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Post-Match Thread: Stevenage vs Charlton Athletic | Saturday 16th September 2023 @ 3pm

LoOkOuT
Posts: 10,857
Michael Appleton’s first game in charge proved a tricky visit to top-of-the-league Stevenage, with Alfie May out under concussion protocols and Nathan Assimwe suffering a knock. Stevenage started brightly and were first to every ball ahead of a hesitant Charlton side. Stevenage went up 1-0 on the break through a characteristic lapse in concentration at the back. George Dobson dived in, trying to plug the gaps; Lloyd Jones was wrong footed; and Harry Isted decided not to move. Charlton went into the break down one without a shot on target and barely a threat up top.
Second half was better from Charlton, but not great. It wasn’t until the final twenty five or so minutes when the Addicks came alive. A fine cameo from Chuks Aneke proved helpful, as he terrorised their back line and more than matched them physically. After numerous shouts, at least two in each half, Charlton were awarded a penalty when substitute Tedic was hacked down. Corey Blackett-Taylor stepped up to take it. I almost couldn’t watch. He confidently put the ball in the back of the net to draw us level.
Second half was better from Charlton, but not great. It wasn’t until the final twenty five or so minutes when the Addicks came alive. A fine cameo from Chuks Aneke proved helpful, as he terrorised their back line and more than matched them physically. After numerous shouts, at least two in each half, Charlton were awarded a penalty when substitute Tedic was hacked down. Corey Blackett-Taylor stepped up to take it. I almost couldn’t watch. He confidently put the ball in the back of the net to draw us level.
The officiating was nothing less than awful, with Stevenage pulling the referee’s strings consistently. Conversely (perhaps relatedly), the travelling Addicks’ support were in fine voice all game and, it could be argued, proved the difference when pressurising the referee to make the right call for the penalty.
Stevenage 1 Charlton 1
Over to you.
Stevenage 1 Charlton 1
Over to you.
39
Comments
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Fair result, but should've had 3 penalties at least. Ref was absolutely shocking.16
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Living the dream29
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Should’ve had two penalties before the referee eventually gave us one.
Stevenage not just a physical side. They’ve also mastered the dark arts of the game and when you get a soft ref like that, it works really well for them.Swallow your pride, put the name of the team aside and that’s a good point on the road given the circumstances.32 -
Would have taken a draw before KO so I'm leaving happy5
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First point away which says we have hopefully turned a corner. Chuks! What a star0
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A point away to top of the league with your main goalscorer out? You take that.
However bad the officials were, we need to make sure that's not influencing results, if you score 2 goals and he doesn't give a penalty today you complain about how you should have won by more goals, not finally getting a penalty to salvage a draw.
Ultimately we have to be relatively happy with that in the end, but scraping a draw out of Stevenage is a poor place to be, history wise. It was less than 5 years ago we were demolishing them 8-0 in some no mark cup7 -
My take on today's game.
1st half we were shocking. Having said that we should have had a penalty.
2nd half at least we showed some fight and eventually got a penalty to earn a well deserved draw.
We are still faced with the same old problem that we need to score a minimum of 2 goals in order to win a game.
Our defence at times looks league 2 standard and this will be Appleton's biggest challenge in improving us as a team.
Finally I try never to criticise Ref's as I think things even themselves out over time.
But this prick today is just about as bat a ref as I've seen.
Anyway onwards and upwards.21 -
It’ll take time, but something seriously needs to click with this squad!As good as they have been, need to remove Campbell, Anderson and asimwee from the XI and go with more experience.
hopfully tennai Watson is close to fitness, he should be better at RB- but the choice at CB is impossible to pick! Edun needs to buck his ideas up too
hopefully camara and Fraser back soon?
my go to would be;
AMB
watson Ness. Hector. Edun
Dobson
CBT. C Campbel
Fraser/Camara
May Leaburn0 -
On the face of it that's not a bad point. Usual problems though, a team that needs a halftime beating to start playing anything vaguely resembling football. It's nice to see Chuks back for now and I'll be interested to see how we line up when May is available again. 433 doesn't suit him but CBT is an important player so it's harder to play 1 up front. Then we suddenly have May, Leaburn, Aneke and Tedic to think about getting into the team, as well as Fraser and Camara to fit in around Dobson, Anderson, Watson, Taylor, Campbell and eventually McGrandles who Appleton got the most out of at Lincoln. Might be stocked in the wrong areas depending on how he wants to play
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Immediately cheered up by news from Villa Park!
Let's face it. Does not matter who manages this shower, mid table 3rd division football is us!2 -
Chucks completely changed that game18
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Callumcafc said:Should’ve had two penalties before the referee eventually gave us one.
Stevenage not just a physical side. They’ve also mastered the dark arts of the game and when you get a soft ref like that, it works really well for them.Swallow your pride, put the name of the team aside and that’s a good point on the road given the circumstances.
Just really hope the injuries to Abankwah and Taylor aren't too bad.
Lastly, so happy for Chuks. Great to see him back out there, and he made himself am absolute nuisance.4 -
For me not a very convincing performance.
Yes we looked better in the second half when we decided to push players forwards, but conversely Stevenage really should have put the game to bed on the counter more than once before we got back into the game.
Really not sure what our game plan was first half, and I know we need to be more disciplined across the side but we can’t be that unadventurous and either not press sides up the pitch or sit in a low block and try and counter quickly.
I know Stevenage don’t necessarily flood players forwards either, but we just played into their game.
Cant wait to Fraser or Camera come back so we can at least move then all through the thirds quicker.Anyway, would have taken a draw before the game and nice to see Chuks back just hope he can stay fit.3 -
I am not sure why we play so badly in the first half so often.
One clean sheet in seven games.0 -
Callumcafc said:8
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1st half one to forget, 2nd much improved. Thought Chuks rattled them, as he does best and we were unlucky not to have had 2-3 pens as others have said. Bum was squeaky when CBT took the ball for the pen, but it was a good one in the end. A fair point overall and something to build on ahead of next week.1
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Callumcafc said:4
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Also thought Terry Taylor done well when he come on, shame about his injury as I thought he was looking lively. Puts himself about as well.10
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19addickted96 said:It’ll take time, but something seriously needs to click with this squad!As good as they have been, need to remove Campbell, Anderson and asimwee from the XI and go with more experience.
hopfully tennai Watson is close to fitness, he should be better at RB- but the choice at CB is impossible to pick! Edun needs to buck his ideas up too
hopefully camara and Fraser back soon?
my go to would be;
AMB
watson Ness. Hector. Edun
Dobson
CBT. C Campbel
Fraser/Camara
May LeaburnThat team would get murdered. The wide positions in a diamond are essentially central midfielders who can push a little wider if needed. Fraser and Camara would be fine in those roles for instance. Playing a back four with just Dobson in the middle, two wingers somehow behind a 10 and two strikers would be like going on strike. There would just be nothing in the middle.6 -
Chuks was great when he came on. A more mobile striker with him and we’d have had a couple more chances. Less said about the ref the better but smart from Tedic to go down and Dobbo’s reaction definitely made a difference. Not convinced by Isted. Overall a point against top of the table after our start is a positive. Something to build on.4
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Appleton post match saying he’s having disagreements (I took this to mean in a healthy way - not throwing people under a bus) with the sports scientists about upping the intensity of the training since he came in.
He said it’s paying off with how strongly we finished the game. Thinks we could’ve gone for another 10-15 minutes.23 -
As Curbs always said: when on a bad losing run, stop the defeats and then move on13
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Lennie started with an away point. Just saying....
Anyway...new manager, lots of new players. It's a start.3 -
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I’ve seen better quality in National League games this season.I’ve seen way, way better refereeing in the National league.1
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The Red Robin said:1
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Liked Appleton's post match interview with Tel.12