Four takeaways from Charlton’s 3-2 home loss against Port Vale: The same errors time and again – it’s time for the ownership to prove if they are serious
Charlton slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions as Port Vale registered their first away win in eight months with a 3-2 triumph yesterday.
Here’s Louis Mendez’s four takeaways from an increasingly unhappy Valley.
ANOTHER DEFEAT
Charlton keep finding novel and innovative ways to lose games. It’s now four in a row in league and cup as Vale came from behind to secure their first win in SE7 since 1996.
The Addicks started with purpose and were 1-0 up inside nine minutes. Daniel Kanu went down after what referee Sunny Sukhvir Gill deemed enough contact from Vale stopper Connor Ripley. Alfie May drilled the spot-kick down the middle to grab his first goal for the club in a competitive fixture.
But as has happened too often recently, they didn’t turn their early dominance into a wider advantage and were made to pay during a mad minute early in the second period.
James Wilson headed Andy Crosby’s side level from Ethan Chislett’s free-kick. The former AFC Wimbledon man then turned scorer as he took advantage of Michael Hector’s abomination to go through and finish emphatically.
Dan Kanu looped the Addicks back on to terms 19 minutes from time with a perfectly-placed nodded finish over Ripley. The Addicks went pushing for another but were once again sucker punched late on.
Nathan Asiimwe added his name to the list of Addicks players who’ve gifted a goal to the opposition as he failed to deal with a long ball over the top late on. Josh Thomas picked his pocket and centred for a Funso Ojo tap in after his initial shot was saved by Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
It’s been a concerning 12 days.
SCHOOLBOY DEFENDING
You’ll be shocked and appalled to hear that Charlton Athletic Football Club are at it again. Gift-wrapping goals in increasingly calamitous fashion has been a staple part of the Addicks’ playbook over the last few years but it’s been even more prevalent this year because it’s been present pretty much every time they’ve conceded.
Set-pieces are meant to be bread and butter for teams to deal with but Charlton regurgitated a familiar issue as Wilson was able to rise highest for the leveller. That doesn’t seem to be happening at the other end at all at the moment with free-kick and corner delivery another area the South Londoners must improve.
But what Holden will find most infuriating are the slapstick individual errors that he just doesn’t seem able to iron out. Tweaking formation, altering personnel, none of it is working. This time the recalled Hector, who made quite a few errors last season that seemed to go somewhat under the radar amongst fans, completely misread a simple ball over the top to allow Chislett through. Unacceptable for a defender with his experience but the sort of error that is perennially in vogue for whoever dons a red shirt.
Asiimwe has enjoyed a promising start to the season, but the youngster was left one on one late on to deal with a bouncing ball with Thomas in close attendance. It went horribly wrong and now the Addicks have another youngster on their hands who will need to learn sharpish about how to recover from a setback. Hopefully the sympathetic applause from supporters as he was withdrawn soon after will help that process.
Another game in which any decent attacking spells are totally undermined at the back.
SIGN SOME PLAYERS
Holden is being asked about transfers during every press conference and post-match interview at the moment. There’s increasing unease amongst fans because the Addicks are dropping points left, right and centre and are still required to put their trust in youngsters who are still learning and cast offs whose long-term future won’t be at The Valley.
The Charlton manager said that technical director Andy Scott and the recruitment team will deal with incomings while he concentrates on the group of players at his disposal.
You wonder how the Addicks chief feels deep down about being left with such a short squad at this stage of the campaign as it will be his head on the block if he can’t weave what he has got into a winning side.
The window closes on Friday week. It’s time for the masses that make up the new ownership consortium to show Charlton fans what they’re about if they are actually serious. Because the squad is desperately short of where it needs to be.
STRIKERS HITTING THE NET
May getting off the mark feels important. I wasn’t one to panic with his lack of goals so far because he’d been unlucky to be denied by Leyton Orient goalkeeper Sol Brynn’s good stop, George Dobson having a longer leg than him in the same game, and the post in midweek against Bristol Rovers.
He has pedigree at this level and has found himself in enough goalscoring positions already to suggest he hasn’t become Charltonised overnight. I hope he’ll go on a run now.
Kanu is only 18 and despite being so prolific in youth football, did show signs of struggling to make the step up in his brief cameos last season. But these last two weeks have been an important stepping stone in his development where he’s added not just goals but also more of an all-round impact upon games.
The looping header for Charlton’s leveller was delightfully measured and his third goal in just over a week. You don’t expect him to start week in, week out once the slightly more senior Miles Leaburn returns from injury but Kanu has started to develop into a dangerous option to introduce when a goal is needed.
PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS