Talking points from Charlton’s 2-1 loss to Crawley Town – lack of width and attacking fluency a big headache as fans’ frustrations boil over

Charlton Athletic’s League One season hit a new low after a 2-1 home defeat to lowly Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

Here are Richard Cawley’s talking points from the match.

PURE MISERY

It was anything but a happy Valley as the Addicks’ defeat to a lowly Crawley Town side, who won away for the first time since the opening day, throws up the very real prospect that this is going to be another campaign of chronic underachievement.

Charlton are actually a point worse off than their previous two seasons after 17 matches and both of those ended up being treading water exercises in the closing months.

It feels an eternity ago that they won their opening three League One matches without conceding a goal.

And you can accuse me of getting carried away back then, because when they defeated Bolton 2-0 in late August I confidently stated they looked to be in the promotion chase for the long haul.

Now, you won’t find too many people believing that the Addicks possess the minerals to be that club that comes through the pack to be in the argument.

Charlton lacked creativity, composure on the ball and the direct style of play – which has been a tough watch of late – is also generating unhappiness from the fanbase now that form has taken a downturn.

Without the Addicks’ progression in the EFL Trophy and FA Cup, although Preston North End away in the latter is the third round tie that nobody was clamouring for, then the mood would be even more downbeat.

Nathan Jones was never going to still be in the honeyman period in the job after 10 months but in midweek he endured heavy booing as he went to applaud the Covered End at full-time. Any more damaging performances like this will only crank up the pressure further.

KEEPING IT CLEAN ALMOST A NECESSITY

All six of Charlton’s league wins this season have seen them keep a clean sheet and they have not managed to come back and take maximum points after conceding first.

The Addicks have collected four points from a possible 33 after falling behind.

Jones claimed afterwards that his side’s only defensive vulnerability was to long-range strikes – Tola Showunmi produced a superb curled finish on 33 minutes and the visitors had a xG (expected goals) of 0.04 at half-time. But Jeremy Kelly’s effort from range should have been dealt with more competently by Ashley Maynard-Brewer, instead Max Anderson gratefully gobbled up the rebound.

All the time that Charlton keep conceding from distance, the more opposition will try their luck.

Charlton’s approach play largely consisted of longer balls without any ingenuity or finesse on show.

Daniel Kanu’s excellent finish to level the match, deftly lobbing over former Addicks keeper Jojo Wollacott, came from Gassan Ahadme diverting Alex Mitchell’s diagonal into the substitute’s path.

NO WIDTH A PROBLEM

One of the issues facing Charlton is the lack of width – that ability to put in dangerous crosses from the byline for Miles Leaburn, who was replaced at the break against Crawley, or Gassan Ahadme to attack. Both forwards are strong in the air, as the latter showed by assisting Kanu.

Too much of the attacking focus seems to be funnelled down the middle.

Jones switched to wing-backs in the second half with Thierry Small offering a pacey outlet down the left and Josh Edwards tucked inside.

But after one very promising surge minutes after coming on, which roused some positivity out of the cheesed-off home support, the former Southampton and Everton youngster did nothing worth noting.

Charlton look unlikely to be doing loads of business in January when you consider the bloated size of their squad, but bringing in someone who can provide dynamism, pace and quality from the flank looks a top priority.

TIME FOR KAHEIM?

This isn’t me banging the drum for Kaheim Dixon to get a run in the side, because I have not seen him in either of his very late cameo appearances for the Addicks.

We all know that the trend is for the players not in a team to be the cure for any malaise, when quite often that does not prove to be the case, and Jones – as he has mentioned before in relation to omissions – is in a far, far more informed position to make a judgement call.

The feedback is that the 20-year-old Jamaican international is raw and physically lacking to be thrust into the first team.

But Dixon, signed in the summer from Arnett Gardens, scored four goals in 25 minutes in last week’s 9-2 London Senior Cup win over Wingate & Finchley and struck twice in the first half of a Professional Development League match on Tuesday against QPR.

Charlton are in need of a spark. Anybody will do, in terms of providing it. Just step up, please.

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD