‘Dark arts being rewarded’ – Charlton boss Garner fumes at lack of adequate punishment for time-wasting

Charlton Athletic manager Ben Garner has slammed the EFL’s inability to punish time-wasting – citing Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers as a prime example.

The Addicks dropped to 14th in the League One table after a fourth draw of the campaign.

Six minutes were added on by fourth official Alan Young with visiting players regularly dropping to the turf claiming injury as well as keeper Luke McGee eating away time before taking his goal-kicks.

“I’m watching Champions League games last week and Premier League football over the last couple of weeks – the EFL is a different sport now,” Garner told the South London Press.

“I’m looking at Celtic in the Champions League and the ball is out of play and then back in play within two seconds. It’s entertaining, free-flowing and fast. It rewards the team that is trying to attack and be on top.

“In this league, it is the opposite. You get rewarded for the dark arts of slowing the game down, time-wasting and going down injured.

“That was supposed to be clamped down on this season. You get a directive at the start of the season – this is going to be clamped down and that is going to be clamped down. I don’t really take any notice of it, because I don’t actually see it happen.

“The fourth official is saying to me: ‘What do you want me to do about it?’. I said: ‘Well, book them and add 12 minutes on. Don’t reward the team that is trying to kill the game’. There are fans who have come and paid to watch the game.

“It’s our fault tonight that we put ourselves in that position and it’s my fault that we weren’t ahead in the game and we allowed that to happen. But, for football in general, that had to be improved because otherwise we’re just promoting anti-football and we’re killing the game off.”

Charlton have 10 points from their opening eight matches, only last season’s meagre haul of five points is a worst return in their previous eight campaigns in the third tier.

“We’re lower than where we should be from the first run of games,” said Garner. “We deserve more points – but that’s the danger when you’ve played well and should win or get points from the game, but don’t.

“Then we have a performance where we don’t do as well, at Bolton, and we lose. You don’t get the points tonight [Tuesday], that’s how you drop down the table.

“The challenge for us as a group and for me, because ultimately it’s my responsibility, is to make sure when we’re playing well we get the points we deserve. We’ve also got to show a bit more resilience and character so when we’re not at our best we can still grind a result out and take maximum points.”

Corey Blackett-Taylor’s second goal of the season put Charlton into an early lead against the Green Army.

But the winger then went on to have five more shots that failed to find the target.

“I’m pleased with how he has developed this season,” said Garner. “He took his goal really well. He had three or four similar situations and just needed to maintain that same composure.

“I think the fact he scored early, he was fresh and his mind was calm. He trusted his technique.

“As the game gets more frantic, especially second half when things are dropping, sometimes that composure just goes.

“He’s a really good lad who wants to improve and wants to learn. We can really improve him moving forward.”

PICTURES: PAUL EDWARDS