This match will live long in the memory. A second successive battling performance with the bare bones refusing to be beaten. A rare holiday home victory and won in style.
Jason Pearce was rested with Oshilaja starting in a four man defence alongside Sarr, Lockyer and Matthews. Darren Pratley busied himself in front of the back four with Gallagher, Morgan and Doughty providing the legs. Bonne and Taylor were hunting up front.
It was a decent opening half from Charlton, in which chances were limited but in which we saw far less of the visitors than in recent home games. Bentley made a couple of expected stops and a last ditch tackle prevented Lyle Taylor from opening the scoring but it was that man Macauley Bonne who scored first, ten minutes from the break. A ball from Morgan looped over the top and Bonne was onto it twenty yards out. He had defenders in close attendance so had to react quickly and he did with a lob which looked more speculative than serious but it cleared the advancing Bentley and bounced in the six yard box and up perfectly to go under the crossbar. On second thoughts, it was an excellent striker's finish. How many times have we said this about Bonne goals. He wasn't done there either.
During our snatched half-time pint in Bartrams we agreed that we would score a second early goal kicking towards the Covered End and that would kill it off. Cue a City equaliser within a minute of the restart. Bristol started ten miles an hour faster than they had finished and a whipped cross to the back stick was headed home by Weimann. The visitors tails were up and they went for the jugular. We didn't raise our game quickly enough and within ten minutes they took the lead. Pouring men forward they worked the ball into our box on the right and with challenges queuing up the ball was played outside to the over-lapping Eliasson, a fresh-legged half-time sub, who took a touch and fired home low across goal.
For ten minutes a mini-gloom descended on the Valley and we all took that deep breath of reluctant acceptance. But there was still plenty of time and Bowyer's Addicks fought back and took the game to the Covered End. Pratley was snapping at everything in the heart of the defence and even the loss of Gallagher (hoping he was withdrawn as a precaution) didn't halt the surge.
Morgan and Doughty were pressing the game and Taylor and Bonne had City pegged back. With about fifteen minutes to go, Macauley Bonne swapped quick passes as he advanced into the box and at a slight angle and under pressure he somehow managed to hammer a shot that flew inside the near post and crashed into the roof of the goal. Bentley was guarding the post but the pace of the shot made it unstoppable.
The noise levels inside the Valley suddenly ratcheted up - Sky called it raucous - and the visiting supporters feared the worse. Charlton now threw everything at Bristol City and five minutes later Bonne picked a ball up on the right of the box and raced towards the goal. Nothing much to aim for in the middle but Alfie Doughty was steaming in on the left and he edged ahead of his marker. The cross was low, hard and skimming and Bentley decided to follow it across the goal and defend his far post. Big mistake. Alfie Doughty got their first and although Bentley blocked his first effort, Alfie seized on the rebound and squeezed it inside the post.
The ground erupted and the players knew they had their long awaited victory. Even five minutes of added time which turned into seven and a bit weren't enough to deny us this time and the game finished with jubilation and wild celebrations. The Addicks are suddenly afloat again and sail to Derby on Monday. The side may once again be make-shift and limited but with this spirit anything is possible.
Jason Pearce was rested with Oshilaja starting in a four man defence alongside Sarr, Lockyer and Matthews. Darren Pratley busied himself in front of the back four with Gallagher, Morgan and Doughty providing the legs. Bonne and Taylor were hunting up front.
It was a decent opening half from Charlton, in which chances were limited but in which we saw far less of the visitors than in recent home games. Bentley made a couple of expected stops and a last ditch tackle prevented Lyle Taylor from opening the scoring but it was that man Macauley Bonne who scored first, ten minutes from the break. A ball from Morgan looped over the top and Bonne was onto it twenty yards out. He had defenders in close attendance so had to react quickly and he did with a lob which looked more speculative than serious but it cleared the advancing Bentley and bounced in the six yard box and up perfectly to go under the crossbar. On second thoughts, it was an excellent striker's finish. How many times have we said this about Bonne goals. He wasn't done there either.
During our snatched half-time pint in Bartrams we agreed that we would score a second early goal kicking towards the Covered End and that would kill it off. Cue a City equaliser within a minute of the restart. Bristol started ten miles an hour faster than they had finished and a whipped cross to the back stick was headed home by Weimann. The visitors tails were up and they went for the jugular. We didn't raise our game quickly enough and within ten minutes they took the lead. Pouring men forward they worked the ball into our box on the right and with challenges queuing up the ball was played outside to the over-lapping Eliasson, a fresh-legged half-time sub, who took a touch and fired home low across goal.
For ten minutes a mini-gloom descended on the Valley and we all took that deep breath of reluctant acceptance. But there was still plenty of time and Bowyer's Addicks fought back and took the game to the Covered End. Pratley was snapping at everything in the heart of the defence and even the loss of Gallagher (hoping he was withdrawn as a precaution) didn't halt the surge.
Morgan and Doughty were pressing the game and Taylor and Bonne had City pegged back. With about fifteen minutes to go, Macauley Bonne swapped quick passes as he advanced into the box and at a slight angle and under pressure he somehow managed to hammer a shot that flew inside the near post and crashed into the roof of the goal. Bentley was guarding the post but the pace of the shot made it unstoppable.
The noise levels inside the Valley suddenly ratcheted up - Sky called it raucous - and the visiting supporters feared the worse. Charlton now threw everything at Bristol City and five minutes later Bonne picked a ball up on the right of the box and raced towards the goal. Nothing much to aim for in the middle but Alfie Doughty was steaming in on the left and he edged ahead of his marker. The cross was low, hard and skimming and Bentley decided to follow it across the goal and defend his far post. Big mistake. Alfie Doughty got their first and although Bentley blocked his first effort, Alfie seized on the rebound and squeezed it inside the post.
The ground erupted and the players knew they had their long awaited victory. Even five minutes of added time which turned into seven and a bit weren't enough to deny us this time and the game finished with jubilation and wild celebrations. The Addicks are suddenly afloat again and sail to Derby on Monday. The side may once again be make-shift and limited but with this spirit anything is possible.
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