POST-MATCH THREAD: Charlton Athletic v Derby County: Tuesday 20th January 2026: KO 19:45

For the opening quarter of an hour, Charlton looked quite good. Individual battles were being won, the press was effective and, on occasion, it resulted in Tyreece Campbell finding space to have a pop or cross into the box. Sonny Carey also had moments of brilliance on the ball. Nevertheless, there wasn’t much of a real threat on the Derby goal.

The opening goal was Derby’s, on about 16 mins, when current dangerman Patrick Agyemang waltzed into the box and his cross cum shot across goal was inadvertently knocked in by Macauley Gillesphey, who fumbled and couldn’t get out of the way.

On 30 mins Clarke dramatically takes out Lyndon Dykes on the edge of the box, just left of centre. Sonny Carey’s shot found a gap in the wall and bounced just before the keeper, but the Derby man got down well and made the save, relatively comfortably.

2 minutes later, Kaminski makes a great save with his feet with former Addick Corey Blackett-Taylor bearing down on him after Lloyd Jones’s mistake put him through. Then just before the half time whistle, Ben Brereton Diaz found himself in acres of space down the Charlton left but his shot was powder-puff and dragged wide.

To start the second half, Ibrahim Fullah and Harry Clarke came on for Miles Leaburn and Lloyd Jones, the latter of which was limping after going down earlier in the first half with ankle issues. The conditions were miserable as the rain began to fall harder. On 49 minutes, Ibby Fullah’s touch in Tyreece Campbell’s path resulted in a shot that threatened the Derby goal but was blocked by new Addick Harry Clarke, who couldn’t get himself out of the way, and out for a corner. With the changes in personnel and formation, and with a confident Fullah on the ball in the middle of the park, Charlton looked more inspired in possession. After 58 minutes, in the wake of a period of sustained possession for Charlton, Derby made a couple of changes, taking off Corey Blackett-Taylor, who looked knackered. Only seconds later, Charlton’s back three were all at sea when, after a long, high clearance, the ball was turned around the corner to put Bobby Clark through on goal with only Thomas Kaminski to beat. The second goal put the visitors in a commanding position and it was too easy for them.

Derby didn’t look special at any point this evening, and you can see why they’ve had an up and down season thus far, but they looked far superior in the final third of the pitch in front of goal. Charlton needed something to change the complexion of the game.

The way back came through Tyreece Campbell. He had worked hard all night and was rewarded for his effort when he played a one-two with Karoy Anderson that put him just outside the box. With a couple of defenders to fight through, he got his shot off from the edge of the box, near the centre, that tucked skillfully past the keeper, low and hard into the corner.

Next, it was Campbell and Fullah that linked up to inspire the Valley crowd. Fullah’s touch on the ball was exquisite, shielding it to retain possession, which eventually resulted in Derby committing a foul in a dangerous position. During the break in play, as the Addick’s set up for a free kick on goal, Charlie Kelman came on to replace Conor Coventry. Gillesphey’s free kick was driven in hard and on target but the Derby keeper made a decent save to deny his redemption.

Agyemang and Clark, both of whom caused us multiple problems, were then replaced with fresh legs in an effort to stymie Charlton’s momentum. It largely worked as the game became more stop-start to Derby’s benefit. But it was on 84 minutes when Charlton had a bit of possession and another key moment swung the way of the home side. The ball was played into space towards Kayne Ramsay when Bobby Clarke committed to the challenge and upended the on-rushing Charlton man at the corner of the box. Clark received his second yellow and was sent off. Charlton piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser, with Nathan Jones bringing on two veterans known for their ability to conjure a goal or two in Luke Berry and Matt Godden. Two dangerous corners were threats but the Addicks could only come close without converting.

Seven minutes of added time gave the home side some hope. By that time, Derby were largely at sea and defending from a weakened position, a player down and operating on tired legs. Godden had a half chance, then some moments later, his pressure forced a Charlton corner, which ultimately came to nothing of note. Time was running out on a comeback. Charlton had a decent bit of pressure right at the end that forced an O’Donnell save. Derby were able to see out the victory.

The first goal was unfortunate. An accident. The second was the killer: the result of a momentary lapse in concentration that should never have happened. We weren’t very good again tonight, though the second half was much better. I like the new additions and Ibrahim Fullah is always fun to watch. It’s gonna take more time for the new players and the returning players to find a stride. I think there are some bright spots to cling on to but we’re quite a bit short of being competitive again. And that needs to happen quickly before we find ourselves in trouble. Lloyd Jones’ injury is a worry as the talismanic defender is a big loss, so hopefully it’s not too bad and he was taken off as a precaution ahead of this weekend’s trip to Millwall.

Charlton 1 Derby 2
Over to you.