Charlton snap back to reality after winning streak and unbeaten Valley record both end following Milton Keynes defeat

Snap back to reality.

Charlton’s three-game winning streak and unbeaten home record were both ended as bottom of the league, and hopelessly out of form, Milton Keynes netted three points at The Valley on Tuesday evening.

Liam Manning’s visitors sat in and soaked up all the Addicks had to offer – which was precious little – on an evening in which the South Londoners stuttered on home turf.

Milton Keynes had already hit the bar through Will Grigg in the first half but edged ahead midway through the second period thanks to a contentious penalty decision that saw Ryan Inniss receive his fourth red card in just 41 league appearances in an Addicks shirt.

Replays showed the push on Louie Brown was committed outside the penalty area. But Grigg made no mistake from the spot, and Bradley Johnson soon put the game beyond doubt with a fine free-kick that heralded an exodus from the once again sparsely populated home stands.

Coming to terms with reality is quite a chastening experience at The Valley these days. Charlton were on a high after the hat-trick of consecutive wins that preceded Tuesday’s reality check. The eight-game winless run that spanned from mid-August until early October seemed to have been a thing of distant nightmares for Addicks fans.

But it also ate into a solid chunk of the South Londoners’ margin for error if they are to be realistic play-off hopefuls. Being hard to beat was something Garner could cling onto during that barren run, but promotion charges and play-off places are built on wins and not draws. There certainly isn’t room for evenings the like of what we saw in SE7 in midweek.

Charlton had looked to redress the balance over that successful fortnight, but those whose memories stretch back a mere 12 months will be wary that even the inadequate class of 2021-22 had their moments. Johnnie Jackson’s swashbuckling caretaker period saw Charlton fans calculating permutations and points targets for the new year. The hot streak turned icy cold at the start of 2022 and what was already an uphill task became an impossible one.

You can debate formations and tactics until the cows come home – but the lack of talented personnel contributed a big part of the Addicks’ downfall last season. And it likely will this year, too. What turned into a disastrous January 2022 window meant Charlton were never able to continue the title-winning form they would have needed to maintain to even try flirting with the top six.

Last season highlighted that a thin, shallow squad can have its moments. But they are precarious. If Charlton are serious about playing catch-up this year and then remaining in the hunt – they will certainly have to do worthwhile business in January. Garner wasn’t lying when he said top six would be an overachievement with the current squad at the end of August.

This was no more evident with the fact he was forced to rest Steven Sessegnon on Tuesday as he couldn’t afford to risk a relapse in the Fulham loanee’s hamstring problem. But there was no left-back who could replace him – so Sean Clare struggled on out of position.

How the reality of what needs to happen in January will react when colliding with owner Thomas Sandgaard’s new spend less, break-even policy will play a big part in deciding if 2022-23 is another year of blowing hot and cold. It’s only October, but we’ve already seen a serious cold snap for the Addicks. There’s a good chance they will have been left out in the cold by then, anyway.

STAR MAN

You can always rely on George Dobson to lift spirits with a well-timed challenge. He was once again one of the few who stood out.

BEST MOMENT

Charlie Kirk latched on to Scott Fraser’s pass to deliver a teasing low cross into the six-yard box – but neither Jack Payne or Jayden Stockley could get a toe on it.

PICTURE: PAUL EDWARDS