Charlton Athletic 0 v Brentford 1

There was an improvement of sorts in the application this afternoon, if not the result. As per most of this season, we managed to perform markedly better in one half than the other, and like so many matches under Chris Powell, it's been the second period. What on earth do we do to them before they run out?


It was another inexplicable line-up. Having signed as aspiring Premiership midfielder in the week, we started with the double ineptitude of McCormack and Racon. With Semedo in his usual berth, that meant Racon on the left and Wagstaff the right. Wagstaff was again poor in the first half which left us to rely on long balls for the front two.


I won't argue with the pairing of Nouble and Wright-Phillips but it didn't work at the first time of asking. I can't remember one passage of play involving both players. Perhaps the focus was on Nouble as most balls were aimed at him but BWP was strangely subdued for the whole match. Nouble himself didn't look match-fit to me. He looks like he might be one of those taller players who can't jump and he's a not possessed with any great pace, although he did show some decent footwork for a big man. Jury's out on him.


At the back we were solid enough, although I was pleased to see Lewis Grabban go off because he looked very lively in the first half and I could see an old Millwall one-two creating an opener for Brentford with Gary Alexander always lurking at the back post.


Ross Worner again worried me at crosses as he has a tendency to scurry along his line rather than come out, although he did little wrong and he made one notable save in the first-half which kept us in it.


Miguel Llera had another decent match alongside Dailly for the first-half and Fortune for the second, although I think it was him beaten to the corner for their winning goal. That came in the 88th minute and the match was summed up for me by the fact that we didn't muster a decent attack in the six or seven minutes before the final whistle went. Who would have thought Brentford would do the treble over us this season?


Chris Solly came on before the end and looked a class above what we have been seeing at right-back and you have to seriously question why we have not started him before now.


We had enough chances to have won this match and that was very much the verdict of my Scottish guests who weren't just saying that out of politeness. Richard Lee thwarted BWP with a smart one-handed save and the bar came to his rescue when a towering Llera header beat him. 


The crowd was surprising good at 14,985 with a vocal 864 Bees present. Those left in the home areas at the finish managed a healthy booing session as the players sloped off and I was left wondering how much longer Chris Powell can hold on to his job with an expectant new Board looking on with increasing frustration and disappointment. It's very hard not to imagine this side having done better under Phil Parkinson although I will remind those in the anti-Powell camp that we haven't played well at home all season.


Talk of automatic promotion has gone and with new injuries to Dailly and Jenkinson, absolutely nothing is going right for Charlton Athletic as we plummet towards the relegation battle. The one thing I would say is that the top six have accelerated away from the rest during our last seven win-less games. We are now 13 points adrift of 6th and only two points separate 6th placed MK Dons from second-placed Huddersfield.


I can't remember the last winning performance I actually saw and today I am off to Twickenham where my the losing streak will surely continue.