Richard Cawley’s big-match verdict: Charlton Athletic show balls to withstand Portsmouth onslaught – and George Lapslie’s temperament can take him far
Grant 23 Ajose 43
BY RICHARD CAWLEY AT FRATTON PARK
Charlton Athletic left Hampshire bruised and battered – but also buzzing. It was an excellent victory, but at what cost?
The effort and energy required to see this victory over the line was huge. It will test the Addicks’ powers of recovery to be fully ready for tomorrow’s home game against AFC Wimbledon.
And there are also injuries to contend with.
Karlan Grant came off with a hamstring strain which will surely make him touch and go to face the Dons. Lyle Taylor was wearing a protective boot on his right foot post-match – sustained in the challenge with Ben Thompson that ended with the on-loan Millwall man getting a contentious red card.
Mark Marshall damaged his ribs and Krystian Bielik also had to come off after Thompson caught him late. Manager Lee Bowyer made it instantly clear to the fourth official that he felt his man had been nailed by an elbow.
It was that kind of night where Charlton had to stand strong and show – for want of a better word – some balls.
If their weekend trip to the North-West coast had left them with a sinking feeling, the midweek stop off at table-topping Pompey was just swell.
Bowyer’s side refused to capsize as they won at Fratton Park for the second successive season.
This was more impressive than April’s 1-0 win. Only three of the team from that fixture started on Tuesday evening – Jason Pearce, Patrick Bauer and Ben Reeves. Largely that is down to player exits, but they also had first-choice left-back Lewis Page and midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey sidelined.
Imagine where Charlton could be without injuries? Both those men would have started here and that also applies to Darren Pratley and Josh Cullen, also working their way back from a knee problem and shoulder surgery respectively.
So it makes the fact that Charlton denied Portsmouth a post-war club record of nine successive wins all the more impressive.
Pompey are a different animal under Kenny Jackett this season. He was still at the building stage when the two clubs met last time around.
And despite defeat here, they look in the race for the top two spots for the long haul.
Charlton have more work to do, needing to add a greater consistency to their results and performances, to be viewed in the same way.
But they had to get a huge result the hard way at Portsmouth.
Grant’s first-half withdrawal was a significant setback.
His pace had scared the living daylights out of a flat-footed home defence. Every ball over the top caused instant anxiety.
His injury happened before he opened the scoring, with Bowyer seemingly cajoling him to try and play on. He stuck it out for a while longer and got his rewards.
Lee Brown’s casual attempt at a clearance looped the ball into the air and Joe Aribo climbed above Thompson to win the header – Taylor driving low across the face of Craig MacGillivray’s goal for the Addicks number 18 to slide it in at the back post.
That is 11 goals in 22 matches for Grant. His progression this season, when considering he was loaned to League Two Crawley Town for the second half of last season, has been every bit as rapid as he is.
Charlton’s resolve to hold on to a prize asset is almost certain to be tested next month.
Portsmouth fans greeted the switch of Grant for Nicky Ajose with a reaction of: “Whooooooooo?”. Well, he scored the winner in the last meeting. And pretty soon he had the perfect riposte.
So much of the credit has to go to George Lapslie, who doggedly refused to let the ball go out on the far touchline. The linesman was right on the spot to decide it fractionally stayed in and his cross was flicked on by Taylor for Ajose to just about nudge the ball past MacGillivray.
All of the Charlton side deserve credit. But you just have to pick out Lapslie.
The 21-year-old was deemed “not ready” for League One football by Bowyer in pre-season but injuries in that midfield area have given him a shot. And he has well and truly taken it.
His attitude and temperament should take him far. He was immense at Portsmouth in only his 24th appearance for the Addicks – and seventh start in League One.
He did not allow an early misplaced pass, which almost let in the dangerous Jamal Lowe, to discourage him. Not only did he play a part in the second goal but he also made two goal-line clearances when it got frantic in the visitors’ penalty area in the second half.
And it was Lapslie breaking forward to stick his head in where it hurts in the closing stages – Tom Naylor getting booked for a high boot. It ate up a chunk of an agonising six minutes of stoppage time.
Charlton had chances to extend their advantage but on two occasions – with Aribo and Ajose in possession – they did not find the right pass to an unmarked Taylor.
Ajose drove low and wide of the left post in the second half while Taylor had his head in his hands when a fierce goalbound shot was blocked by a charging Portsmouth player.
Tactically Bowyer got it spot on. He knew that the home side were strong in the air and packed his defence with height as Naby Sarr and Anfernee Dijksteel came in for Toby Stevenson and Chris Solly.
When Lee Brown produced a stream of crosses from left-back at the start of the second half, Bowyer responded to it by bringing on Marshall for Reeves and adding another layer of resistance down that side.
Portsmouth were unable to get behind opponents who sat deep and that meant much of their threat came from goalmouth scrambles. Charlton had moments of alarm but did enough to largely smother the danger.
Lowe drove one chance over the bar but clear shooting chances were restricted.
But Charlton – tired as they were after monumental shifts – managed to see it out. If they hadn’t it would have been crushing after the exertion expended.
It helped that referee John Brooks ignored countless appeals for Portsmouth penalties, the vociferous home support trying to play their part in influencing the official.
Although he looked to get one call wrong when he showed Thompson a straight red card. I’ve watched it back a couple of times and can’t see how it was any more than a booking.
What Charlton need to do now is follow up such a confidence-boosting win with maximum points in back-to-back home fixtures against AFC Wimbledon and Gillingham.
But that will not be as easy if Grant and Taylor – their troublesome twosome – face time out.
Regarding Ben Thompson’s red card surely, as all but Pompey fans believe, it should at least have been a yellow card then that would have been his second yellow which is an automatic red with a lesser punishment. Pompey reckon they were robbed NO watch the Blackpool game when the referee bottled a second yellow after a rugby tackle.