucky not to score a few more. We just lacked quality in the final third 

Sillybilly

Good game to watch. We were pretty comprehensively outclassed but did well to persevere. Our limitations were pretty obviously laid bare though and it was a disappointing watch after the brief lift of the last the three games. We’re really no very good. Poor debut from Penney and Bonne stealing a jersey effectively meant we were playing with ten men. Holden doing well to get a tune to the extent we will not be relegated but we’ll finish nearer the bottom than the top. Desperately need some clarity and stability behind the scenes to allow us, hopefully, to push on

oohaahmortimer

We were schooled and on another day they could have scored 4 or 5 
the gap between us and them will take a lot of work to get to their level to push for promotion at some point in the future but 
we won’t sniff the play offs this season

carrying soooo many mediocre players means a mediocre position in this league which is unacceptable .

never in our history have we taken more than 3 seasons to get out of this shit league in the 6 times we’ve been relegated in to it . …. This season the history makers will break that 
still let’s be happy with anyone we sign no matter how much they add to our mediocrity 

utter fuckfest 

Addick_8

Struggle to see the thinking behind our new scorer being on the bench.

Then, to come on with just 15 mins left was even more baffling.

supaclive

To make the play offs, we have to be better than Bolton.

We're not. The lads tried but we just aren't good enough.

No complaints with the players. The owner and how the club operates, yes. The manager is getting an honest shift from a slightly better than average League 1 side.

Pavoren007

The score line flattered us, but a mistake ultimately cost us. My faith in us making a late and it is late because of the points catch up needed, play off run have all but evaporated. Bolton will be in the top 6, no doubt, good set up and good INVESTMENTS across the pitch since they came back from the brink. 

Garrymanilow

Can feel hard done by today. One of those games where both sides had their chances but we were victim to the odd goal in the end. I think a point wouldn't have been an unfair result for either side. Bolton are a very good side in good form and in a different season I think there would be fewer negative feelings about a match like that, reminded me of an 11/12 Powell match, with the difference being that we usually left those matches with the 3 points. We play some nice stuff and it's nice to see a team full of effort, pressing and some intricate play. In the end though Bolton just don't have the gaps we have. We had a debuting left back, a right back who is really just sticking plaster, a young CB who probably should have been swapped out for O'Connell today, a gap in the midfield in Albie despite his goal, and we're switching between a striker who is here on a 6 month deal and a teenager while Bolton can switch out the excellent Dion Charles for a £500,000 striker they just bought. Holden has done well to get what he has out of the team so far but it's frustrating to see the team just come up short against a team with more options and a whole 11 where you're not pointing at obvious gaps. Still frustrating though, that free kick being given for a dive puts us behind inside 4 minutes, but we still pushed and if JRS had taken his chance when he did we would have been 2-1 while in the ascendancy and there's no way we lose after that. Instead we lost our shape completely, Inniss had to come across to deal with a problem because his left centre back and left back were in no man's land which meant he wasn't set for the header and then AMB had a rush of blood where he should have left Clare to deal with the attacker and stayed in his goal to make Charles work. It's not going to happen for us this season but fingers crossed for a takeover and some ability to plug these gaps in the squad,

Leuth

supaclive said:

To make the play offs, we have to be better than Bolton.

We're not. The lads tried but we just aren't good enough.

No complaints with the players. The owner and how the club operates, yes. The manager is getting an honest shift from a slightly better than average League 1 side.

You think Bolton are only the 6th best team in this division? 

Bailey

Bolton are a good example of a club letting a manager do his job, put a side together and play to a style they understand and put into practise. They were clearly the better side and deserved to win but Charlton had their moments. If Holden is left alone he will probably have a side worthy of the name by next season and as Bolton have proved, you don't have to break the bank but once you are in the mix you can make the sort of deals they made yesterday. Best side I've seen this season. 

SELR_addicks

Second best in pretty much all areas of the pitch but did well to keep it competitive. 

Squad is way off where we need it to be in the summer, hopefully the new ownership has a plan on how to improve that. 

StreekDerek

Beaten by the better team. They had better, stronger players all over the pitch. None of our players would get in their team.

supaclive

@Leuth

Um, we aren't 7th currently, so to make the play offs we have to beat Bolton!

Jonniesta

Best team we'll see at the Valley this year. That said, Rak-Sakyi's sitter cost us a chance at a real statement result. Gutted for Inniss, but again a terrible mistake. Sean Clare is quite right in his assessment when he joined us... he's no right back. 

Fortune 82nd Minute

Garrymanilow said:

Can feel hard done by today. One of those games where both sides had their chances but we were victim to the odd goal in the end. I think a point wouldn't have been an unfair result for either side. Bolton are a very good side in good form and in a different season I think there would be fewer negative feelings about a match like that, reminded me of an 11/12 Powell match, with the difference being that we usually left those matches with the 3 points. We play some nice stuff and it's nice to see a team full of effort, pressing and some intricate play. In the end though Bolton just don't have the gaps we have. We had a debuting left back, a right back who is really just sticking plaster, a young CB who probably should have been swapped out for O'Connell today, a gap in the midfield in Albie despite his goal, and we're switching between a striker who is here on a 6 month deal and a teenager while Bolton can switch out the excellent Dion Charles for a £500,00 striker they just bought. Holden has done well to get what he has out of the team so far but it's frustrating to see the team just come up short against a team with more options and a whole 11 where you're not pointing at obvious gaps. Still frustrating though, that free kick being given for a dive puts us behind inside 4 minutes, but we still pushed and if JRS had taken his chance when he did we would have been 2-1 while in the ascendancy and there's no way we lose after that. Instead we lost our shape completely, Inniss had to come across to deal with a problem because his left centre back and left back were in no man's land which meant he wasn't set for the header and then AMB had a rush of blood where he should have left Clare to deal with the attacker and stayed in his goal to make Charles work. It's not going to happen for us this season but fingers crossed for a takeover and some ability to plug these gaps in the squad,

I really can't believe that anyone else is going to come on here and say we were hard done by today.

We could easily have lost that 4 or 5 -1. And even if rak-sakyi had scored, I would have had a bet on Bolton scoring again.

ct_addick

Bonne showed why he couldn’t make it in the champiosship….shouldn’t start…..Leaburn would have been better 

golfaddick

Good game but the better team won. Sky stats said that Bolton had 24 shots the most they've had all season & XG (which I hate) was 3.34. 

Our problem is that when we have the ball in the final third the end product is really poor. Crosses dont beat the 1st defender & we dont have enough players in the box. Only 2 fit strikers today (which is ridiculous) & both very similar. Bonne is less mobile than before & neither striker had an effort at goal. 

Bolton signed 2 players yesterday who both played today whereas we signed 3 in 3 weeks, one of whom is already injured. But we aren't going down nor are we going to threaten the play offs. Out of all cup competitions & season over by the end of January

Pelling1993

ct_addick said:

Bonne showed why he couldn’t make it in the champiosship….shouldn’t start…..Leaburn would have been better 

I thought Bonne did well. Didn’t get much service today but chased everything and worked hard