Charlton Athletic 1 v Southampton 1

God! How predictable and depressing was this game. With the opportunity to capitalise at home on a rare away win against relegation strugglers, and thereby prolong our interest in this abysmal season, we managed a scrappy draw. Our sixth successive home game without a victory.

I have been loathe to criticise Alan Pardew directly this season but he has to carry the can for this performance. Questions have to be asked when you can't motivate yourselves yet again for the first half and need the bollicking at the interval in order to make an impression against poor opponents.

I have expressed my suspicions before about just how realistic our second and third choice keepers are, especially when Nicky Weaver is hardly the future. The club have never seemed comfortable with either in my mind and the decision today confirmed that. Rob Elliott got a rare shot last week and did all that could have been asked of him in the 87 minutes of time remaining. He made a point-blank last minute stop to keep us in it and secure the three points. During this week there was speculation that Darren Randolph would be recalled from Bury and be in contention for the No 1 jersey. Yes for substitute, but surely Elliot deserved another go? When I saw Randolph starting I feared the worst. Not because I have seen much of him or because I think he's a poor keeper, but because the decision was so obviously wrong. And so it proved. Southampton didn't muster a real threat at goal for 90 minutes but he contrived to concede a farcical goal after 11 minutes which set the scene for the rest of the game. It really needs another look to see how bad it was. Under no Southampton threat at all, he managed to catch the ball under the bar and somehow throw it into the goal after colliding with Paddy McCarthy who was under in on the line. He looked uncertain for the rest of the game, but that's hardly surprising.

Our opening 45 minutes were as poor as the previous six successive home games which we have failed to win. This really isn't acceptable and it's hard to fathom why after the euphoria of the win at Home Park last week. All the guff about making 6th and the we got this.

The back four were largely competent although Halford provided more ammunition to his distractors with several more 70-yard balls forward when only 50 yards from goal. Thatcher battled for the 90 minutes and at least played like he knew what was at stake.

The game was again lost in midfield. A clueless first half performance from Semedo warranted both a booking for one of a number of ill-timed challenges and a half-time substitution. Matt Holland put in his usual honest shift but is not good enough with these players around him. Zheng Zhi was positioned on the wing where he is least effective and Lee Cook had a reasonable first half.

Iwelumo and Lita started up-front and both fought hard for the scraps they were fed.

Ambrose came on for Semedo at half-time when Gray was a surprising replacement for Iwelumo. Again we had a better second half although the limit of Southampton's ambition after the half-time team-talk was plain for all to see. Referree Hall had an indifferent first-half but a nightmare second where he failed to give any of a number of big decisions;two good penalty appeals when Lita was flattened in the box and a Southampton free-kick on the edge of the area when Bougherra knocked Wright-Phillips off the ball.

In between times Cook flighted a corner onto the head of Andy Gray who glanced home from six yards to finally open his account for the Addicks. Darren Ambrose should have given Charlton the lead minutes later when Lita headed down in the box but he shot at Wright when the goal was easier to hit.

The game petered out predictably and with it any last lingering hopes of promotion. Alan Pardew will come under some intense pressure in the remaining weeks as our failure to compete with the Top 6 becomes more apparent. I can't see any knee-jerk reaction from our Board because it's not really our style, we can't afford it and it didn't do any good last year. However, the die is cast and Pardew has to deliver in the next 12 months or his position will be untenable.

Personally, this season has been a major disappointment and thoroughly depressing. I have been following Charlton home and away for 31 years. I have been to all 92 league grounds and have been a season ticket holder for all bar the Palace years when I refused on principle to buy one and yet went to every game. I am seriously considering my options next season. It's not the money or the distraction of something else to do on a Saturday afternoon. It's just that I might not feel so depressed so frequently or so strongly. It's been uncomfortable to watch and I am tired of it.

Relegation last season was bad, coming on the back of five spectacularly poor finishes, but this year tops it all and yet we will probably finish in the Top 10. We can console ourselves knowing that we are not good enough for the Premier League and would come hurtling back down with the other two promotees. However, that's scant consolation when you know that next year has to be significantly harder than this to get promoted and that the year after will be harder still.

Coventry? I don't think I can be bothered.