POST-MATCH THREAD: Sheffield Wednesday v Charlton Athletic: Saturday 18th April 2026: KO 15:00

Away at Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon presented another opportunity to cross the fifty point mark and all but secure Championship football next season. As a club in crisis—on minus points, not having won a home game all season—Wednesday were there for the taking. However, us weary Addicks know no comfort. The potential for slipping on a proverbial banana skin was just too great given the circumstances of both clubs, with Wednesday finding a bit of half-form in recent weeks, so it was more a case of trepidation than potential triumph.

Matty Godden returned to the starting eleven, with Reece Burke and Conor Coady joining him to effect changes in personnel in attack, midfield, and defense. Conor Coventry wasn’t even on the bench and Kayne Ramsay missed out through a knock. Collins Sichenje returned from injury to join in on the bench.

The Addicks’ first half chance came on just over 4 minutes, through Harry Clarke charging into the six yard box to get on the end of a loose ball but he was unable to put the ball past the keeper. It was another five minutes before the next chance, with Clarke whipping in a cross that Godden headed just wide. He turned out to be offside but it was a dangerous reminder of his ability to find space and spearhead the attack. Only minutes later, Wednesday broke forward through slick passing, cutting straight though the Charlton defenses, only to fluff the final shot. But it was a warning of what the young side are capable of.

Twenty minutes had elapsed when the next chance came Charlton’s way. Sheffield Wednesday’s keeper tried to play the ball out from a short goal kick but managed to play the ball right into Matty Godden’s path. His snap shot on the turn was deflected away but it was another warning.

By that point, Charlton had a mere thirty percent of possession. The Addicks were direct in the counter, which was creating the best of the matches’ chances (just) whereas Wednesday were wasteful and largely toothless in possession. But to that point, all of Charlton’s half chances were from Wednesday’s mistakes, which is fair but far from ideal. Charlton would want to assert themselves more and take control, but the truth is, in this form, we’re really not much better.

Charlton then managed to manufacture a crisis that could have put the home side ahead. Harry Clarke was beaten on the right as Adaramola brushed past him and Reese Burke slid into the challenge only to foul the on-loan Palace winger mere inches outside the box. The home support was convinced it was a penalty and, from the replay, that could very well have been the case. The home side fluffed the resulting free kick and the Addicks escaped unscathed.

There wasn’t much in the remainder of the first half, normal time, bar a couple of Godden efforts, feeding off scraps, and a Dykes challenge on the keeper that looked fair but left the young goal stopper in a heap on the ground, giving both sides a chance for some water and a chat with their managers. But two minutes into added time, Godden’s dramatic overhead kick in the box cannoned off the crossbar. Probably the best chance of the game but it wasn’t to be and both sides when in goalless.

No changes for either side come the second half kickoff. It didn’t take long for Charlton to find the breakthrough goal. On 49 minutes Godden got on the end of a Lloyd Jones header from int the box, with his back to goal, inside the six yard box, he chested it down, juggled it twice on the turn, and forced a little poked shot through traffic and into the side netting, even beating a man on the post. The travelling support burst back into life and things looked a lot brighter as Charlton looked to turn the screw further on the hapless home side.

On 59 minutes another solid chance came when Sonny Carey burst into the Wednesday box from the right, dropped his shoulder and unleashed a shot across the keeper that careened off the inside of the post. A minute later, Collins Sichenje replaced Reese Burke to mark his return from injury.

For ten or fifteen minutes Sheffield Wednesday enjoyed a period of sustained possession, forcing Charlton to drop deep and resort to last ditch defending. You could see what was coming. On 76 minutes a cross into the box left Will Mannion flapping, the hand he got to the ball deflected to right in front of the goal and was knocked in through traffic to give the home side only their twelfth goal of the season. It was a particularly poor goal to concede. With many now on tired legs, Nathan Jones made three subs, replacing Godden, Dykes, and Chambers, with MIles Leaburn, Tyreece Campbell, and Macauley Gillesphey.

Towards the final minutes of normal time the game opened up. It was end to end for a period but there wasn’t much quality from either side. Tyreece Campbell broke though in space down the left but his ball across the six yard box went begging when Miles Leaburn failed to anticipate its direction.

Nathan Jones’ last roll of the dice brought Joe Rankin-Costello into the action, replacing Sonny Carey. Harry Clarke had a shot over the bar after a decent run forward but his suspect finishing let us down again. With the period of afive minutes dded time elapsed, Collins Sichenje’s efforts to press forward were rewarded with a corner. Rankin-Costello’s corner found Sichenje leaping in the centre of the box but he couldn’t direct his header on target and that was the final play of the match.

Now on fifty points, Charlton gain a point and with that, another opportunity for those behind us to catch us has expired. But that was two points dropped. Hitting the post and the crossbar, going ahead and not putting this one to bed when we had the chance, make this draw difficult to swallow. Sheffield Wednesday are a young side at a club in crisis; they make plenty of mistakes but are capable of creating threats and really play with nothing to lose. We didn’t slip on the banana skin, but we didn’t do nearly enough to capitalise on the opportunities we made. And that’s disappointing.

Ipswich up next, which be a challenge as they have all to play for and will be looking to avenge the beating we gave them at theirs early in the season. Great.

Sheffield Wed 1 Charlton 1
Over to you.