I suppose we kicked the wrong way on purpose because of the angle of the sun. Mind you about a quarter of the lights along the roof of the West Stand appeared not to be working, and we might have been glad of a bit of light late in the second half, especially in the NW corner, is this part of Roland's energy saving initiative? I don't know if the East Stand lights were fully operational. I liked the way Doncaster play, but today they were all pastry with no ingredients. We defended pretty well throughout, but there were times when Doncaster had good approach play, even got themselves in to dangerous positions, but were insipid where it mattered. On the other hand we were constantly threatening, and it was more often good last ditch defending that thwarted us rather than a lot of wasted opportunities. The two goals however were both gifted to us, but good goals by us at the same time if that makes sense. It helps when a Doncaster guy thunders a Charlton corner against his own woodwork, but it was also a great reaction and finish from Aribo that punished that error mercilessly. The second came from great work from a not 100% Taylor, beautifully set up for Grant's header, but the goalkeeper was shamefully ineffective and the mediocre header became a good one. I am worried by what appear to be a number of knocks and bruises we seemed to get today as we have a vital away game at Walsall on Tuesday, and we must field a fit team there. For now though we have tucked away three points and it feels most satisfying. A clean sheet is nice, but Steer wasn't extended after a great block very early on. Belik was classy in a raw kind of way. Better at the back than he was in midfield last week. Pearce saw off the leagues top scorer, and he is so easy to take for granted, but he is a colossus 95% of the time when he plays for us. When Pearce doesn't play we lose more than a single player there. Djiksteel was not as good as usual, not terrible, but he looked less than 100% and Doncaster were good against him, I thought Solly was very good indeed today, out of position still, but watching a craftsman pro like him play is still a treat. In midfield Cullen was great throughout, he did make the only two errors he has ever made for us in the game today, but the rest of his contribution I thought was exceptional. The other three midfielders seemed to be the best one for a third of the match each, whilst the other two were decent. First Aribo did it for us, then Reeves in the middle third, and Ward was the man with the presence towards the end, Good solid pretty balanced midfield work from all of them this afternoon. Grant was much better than of late, Doncaster were aggravated by his pace, and his use of the ball was good, plus he scored. An under par Taylor was still terrific during the time he was on the field. Please pray holding all your lucky matchday socks that he remains fully fit.
The officials were pretty good funnily enough in a 'they didn't piss me off' kind of way.
Deserved nice kind of routine victory today which made me very pleased for Seb.
Respect to the Doncaster fans (what I would expect from a decent club with decent fans) and everybody else for the impeccable period of silence before the game, today it felt more than simply a ritual, there was a sense of depth to it.
This is going to sound churlish, but despite decent performance, decent result we need to put teams like this, where we are so dominant, to the sword. We easily were better by 3 or 4 goals and despite the result this was another instance of us lacking that clinical finish.
Thought Doncaster bossed the first half from the off until we scored against the run of play and even then they overall showed why they have been up there. However Charlton did score and turned the game and didn’t really look back. Lyle Taylor .....such a good player. Vetokele won’t replace him or grant any time soon. And apart from being such a mouthpiece my man of the match is Jamie ward......what a difference he makes to the team. It was not as good as against Barnsley because they were not as quick to the ball but at times the passing and pace worked really well and Grant’s pace is starting to really have a regular impact. Pearce and Bielik were solid and Solly had a very good game as did Dijksteel.actually apart from the first twenty minutes everyone had a good game. Let’s hope we can get to sixth on Tuesday.
A decent performance and win. We should have scored more goal BUT defensively in the first half we were all over the place. Most of the danger came down Dkiksteel's side and yes he was poor in the first half, but he wasn't getting much protection either. Bielik wasn't good in the first half either, but was much better in the second half
Taylor and Grant were excellent, we lost a lot of our attacking threat when Taylor went off as Igor was generally ineffective, without the same workrate, and not getting into the box quickly enough either. Slightly surprised Reeves went off rather than Ward, but Marshall had a useful cameo
A decent performance and win. We should have scored more goal BUT defensively in the first half we were all over the place. Most of the danger came down Dkiksteel's side and yes he was poor in the first half, but he wasn't getting much protection either. Bielik wasn't good in the first half either, but was much better in the second half
Taylor and Grant were excellent, we lost a lot of our attacking threat when Taylor went off as Igor was generally ineffective, without the same workrate, and not getting into the box quickly enough either. Slightly surprised Reeves went off rather than Ward, but Marshall had a useful cameo
A decent performance and win. We should have scored more goal BUT defensively in the first half we were all over the place. Most of the danger came down Dkiksteel's side and yes he was poor in the first half, but he wasn't getting much protection either. Bielik wasn't good in the first half either, but was much better in the second half
Taylor and Grant were excellent, we lost a lot of our attacking threat when Taylor went off as Igor was generally ineffective, without the same workrate, and not getting into the box quickly enough either. Slightly surprised Reeves went off rather than Ward, but Marshall had a useful cameo
Didn’t Reeves get injured?
He'd definitely just taken a knock so hope its just to rest him ahead of Tuesday
That was a very good performance. Almost identical to Barnsley. What a difference it is to have Bielik at the back alongside Pearce. With a solid central 2 that gives the full backs so much more confidence and don't get drawn into the middle so much. That really helps. The first 5 or 10 minutes Donny looked more lively but even then I thought we had them contained and as the game went on we slowly wore them down. Kept them at a distance from our goal and can't remember Steer being really tested.
I thought Bielik was immense. In the middle I thought Aribo and Reeves were very good as was Cullen at the base of the diamond. Up front Taylor looked a bit off. Probably not 100%. I thought Grant had an ok game but he scored the 2nd so can't knock him too much. Igor is just not the same player anymore. I thought he was weak. A word for Marshall. I felt he helped us out in the 2nd half with his defensive qualities. All in all a good day at the office.
Now Bows, don't try and be clever and tinker with the team. Remember Barnsley and Donny.
One of the worst referees I have seen for a long time and ruined the game for me. Couldn’t count out 10 yards, gave free kicks for great tackles, gave free kicks if you stood too close to the keeper and stopped play when he could have allowed the advantage.
One of the worst referees I have seen for a long time and ruined the game for me. Couldn’t count out 10 yards, gave free kicks for great tackles, gave free kicks if you stood too close to the keeper and stopped play when he could have allowed the advantage.
You weren't at the Peterborough and Barnsley home games then and saw James Linington ?
We looked sharper today and like we meant it. Bielik MoM for me but Aribo, Reeves and Grant not far behind. A lot of hard work done by Taylor but like Ward you have to wonder why they bother spoiling it by giving the ref an easy reason to give a foul against them. Solly deserves a mention for yet another does what it says on the tin performance that looks like he’s practiced each and every move all week. For me he gets better and better and makes it look so easy. And I like watching Dijksteel tackle, turn and pass- wtf is he doing playing in L1 ?
One of the worst referees I have seen for a long time and ruined the game for me. Couldn’t count out 10 yards, gave free kicks for great tackles, gave free kicks if you stood too close to the keeper and stopped play when he could have allowed the advantage.
You weren't at the Peterborough and Barnsley home games then and saw James Linington ?
Missed the posh game. Don’t recall the ref being that bad against Barnsley though. That lovely tackle from Aribo towards the end was particularly frustrating as he won the ball cleanly and was on the attack.
It’s no excuse but I do think the foot off the gas towards the end has something to do with the fact we have a game Tuesday and that we won’t be able to make many changes! Wasn’t there but listened to it on CAFC Player and we sounded pretty comfortable?
Among the many positives I take from the comments of those who watched, the one that strikes me is the number of rave reviews for Bielik. People wer understandably nervous about the public comments Bowyer made about him last week. But it seems to have worked well. A good day for our rookie manager.
One of the worst referees I have seen for a long time and ruined the game for me. Couldn’t count out 10 yards, gave free kicks for great tackles, gave free kicks if you stood too close to the keeper and stopped play when he could have allowed the advantage.
Seriously?
One of the best this season for me. I wish we could have him every week.
Great game management by cafc in last 20 minutes. After being so open against Coventry and conceding 2 late goals plus being poor 2nd half against Oxford. The clean sheet was more important than going hell for leather for a killer 3rd goal. Bielik was class on the ball today and played slick passes from the back. Donny were very good 1st half but the 2nd goal killed then off from a another well timed run from the chase every ball Grant. The midfield of Cullen, Aribo, Reeves and Ward played as a unit and there were only good performances today from 1 to 14. Great cameo from Marshall where he used his pace so well. I said in preview that there is no correlation from one match to the next for us. Let's hope next week Cafc prove me wrong.
Exactly. What I said last week. Get the 2nd goal & you have a good chance of winning. If we had done that against both Oxford & Coventry I have no doubt we would have won both of them. Just those 4 dropped points could make a big difference at the end of the season.
As for the game.....................
As previous posters have said, solid performance all round & really hard to pick out a MOTM. Midfield especially was excellent with Cullen spraying passes around, Ward always running & having some nice touches, Aribo always there for a give & go and Reeves playing some lovely through balls & pinpoint passing, However, I think Bielik wins it for me, as he is class & no way should be playing in this league. As another poster said, its a travesty how players like this are loaned out to lower league clubs & not playing for their parent club........although we do seem to be a good springboard for Arsenal loanees with both Song & that other frenchman going on to much better things.
My last word goes out to Vetokele. He was given a thankless task for the last 15 mins. His job was to chance down lost causes, clearances & everything else in between, with little or no support. At one point, into injury time, he was close to their penalty area with 5 of their players in & around him with the nearest player in a red shirt about 30 yards away. Well done Igor......you helped us secure that win too.
Doncaster bossed most of the first half and we were lucky not to be two or three goals down before we scored. Our biggest problem was the amount of space we gifted them between midfield and defence and Dijksteel's inability to tie down his winger. On the plus side we looked sharp up front with both Aribo and Ward offering positive support. The second half was a bit of a damp squib and it was disappointing to see that Ventokele looks a shadow of his pre injury self. Doncaster's 26 (Coppinger?) looked dangerous in the first half and it was a relief to see him withdrawn at half time. We're tantalising close to the playoffs again but the question is whether we can we put a run together and cement a place in the top six? Fingers crossed.
So pleased to see the line up before the game. The success of it v Barnsley transferred across to this crucial win. Similar to our triumph up at Bradford, Steer made a great save at the beginning which was pivotal to the outcome of the game. From early on, Grant was making amends for his poor display at Rochdale by being a constant threat and getting into great positions. Donny for their part started with a fair amount of possession and looked sharp but gradually the Addicks took control culminating in our two 1st half goals. The first was a good corner delivery by Cullen with Aribo knocking it in after a Donny defender had struck his own bar. The second goal had lovely build up play for me with Bielik delivering a great ball to Reeves who fed Taylor. Solly made a decoy run to the left of him as he crossed in for Grant's header which I felt their keeper could of done better. In between these two goals, Aribo was oozing confidence and was really on his game. Reeves was using the ball well and played a significant cross field ball to Taylor in the approach to the 2nd goal. At the back, Bielik was looking so cool in tight spots. We had a little sticky period in the early part of the 2nd half that I felt we had to ride out. Bielik was always there to calm things down but Reeves had to make a crucial tackle on their sub May. After that, we rode it out well. Everyone made a valuable contribution to this important win including Bowyer and Jackson who clearly have worked them hard leading up to this game. Bielik was my MOM, he's becoming our Franz Beckenbauer. Great contributions from all the midfield and Grant also. Moving forward, Grant could do with a bit more upper body strength when he is challenged from behind, more consistency in his game and self belief. There's a wonderful player in there bursting to get out.
Doncaster bossed most of the first half and we were lucky not to be two or three goals down before we scored. Our biggest problem was the amount of space we gifted them between midfield and defence and Dijksteel's inability to tie down his winger. On the plus side we looked sharp up front with both Aribo and Ward offering positive support. The second half was a bit of a damp squib and i was disappointing to see that Ventokele looks a shadow of his pre injury self. Doncaster's 26 (Coppinger?) looked dangerous in the first half and it was a relief to see him withdrawn at half time. We're tantalising close to the playoffs again but the question is whether we can we put a run together and cement a place in the top six? Fingers crossed.
Did Steer have to save anything today?
I thought most attacks went down Sollys side.
Second half I thought we controlled completely,
Vetokele did the job that was required and closed the defenders down quickly.
One aspect I liked today was how Bowyer dealt with the Doncaster subs... Wilks (fake Taylor) came on and instantly went up against Solly, fouled him and a little while later switched flank to face Dijksteel as he was getting zero luck against Chris
Might not have been the reason for the sub yet Bowyer took Anfernee off later on yet when that happened Solly naturally switched and so did Wilks
A decent performance and win. We should have scored more goal BUT defensively in the first half we were all over the place. Most of the danger came down Dkiksteel's side and yes he was poor in the first half, but he wasn't getting much protection either. Bielik wasn't good in the first half either, but was much better in the second half
Taylor and Grant were excellent, we lost a lot of our attacking threat when Taylor went off as Igor was generally ineffective, without the same workrate, and not getting into the box quickly enough either. Slightly surprised Reeves went off rather than Ward, but Marshall had a useful cameo
Didn’t Reeves get injured?
I wasn't sure if his immediate substitution was due to that knock or just coincidence, as Bowyer does tend to withdraw him after 70 minutes anyway and hasn't mentioned an injury in his post match interviews?
Comments
I suppose we kicked the wrong way on purpose because of the angle of the sun.
Mind you about a quarter of the lights along the roof of the West Stand appeared not to be working, and we might have been glad of a bit of light late in the second half, especially in the NW corner, is this part of Roland's energy saving initiative? I don't know if the East Stand lights were fully operational.
I liked the way Doncaster play, but today they were all pastry with no ingredients. We defended pretty well throughout, but there were times when Doncaster had good approach play, even got themselves in to dangerous positions, but were insipid where it mattered. On the other hand we were constantly threatening, and it was more often good last ditch defending that thwarted us rather than a lot of wasted opportunities.
The two goals however were both gifted to us, but good goals by us at the same time if that makes sense. It helps when a Doncaster guy thunders a Charlton corner against his own woodwork, but it was also a great reaction and finish from Aribo that punished that error mercilessly.
The second came from great work from a not 100% Taylor, beautifully set up for Grant's header, but the goalkeeper was shamefully ineffective and the mediocre header became a good one.
I am worried by what appear to be a number of knocks and bruises we seemed to get today as we have a vital away game at Walsall on Tuesday, and we must field a fit team there. For now though we have tucked away three points and it feels most satisfying.
A clean sheet is nice, but Steer wasn't extended after a great block very early on. Belik was classy in a raw kind of way. Better at the back than he was in midfield last week. Pearce saw off the leagues top scorer, and he is so easy to take for granted, but he is a colossus 95% of the time when he plays for us. When Pearce doesn't play we lose more than a single player there. Djiksteel was not as good as usual, not terrible, but he looked less than 100% and Doncaster were good against him, I thought Solly was very good indeed today, out of position still, but watching a craftsman pro like him play is still a treat.
In midfield Cullen was great throughout, he did make the only two errors he has ever made for us in the game today, but the rest of his contribution I thought was exceptional. The other three midfielders seemed to be the best one for a third of the match each, whilst the other two were decent. First Aribo did it for us, then Reeves in the middle third, and Ward was the man with the presence towards the end, Good solid pretty balanced midfield work from all of them this afternoon.
Grant was much better than of late, Doncaster were aggravated by his pace, and his use of the ball was good, plus he scored. An under par Taylor was still terrific during the time he was on the field. Please pray holding all your lucky matchday socks that he remains fully fit.
The officials were pretty good funnily enough in a 'they didn't piss me off' kind of way.
Deserved nice kind of routine victory today which made me very pleased for Seb.
Respect to the Doncaster fans (what I would expect from a decent club with decent fans) and everybody else for the impeccable period of silence before the game, today it felt more than simply a ritual, there was a sense of depth to it.
Taylor and Grant were excellent, we lost a lot of our attacking threat when Taylor went off as Igor was generally ineffective, without the same workrate, and not getting into the box quickly enough either. Slightly surprised Reeves went off rather than Ward, but Marshall had a useful cameo
Loved it at the end as he was constantly talking to Naby Sarr inc. "Leave it for the ball boy" in an attempt to slow the game right down
I thought Bielik was immense. In the middle I thought Aribo and Reeves were very good as was Cullen at the base of the diamond. Up front Taylor looked a bit off. Probably not 100%. I thought Grant had an ok game but he scored the 2nd so can't knock him too much. Igor is just not the same player anymore. I thought he was weak. A word for Marshall. I felt he helped us out in the 2nd half with his defensive qualities. All in all a good day at the office.
Now Bows, don't try and be clever and tinker with the team. Remember Barnsley and Donny.
Up the Addicks!
One of the best this season for me. I wish we could have him every week.
As for the game.....................
As previous posters have said, solid performance all round & really hard to pick out a MOTM. Midfield especially was excellent with Cullen spraying passes around, Ward always running & having some nice touches, Aribo always there for a give & go and Reeves playing some lovely through balls & pinpoint passing, However, I think Bielik wins it for me, as he is class & no way should be playing in this league. As another poster said, its a travesty how players like this are loaned out to lower league clubs & not playing for their parent club........although we do seem to be a good springboard for Arsenal loanees with both Song & that other frenchman going on to much better things.
My last word goes out to Vetokele. He was given a thankless task for the last 15 mins. His job was to chance down lost causes, clearances & everything else in between, with little or no support. At one point, into injury time, he was close to their penalty area with 5 of their players in & around him with the nearest player in a red shirt about 30 yards away. Well done Igor......you helped us secure that win too.
The second half was a bit of a damp squib and it was disappointing to see that Ventokele looks a shadow of his pre injury self. Doncaster's 26 (Coppinger?) looked dangerous in the first half and it was a relief to see him withdrawn at half time.
We're tantalising close to the playoffs again but the question is whether we can we put a run together and cement a place in the top six? Fingers crossed.
Similar to our triumph up at Bradford, Steer made a great save at the beginning which was pivotal to the outcome of the game.
From early on, Grant was making amends for his poor display at Rochdale by being a constant threat and getting into great positions.
Donny for their part started with a fair amount of possession and looked sharp but gradually the Addicks took control culminating in our two 1st half goals.
The first was a good corner delivery by Cullen with Aribo knocking it in after a Donny defender had struck his own bar.
The second goal had lovely build up play for me with Bielik delivering a great ball to Reeves who fed Taylor. Solly made a decoy run to the left of him as he crossed in for Grant's header which I felt their keeper could of done better.
In between these two goals, Aribo was oozing confidence and was really on his game. Reeves was using the ball well and played a significant cross field ball to Taylor in the approach to the 2nd goal. At the back, Bielik was looking so cool in tight spots.
We had a little sticky period in the early part of the 2nd half that I felt we had to ride out. Bielik was always there to calm things down but Reeves had to make a crucial tackle on their sub May.
After that, we rode it out well. Everyone made a valuable contribution to this important win including Bowyer and Jackson who clearly have worked them hard leading up to this game.
Bielik was my MOM, he's becoming our Franz Beckenbauer. Great contributions from all the midfield and Grant also.
Moving forward, Grant could do with a bit more upper body strength when he is challenged from behind, more consistency in his game and self belief. There's a wonderful player in there bursting to get out.
I thought most attacks went down Sollys side.
Second half I thought we controlled completely,
Vetokele did the job that was required and closed the defenders down quickly.
Fingers crossed we can get into the to
Might not have been the reason for the sub yet Bowyer took Anfernee off later on yet when that happened Solly naturally switched and so did Wilks