Charlton dropped points at The Valley for the first time this season as they played out a 1-1 draw with Cambridge United. Here’s Louis Mendez’s four takeaways from the match.
ADDICKS BROUGHT BACK DOWN TO EARTH
The Addicks excelled in midweek but were brought back down to earth with a bump as Cambridge battled to a well-deserved point at The Valley. Ben Garner’s side lacked the swagger on show during the 5-1 mauling of Plymouth on Tuesday. Visitors Cambridge came out the blocks quickly, but the South Londoners did grow into game and edged ahead just before the interval through Scott Fraser’s close-range header.
But The U’s always posed a threat and were deservedly level on the hour-mark – Harvey Knibbs finishing inside the six-yard box moments after Joe Wollacott had made a superb stop from Sam Smith’s header. Charlton did push late on as Jack Payne, Miles Leaburn and Aaron Henry added some late impetus but Cambridge held on valiantly their first point on the road this campaign. Charlton dropped points at home for the first time.
CONCISTENCY LEVELS
It was always going to be difficult to play with the same fluidity that Charlton had on show against Plymouth, especially as they faced a Cambridge outfit who arrived in SE7 with a totally different gameplan. Charlton had to show a degree more of patience to open their visitors up on Saturday and weren’t clinical when opportunities did arise.
Expect to see more of the same at The Valley this year. Teams will look to frustrate the Addicks and pick them off on turnovers of possession. It’s up to Garner and his side to find a way to win games in such circumstances.
INJURIES HITTING
It’s unusual to feel the agonising familiarity of Charlton’s traditional injury crisis biting before the clocks go back but, just like the Christmas decorations going up in shops, these things seem to start earlier every year.
Steven Sessegnon (hamstring) and Conor McGrandles (hand) were both missing from the matchday squad to face the Amber Army – with Corey Blackett-Taylor then forced from the field minutes after entering the fray as a substitute following a hefty challenge.
These spells on the side lines, particularly in the case of Sessegnon at left-back, will highlight the areas of the Charlton squad that are thin. Chuks Aneke’s continued absence means Charlton are already walking a tightrope up top. You feel that the Addicks will need something resembling a clean bill of health for large chunks of this season to aid a real push for the top six and things aren’t going their way so far.
GARNER BOOKED
We’re still getting to know what sort of manager Garner is, so it was quite entertaining to see the Addicks boss booked by Carl Brook during the second-half. In his post-match interviews, the former Swindon man is eloquent and thoughtful. But on the touchline, he does have that hot-headedness that plenty of managers have had throughout the years.
His disappointment at the officiating came soon after Blackett-Taylor was crocked and a further strong challenge from Shilow Tracey was only punished with a yellow card. Garner’s suggestion that officials should be full-time further down the pyramid may be impractical but could help improve the quality of refereeing in League One. It’s certainly needing a boost.
PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS/ KYLE ANDREWS
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