Charlton continued their remarkable home form with a comprehensive win over fellow promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town.
Here is the lowdown on the match.
THE LINE-UPS
Charlton Athletic: Mannion, Ramsay, Gillesphey, Jones, Edwards (Watson 73), Coventry (McIntyre 86), Campbell (Dixon 73), Berry (Anderson 74), Docherty, Small, Godden (Aneke 73). Subs not used: Bouzanis, Gilbert.
Huddersfield Town: Nicholls, Pearson, Spencer, Turton, Marshall, Balker (Ruffels 61), Wiles, Evans (Kasumu 61), Roosken (Chirewa 76), Hodge (Hogg 45), Taylor (Koroma 62). Subs not used: Chapman, Sorensen.
SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME
The perfect performance. Charlton pressed Town into oblivion and it led to the opening goal inside 30 seconds. Thierry Small intercepted Radinio Balker’s loose pass and shaped a very good cross onto the head of Matty Godden – who directed it at goal with aplomb.
Tyreece Campbell opened his account for the afternoon with a smart drive across Lee Nicholls to double the lead before 20 minutes were on the clock. He then bent a wonderful third home shortly after the interval – before teeing up Greg Docherty to strike against the crossbar on the hour-mark. The ball struck the hapless Nicholls and crept in – harsh luck for the Huddersfield goalkeeper who was Town’s best player by a country mile.
TACTICAL APPROACH
Nathan Jones wasn’t tempted into wholesale changes after last week’s reverse at Peterborough – with Josh Edwards returning from injury in place of Tennai Watson the only switch from last week. It’s the standard 3-5-2 but Thierry Small was pressing so high that it morphed into a 4-2-3-1 – as Tyreece Campbell has freedom to drift wide in his unique role as a winger-turned-striker.
Charlton’s press was unrelenting and bore fruit consistently – Huddersfield looked like they couldn’t pass water let alone the ball out from the back at times.
The Addicks boss made a quadruple change on 73 minutes which included giving Kahiem Dixon his first league minutes since October. Tom McIntyre then came on for the tireless Conor Coventry in the closing stages as the Addicks saw out a comfortable win.
STAR MAN
Tyreece Campbell. Unplayable at times and two classy finishes.
BEST MOMENT
Campbell’s second. Cutting in and bending the ball around a defender to sneak in at the far-stick – exactly the type of finish he’s needed to add to his already improving game.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
Wrexham and Wycombe Wanderers’ wins this afternoon. How Charlton have been playing over the last three months, you’d fancy them to keep the pressure up on the two sides between them and the automatic promotion places. But it will need some of League One’s also rans to do the Addicks a favour.
A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB
Absolutely rampant from the Addicks. There were so many pleasing aspects of that hammering as well – the reaction to last weekend’s loss at Peterborough, the fact it came against another side pushing for the play-offs. The way Campbell added that killer instinct to his attacking threat.
The way this side has evolved throughout the campaign has been so impressive to watch.
If it is to be play-offs and not a top two finish for the South Londoners this term – their exceptional home form has to be a big boost. It’s now eight wins on the spin in SE7, and 10 in an unbeaten run of 12. They’ve conceded one goal in open play on home turf in three months.
So if top two does prove a step too far – the aim now is to go out and secure that top four finish. That will mean a second play-off leg will be in SE7. And there won’t be a single side in that top six who will fancy that.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“I don’t think from start to finish you’ll see a better League One performance than that. I don’t want to over-egg it or be disrespectful to anyone but that was pretty complete. From start to finish we were outstanding in both sides of the game.
“Our press, our energy, our aggression, how we moved the ball, how we created in the final third. To be fair their keeper had an excellent day as well. Four-nil didn’t flatter us.”
PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS
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