Four takeaways from Charlton’s 2-2 draw with Blackpool: Addicks have firepower to fight back but must stop conceding first

Charlton battled back for a point against Blackpool despite trailing 2-0 as they went into the final ten minutes. Here’s Louis Mendez’s four takeaways from the draw at The Valley,

ANOTHER COMEBACK

The first half had a lot of the hallmarks of the opening 45 against Exeter City on Tuesday. Charlton enjoyed plenty of the ball but their heavily stacked frontline were struggling to get chances against a Blackpool side who sat in and waited for their moment.

That moment came ten minutes before the break as James Husband darted beyond the backline into space on the left and squared for Jordan Rhodes to bag his 12^th goal in 16 outings against the Addicks.

Ashley Maynard-Brewer tipped one from Sonny Carey onto the bar with the same player lifting over from close-range during a sluggish start to the second half but Chuks Aneke’s arrival started to shift the balance of the game.

That shift seemed to be halted in its track when Michael Hector’s calamity gifted Karamoko Dembele Blackpool’s second with 20 minutes to play.

But Charlton have displayed some character and more importantly the firepower to fight on and were back in it when Aneke squared for Alfie May to grab his seventh of the campaign on 81 minutes.

The comeback was completed just two minutes later thanks to Corey Blackett-Taylor’s stunning curler. Five unbeaten for Michael Appleton, six for the Addicks.

The South Londoners have rescued eight points from losing positions already this campaign. They had only taken six in each of the last two seasons. Hopefully that soft underbelly that they’ve suffered from is being toughened up. Would be better if they could stop falling behind though – they’ve done that in eight of their 11 games so far.

CHUKS HIM ON

Chuks Aneke tends to make a difference when thrown into the action but even by his standards he was such a handful when he came on.

Whilst Charlton had enjoyed an element of control throughout, they felt blunt until Aneke brought his physicality into the contest just beyond the hour-mark.

His selfless display earned him a first assist of the season when he teed up Alfie May but it the way he totally changed the momentum of the game when introduced that impressed so much.

Addicks fans will be praying that the club’s medical staff are able coax a good run of games out of Aneke.

DEFENSIVE PROBLEMS

Only three sides have kept fewer clean sheets (two) than Charlton this season. There is a concern that, exactly as it did last season, the Addicks’ inability to keep them out at one end will be their downfall rather than scoring at the other.

The Addicks conceded both of the type of goals that they are vulnerable to yesterday.

Michael Hector’s blunder in the second half was the sort of headline-grabbing individual disaster that various Charlton defenders have been blighted with over the years. It’s not the first time it’s happened to Hector this season but he’s not the only one.

When pressed, Michael Appleton says these sorts of things will iron themselves out over time. Well, they best hurry up because they’re still pretty crinkly right now.

The first goal was equally as frustrating as it wasn’t a braindead horror show but a defensive unit that switched off – something that again is too frequent an occurrence.

Seven teams have given up more xG per game on average than Charlton. So, it could be worse. But if they are serious about contending, you can’t have a bottom-half defensive record.

MAY BACK IN NUMBER TEN

Not Theresa this time. Eyebrows were perhaps raised when Alfie May was asked to play the deeper 10 role against Exeter in midweek and again yesterday.

But the incredible amount of ground that May covers means he can be out wide at one moment, in central midfield the next but pop up in the right place at the right time to bag a goal between the posts soon after.

He had 52 touches of the ball yesterday, plenty more than any other striker on the pitch. Seven goals so far is a cracking return but he brings so much more into Charlton’s performances. A real asset.

There’s certainly conversations to be had about other strikers being played out wide but May has shown that he can hack being asked to do a varied role.

PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS