Bolton edge Charlton in nervy affair
Game 17
Charlton Athletic 0 – 1 Bolton Wanderers
Venue: The Valley
Goalscorers: Sam Dalby (18)
Match Day Experience
The Valley is an impressive stadium at any level especially at the championship level with a capacity just north of twenty-seven thousand, however the attendance Tuesday was just below fifth-teen thousand. The Covered End was in full voice throughout the game trying to create an atmosphere in the ground. The Valley as the name suggest is at the bottom of a valley and most fans will have to make a trek up and down the hill which can prove quite the work out. A recent addition to the Valley is the fan zone which is open pre game for fans to grab a drink and a bite and start to cultivate a buzz around the game.
Match Report
Under the lights at The Valley on a cold Tuesday night, this was not a game for the faint-hearted, as it was a clash between 19th and 20th at the time of kick-off.
It was the Addicks who started the game the brighter of the two sides, and the first real chance of the game fell to Danny McNamara, who got on the end of a cross from the left-hand side. However, his volley was well saved by Wanderers keeper Jack Bonham.
Moments later, Charlton did have the ball in the back of the visitors’ net as Kelman rounded the keeper and coolly slotted home. However, he was adjudged to have been offside prior to the finish, so the goal was ruled out.
Charlton would have felt they were somewhat in control of the game during the opening 15 minutes, and the Covered End was finding its voice, trying to urge their team forward.
Despite a somewhat bright start from the hosts, it was the visitors who opened the scoring when Nathaniel Chalobah was robbed by Sam Dalby in the middle of the park. Dalby drove forward with purpose before calmly finishing at the near post past Will Mannion, who may have been disappointed with the gap he had left for Dalby to exploit.
Both teams have struggled at times this season, and that was evident as they wrestled for control of the game. However, neither side really managed to take command.
There was a chance for Charlton before half-time as Harvey Knibbs found himself on the end of a Karlan Grant cross, but he couldn’t find the target with his header.
Nathan Jones clearly wasn’t impressed with his Charlton side’s first-half performance, as he made a change at half-time, bringing on striker Miles Leaburn to add a bit of height and physicality to the attack.
Chances were few and far between as the second half got underway, although the introduction of Leaburn to partner Kelman up front had a positive impact for the hosts, with more of the game being played in the Wanderers’ half.
Kelman came close to levelling the score around the hour mark when he met a Campbell cross, but his header floated just wide of the post. This would be his last action in the game, as he was replaced by Matty Godden moments later.
The Charlton strike partnership was starting to cause chaos, and the Bolton back line was beginning to panic. Jack Bonham picked up a back-pass from one of his own defenders, gifting the Addicks an indirect free-kick.
However, the resulting indirect free-kick was pretty underwhelming, as the ball was laid off to Knibbs, but the Wanderers defenders smothered him, and his effort was blocked for a corner.
As the game drifted on, the anxiety around The Valley grew, and you could feel this affecting the home side, as players were starting to misplace passes and panic on the ball.
It was almost a moment of magic from Charlton winger Tyreece Campbell in stoppage time as he tormented his full-back, cut inside and bent his effort towards the Bolton goal. Unfortunately for Campbell and the Charlton fans, his effort was just the wrong side of the post.
The final score probably just about reflected the game. However, if Charlton had equalised, I don’t think you could have begrudged them saying that they deserved it.
Leave a Reply