POST-MATCH THREAD: Charlton Athletic v Stoke City: Wednesday 11th February 2026: KO 19:45

A great 3 points and I thought it was thoroughly deserved on the balance of play. We should have been ahead at half-time, although this was always going to be a tight game between two low scoring sides.

Stoke did threaten down our left side in the first half and we certainly caught a break when their quick and powerful right wing-back, Lawal, had to do off injured before half-time. Lloyd Jones did well to put JRS slightly off balance just before he shot against the bar. Sorba Thomas threatened sporadically in the second half with two low crosses across the 6-yard box but Stoke had very little to offer striker-wise and our central defenders - especially Jones and Bell - were dominant.

TC helped to up the tempo following his introduction and the relatively sparse crowd did their best to give the side a lift. After TC got his goal, things predictably got a little nervy towards the end but we defended well as a team and, in the final analysis, Kaminski didn't have a meaningful save to make.

Following the debacle at Millwall, we've got back to our earlier defensive solidarity and become a side that's hard to beat. The recruitment in the January window has proved inspired so far, with big contributions from Clarke, Chambers, Coady and Dykes. It's a marked contrast to the summer recruitment which, with the exception of Bell and Carey, has been very disappointing.

Last night's win puts us 11 points clear of Oxford, who have played a game more, and I can't see them bridging that gap in their last 14 games. Blackburn, Leicester and West Brom are all in poor form and hopefully we can extend the 7 point gap to the relegation places by beating Pompey next Tuesday. Nathan also said that Miles Leaburn should be fit for that one.

Pompey will be another tough game but it should be a much better crowd, with tickets purchased from the original Saturday abandonment, plus it's not a school night, given the half-term holiday.
 

Uboat said:

Fair play to Tyreece for keeping his composure despite suddenly ageing 40 years as he went round the goalie. 

Bet he felt good. I knew that he would.

Desmond Oulu said:

I don't really get the "Jones giving some back is unprofessional" comments. In how many other professions do you have a few thousand people chanting that you're a c*nt? None. So the normal rules of professionalism don't apply. 

I once worked as a stock-controller in a factory and ... OK, it wasn't a few thousand, more like a few dozen.

Must be a new rule that otherwise why wouldn't our players hang around in offside positions off goal kicks?

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Thirty minutes before KO.  Quite sparse 

Game didn’t kick off for half an hour to be fair. 

Ref booking the players before set pieces was bizarre. 

Covered End said:

Danny Addick said:

Amari Bell is an absolute Rolls Royce of a defender. Lyndon Dykes is superb at what Jones needs him to be. It’s so hard to judge a player based on fan feedback on here - Coady, awful signing, disgrace, we are going down. Lyndon Dykes, donkey terrible relegation signing. Harvey Knibbs, best player in L1, can’t wait, etc. 

Chambers was apparently shite at Millwall according to what felt like the majority. Clueless.

I didn’t get that impression at all. I thought most thought he looked good but was obviously well off the pace as he’d had so little football. Can’t remember any at all saying he was shite.

se9addick said:

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Thirty minutes before KO.  Quite sparse 

Game didn’t kick off for half an hour to be fair. 

I sit in the East Stand so can see how full the South/Covered End is better than anyone sitting in it.  With 10 mins to go it was a lot better than this pic but there were still plenty of gaps, by the time the match kicked off there were some gaps but not that many, except the edge with the Family Stand area.  Like the other stands a lot of fans get to their seats at the last minute, much more so I would say with the Covered End. 

Valley11 said:

A come and buy me invitation ?

Im confused by above messages. So is that Facebook post fake or the real JRS?

A like for Valley11 is pending...

Ben18 said:

Ref booking the players before set pieces was bizarre. 

Ignored Kaminski being pinned on every corner though. Thankfully they didn’t manage to get on the end of any of them, cause Kaminski wouldn’t have been able to move.

Would like to see this whole issue get sorted out though. Players with arms around other players at corners ought to get booked and then repeat offenders sent off. It is ruining the game. Usually defenders as well. Easy to sort in my opinion?