Saturday 24 April 2021

Charlton Athletic 0 v Peterborough United 1

There was a bit of an inevitability about today's game. Unbeaten in ten and back at the Valley after scoring six at Home Park, this looked like a banana skin and so it proved.

To be fair to Posh, they deserved the win and based on the chances created, if we had played them two months ago, the scoreline might well have been 0-4. They created the best chances in both halves and Szmodics might have had a hat-trick but for a couple of profligate misses and a couple of fine stops by Ben Amos.

They looked like they could get forward at will and created a hatful of chances in the first half, when we really struggled to create anything. Their high defensive line kept Stockley well away from their goal and they doubled-up on Millar and Jaiyesimi (Morgan when he came on). Clarke-Harris has 29 goals this season and he took his early goal very well, driving inside Amos' right-hand post from distance. 

We should have drawn level before half-time but Stockley's penalty was saved by Bursik who chose right and got a big hand to the shot. Going in level at half-time would have flattered us.

After the break we managed to up the ante and create sustained periods of pressure but our crossing was particularly poor and we struggled to create the chances we needed. Adkins tried everything in terms of substitutes but Posh held firm and played their way to the three points which all but guarantees them automatic promotion along with Hull City.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth and Oxford United managed home wins to leap-frog us but we have Crewe at home on Tuesday as our game in hand and we will move back above the pair of them if we win that. 

74 points to be the mark, with Oxford and Pompey looking likely to finish there (assumes Pompey lose at Wimbledon). Blackpool are at Sunderland on Tuesday and if they lose that, as I expect them to, then they can only get to 74 as well. That means we need three more wins - Crewe and Accrington are both up next and should be winnable. That will leave us needing to beat Lincoln or Hull, I really hope we don't have to go to Hull on the last day needing to win because that may be a hard ask as they win the title.

1 comment:

  1. We're at home to Hull on the last day but given our home form, it might have suited us more if we were away.

    PH

    ReplyDelete

Go on, you know you want to....