Four takeaways from Charlton’s 1-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers: Not a great Good Friday

Charlton were beaten narrowly by Bristol Rovers on Good Friday.

Here are Louis Mendez’s four takeaways from the Memorial Ground.

FORGETTABLE GAME 

A 0-0 which one team ruined by scoring. The contest took forever to get going. Charlton were the side who controlled possession in the early stages but couldn’t really do much with it other than win a succession of corners.

There was a smidgen more purpose after the interval from the visitors but they never really looked like scoring until falling behind.

The Gas’ winner came from a familiar foe. John Marquis bagged his fifth career goal, and third of this season, against the Addicks from the spot after skipper George Dobson was penalised for handball.

Charlton had their best moments late on. Substitutes Daniel Kanu and Macauley Bonne both saw openings come and go. Miles Leaburn’s header was hacked off the line in added-time. But it wasn’t enough. Charlton’s five-game undefeated run came to an end.

CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT 

That inconsistency that has plagued Charlton’s season reared its ugly head again yesterday.

From scoring six goals last week to only mustering one shot on target at the Mem, we saw the Addicks struggle to break through a well-drilled Rovers outfit that were set up to disrupt.

It was always going to be difficult to recreate the fluidity with which Charlton played with last weekend but it was also notable that some of the players whose personal displays against Shrewsbury were excellent, were unable to give a repeat.

Nobody in a red shirt really stood out yesterday. That came six days after an outing in which a number put in their best showings of the campaign. The side are never going to be at their best every single week but when they’re not, they can look blunt. Inconsistency is part of the reason why the Addicks have long been destined for mid-table.

NOT ORDERING OFF THE SET MENU

Dean Holden has admitted he’d like to see his side profit more from their set-pieces and yesterday was the perfect example of why.

The Addicks have scored eight from deadball situations but conceded 12 – a deficit of four that the South Londoners will want to address.

Holden will hope the Addicks will be in the black in that column next season but there’s still work to be done on the training ground as they didn’t really threaten from the string of corners they forced at the Mem. They had eight corners but they all came to nothing.

TRAVELLING ADDICKS

Charlton’s travelling support this season has been remarkable and Good Friday was no exception. A sold-out away end for an absolute dead rubber could be seen as a reminder of the untapped potential there is in the Addicks fanbase.

Home crowds are so low at the moment but there is still the appetite to see some live football. Charlton have been strong on the road in 2023 and the supporters have bought into it. They still need something tangible to cling on to, in terms of next season, in order for tickets to start shifting.

One sad note though was the supporters’ coaches that were turned around due to traffic. Supporters were offered streaming passes so they could watch the games on their phones  – but that’s scant consolation after a frustrating day. You hope and assume that full refunds and thorough apologies will follow suit.

PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS