Very promising indeed. Despite the optimism that had been generated over the close season, the bottom line is that none of us actually knew if we had just a squad of players, or a team that could play together. In fact a trawl of the Bournemouth message boards and forums on Friday revealed that they believed they were playing us at exactly the right time, i.e. before our squad had time to gel.

Oh how wrong we all were. Astonishing to reflect that this was the first real competitive match for this team together ... although in retrospect I now believe that the Millwall game was a good idea due to the competitive nature in which it was played ... certainly helped 'blood' the team.

Bournemouth played some very attractive football at times, and knew how to pass ... but in the end it was to no avail. The statistics state that Bournemouth had 61% of possession ... not sure that I accept this, but it's of no consequence anyway. It's what you do with the ball when you have it that matters. It has been said elsewhere ... in particular by the Bournemouth manager ... that the score flattered us. To be honest, having watched the highlights, we could have had more. BWP would definitely have scored on another day, and the shot by Wiggins was a scorcher ... pity he didn't score as the abuse he received from the Bournemouth fans was a joke ... nice to hear the Charlton faithful cheer every time this happened.

Another pleasing aspect was the size of the crowd ... third year in division 3, a lot of people still on holiday, and we broke 16,000 ... most of the teams in our division ... and a few in the division above ... will be happy to do that just once this season. And with season ticket numbers virtually matching last season, it's fair to say that our core crowd base has increased significantly over the years.

And with performances like this, it can only go up. Fair enough, it's just one game, but you can only beat the opposition in front of you. Furthermore this will send warning signals throughout our division... everyone knew we had spent well ... now they know we can also play. Chris Powell's attempt last season to play an attractive passing, attacking game, was never going to succeed with the squad we had ... with this one, the signs are positive.

There is a hunger in the team that we have not witnessed for some time ... passion and the will to get the ball ... incidentally perfectly exemplified by Dale Stephens, my man of the match.

The players all know that no-one's place is guaranteed ... we have some very good players who didn't feature in the squad, let alone appear on the bench. Plus most are young and feel they have something to prove. You only have to read the interview with Dale Stephens in the programme, or listen to the Charlton Live interview with Danny Green to know how much this team wants to succeed ... and just as importantly, how highly they rate each other. Already we can see the camaraderie and the evidence that they are a team and not a set of individuals.

I'm not going to get carried away with the result ... with 45 games to go that would make no sense. But my initial pre-season optimism has received a boost and it's only fair to assume that this team should get better the more they play together. The defence looks tight, and has the ability to close down attacking runs, despite a few wobbles Robbie looked fairly assured in goal ... and I was as surprised as anybody that he started ... the forwards are already developing a good partnership, and the midfield looks like it has goals galore in it.

Tomorrow night will be very interesting ... how will we fare against a decent Championship side? I'm not at all bothered about a cup run ... the league comes first and promotion is the only prize I want ... but it can have the significant advantage of boosting confidence especially if you manage to beat a team from a higher division.

Saturday will be the more important game ... Notts County achieved a three nil away win which has to be applauded ... so it will be a good chance to see how we measure up against such a team.

Rating individual players from Saturday seems a little unfair ... although I'm still going to do it ... because it really was a team performance which, bearing in mnd it was their first league game together, deserves an overall 8/10. In normal circumstances I'd have given 7/10, but the occasion raises the rating.

So on to the players themselves:

Elliot - had a good game. Not called upon too much in the first half, but covered well when needed to in the 2nd half. There were a couple of times when I was nervous, but you can't complain about a clean sheet. 7/10
Solly - seemed a little nervy in the first half, and I was a little uncomfortable about his play. But came into his own in the 2nd half, in particular interacting very well with Wagstaff ... these two look very good together down the right wing. 7/10
Morrison - like the look of him ... strong and intimidating. Not afraid to get stuck in and a powerful tackler. 7/10
Taylor - combined well with Morrison, and I can see these two being a good combination. Good skill and not afraid to bring the ball forward. 7/10
Wiggins - showed a little nervous reation to the Bournemouth abuse at the beginning, but rose to the occasion with a stunning long distance effort that the keeper had to work to save. The best is yet to come, and he is a good counter-balance to Morrison and Taylor. 6.5/10
Wagstaff - apparently he only played because Green was suspended ... don't know how true that is, but if so, then Scott took advantage, topped up by what may be a contender for goal of the season. Superbly controlled volley. Deserves to keep his place and has already given Powell a slight selection headache. 7.5/10
Stephens - seemed to be everywhere ... totally committed, skilful, energetic ... my man of the match. Annoyingly, I mentioned to my son before the match that Stephens would score the first goal ... aaargh 14 to 1 and I didn't back up my words with money. 8/10
Hollands - looks good ... definitely strengthened the midfield ... Racon / Semedo - who they ? ... very comfortable on the ball and worked well with the other midfielders. 7.5/10
Jackson - good start for our captain. I feel very confident with him in the team, and he took his penalty well. 7.5/10
BWP - very lively and involved himself in the game far more than last season. He is becoming more than just a goal-scorer and had a hand in two of the goals. Could easily have scored himself, and rather unfortunate not to do so. 7.5/10
Hayes - wasn't sure about him at the Welling game, but I have a different view now. Strong, attacking, self-assured, and enthusiastic. He will definitely get a few goals this season. 7/10
Subs:
Benson - not on for long, but still made an impression. Very happy he stayed with us. 6/10
Pritchard - OK, you can't say much based on a few minutes but we may have unearthed a diamond here ... looking forward to seeing much more of  him. 6.5/10
Doherty - surprised he is still with us, but totally unfair to judge him on a couple of minutes. n/a

As for Chris Powell ... hiding away in the tunnel ;-) ... he chose the team and sorted out the tactics. It worked ... and he did a great interview afterwards. 8.5/10

The crowd were in fairly good voice and I do enjoy watching 'bouncy-bouncy' in the Covered End.

A final word for the officials ... can they please return again as I thought they were way better than most of the dross we get at this level.

COYR

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A new season ... so probably not a bad time to start blogging again ... didn't realised how long it had been!

It has certainly been a very eventful time at the Valley since last season finished in May with a dismal mid-table final position. Did we expect anything else? Well, probably. Now we are at our 3rd year in Division Three, it's very clear that the club ... and the bulk of the supporters ... made the mistake of believing we were far too good for this level and would get promotion if not the first time, then definitely at the 2nd attempt. Many clubs, of an equal size to us ... and bigger ... have made that mistake over the last few years.

This is not an easy division from which to escape if you have the mentality that all you have to do is turn up and the other teams will automatically acknowledge that Charlton rightfully belong in a higher division and will allow us to return back there. It's always simple in retrospect, but there is no doubt that as well as having a reasonable squad and manager, you also need the right mind-set. If you want promotion, then get out there and work for it ... be a team not a set of individuals ... and fight to be competitive. Again, retrospect is easy, but it's obvious now that we had too much 'dead wood'  ... as long as they were paid, nothing much else mattered.

So ... what's changed? Almost everything to be honest. We have a manager who will be starting his first full season, new board members also about to experience their first full season, and a very new squad on the playing field.

According to the latest on Charlton Life, we now have 31 players on professional contract, 15 of which are new, with 15 having been sold or released, a pretty hefty turn-around.

Most of the new players are on the young side and have been given 2-3 year contracts ... definitely a positive sign that we are looking to move ahead with a solid base and squad.

As for the new owners ... everything we hear is good and appears to suggest that we have an exciting future. OK, it may all be illusory and if we don't achieve promotion within 2 years, we may be unceremoniously dumped. But at least they've given us the possibility of another couple of years ... which may not have been the case otherwise.

There is concern about the ownership ... naturally when 'the truth' is hidden, it is a valid reason for concern. But I'm going to ride with it for the moment. If they get us back to the top as we all want, stay one further season then take the money and run ... well, who can blame them? And you never know, they may decide they like it and stay longer. We still have a club and a team to follow ... my son can still attend games with me ... and in a few years, hopefully my grandson will also join us. That's good enough for me at the moment.

So how will we do this season? As always, I am optimistic ... but perhaps this time, I have good reason to be so. With the current infrastructure, 'hungry' players in the squad, healthy season ticket sales (wonderful to see), and the sun currently shining ... it's easy to predict a top-six finish.

But I've decided to invest some money with Paddy Power and expect us to be automatically promoted.

COYR

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Would have preferred a draw but will take 2-1. Defensively we were rather shaky but still went into half-time goalless. Was difficult to get a real atmosphere going without a roof and many songs were being sung in tandem although my wife told me that Charlton could be heard on tv.

Swindon played some good football and eventually the goals came for them but the turning point was Deon's excellently well taken goal ... suddenly Swindon stopped playing footbll and started to hoof the ball everywhere. This is obviously the other side of Swindon and the reason whey they only finished 5th ... good team but when the pressure gets to them they play a completely different, more ineffective, style of football. We were very unlucky with Nicky's attempt and the game could have been so different if that had gone in. Swindon did finally revert to a good playing style and were unlucky not to score near the end ... I couldn't see the incident properly but my wife tells me it went off the post.

The big plus for me is that listening to the Swindon fans outside the ground after the game, they feel that they have done it ... very confident and sure they will get to Wembley. Good, let them feel that way and hopefully the complacency will spread through the club. Danny Wilson has played the 'underdog' game very well and kept their feet on the ground ... maybe this will undo them.

I beleve we have enough to turn this around at the Valley ... but am so bloody nervous that the next 60 hours are not going to be much fun.

COYR ... BELIEVE

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First half, fairly evenly matched although we didn't really have a clear cut chance, but possibly more possession ... then conceded a very poor goal.

Second half ... nothing ... virtually every time the fans come out in force for Charlton, they let us down ... badly.

So depressing.



Oh bolox!

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We won ... but apart from the first 10 minutes there was not much else to say. After the 2nd goal went in I turned and said to my son, perhaps we can at last put some pressure on the teams around us and really go for it in this game and show them how up for it we are. He just smiled and replied that I should remember who I am watching ... unfortunately he was proved right.

Why can't we kill off other teams? There were even times during the 2nd half when we could have paid heavily for not scoring a third goal ... admittedly we should have had a penalty in the first half, but it's astonishing how we fail to take advantage of our possession. Wayward kicks towards the goal ... which are far from being on target ... make a mockery of the fact that these guys are professional footballers. Mooney, Bailey, Burton, Sam, Sodje et al were guilty of some awful shots.

We won ... so I am happy ... but definitely frustrated. We will need to step up a gear next week at the New Den. Stockport are one of the weakest ... if not the weakest ... teams I have seen all season and that will not be the case next week. Millwall have players that fight for results, and our players will need to be the same. I have no doubt that we can, as has been evident in some games this season, and must admit that I am thoroughly looking forward to the game.

Results definitely went our way in general yesterday with Huddersfield and Swindon losing. Brentford taking a point at Leeds was massive and it was just a pity that they could not hold on to their lead ... but we are catching Leeds and the home game against them may yet prove to be pivotal.

Elliott - one very nervous moment when he dropped the ball, and he and Llera were definitely at odds both blaming each other for the incident.
Richardson - competent, but sometimes played the ball too far and lost it.
Jackson - good game and linked up well with Reid ... hope the injury is not too bad and he is ok for Millwall.
Llera - strong in defence, but a few errors.
Dailly -excellent game, getting back to being Mr. Consistent.
Sam - not his best game and rightfully taken off, drifted in far too much.
Racon - at times he was great, and others he was woeful. Will the real Therry Racon please stand up.
Bailey - fairly good game, cut off a few attacks, but not at his best.
Reid - man of the match, he is so strong and effective, breaking up attacks from opposition and then leading our own.
Mooney - Still proving to be lightweight, but there are instances when you know he can produce something.
Sodje - scored for the 3rd consecutive game so I should be positive ... but I still feel his overall game should improve ... but what the heck, if he scores again next week, who cares ;-)
Solly - ok, nothing special, but he is being played out of position so I should be generous.
Wagstaff - was hoping for something special when he came on but he can't do it every time.
Burton - worried Stockport at times.

Mark Kinsella had it right in his press interview: "We got lucky with the first and got a good second goal, but it was all about winning the game. We started brightly and got the goals but they upped their game. It would have been nice to get a couple more but it wasn't to be. There will be ups and downs between now and the end of the season, we've got to make sure there are more ups than downs. Winning when you're not at your best is the sign of a good team.”

And Millwall is now sold out, 2,500 tickets. Well done Charlton ... cannot wait to be at the New Den on Saturday.

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Due to a number of overseas business trips in Asia and Europe plus a 2 week holiday, I have not managed to get to the Valley for a few weeks ... and during that time we drew four times, lost once, and dropped out of automatic promotion for the first time ... a fact that filled a lot of Charlton fans with dread ... which prompted me to include a picture that I took of the wonderful Red Dread catamaran whilst on holiday.

But never fear... I returned yesterday and we won ;-)

Having read a number of web reports on recent games and seeing the Bristol game on TV, it would appear that this was a big improvement on our latest form.

It certainly wasn't perfect ... and at two nil up when we should have been full of confidence and cruising to a win ... the team was still nervy, which definitely got through to the supporters.

Showing the latest results on the scoreboard near to the end of the game was a masterstroke on this occasion as ... for once ... the results were all more or less going our way and the Covered End responded appropriately.

And whilst I remember, the Covered End produced one of the funniest chants I have heard for a long time after one of the Yeovil players went down poleaxed by the ball and didn't get up for ages prior to looking down his shorts to see if everything was still there ... 'One ball, you've only got one ball ...'. OK, perhaps you had to be there and it certainly wasn't funny for the Yeovil player but it made me laugh.

I haven't seen the match stats but have to assume that we had the higher percentage of possession ... in fact there were times when we managed to revert to the tight passing game that was so evident earlier in the season and caused so many teams problems.

I said to my son before the game that Reid would be playing and I was convinced he would score ... pity I didn't extend that to having a bet ... what a great goal and I hope it encourages more Charlton players to have a go from outside the area ... it can be a sign of confidence when players are willing to shoot from long distance (although some of Nicky's attempts would have been more appropriate on a rugby pitch) so more of the same please.

Reid looks like he will be a good player for us, strong, pacy, and not short of some skill. Ditto for debutant Johnnie Jackson ... you would have thought that he had played for this team a number of times so easily did he slot in. A good loan deal by Parky.

Racon has concerned me for a while, and has not put in the performances we saw at the start of the season ... but yesterday was a return to form, highlighted by a masterly quick turn from a throw-in that led directly to Mooney's goal. Perhaps Therry's first goal on Monday did him even more good than we realised.

And before going on to individual comments I must specifically mention Robbie ... at least three great saves in the first half and more good effort in the 2nd half ... if an early goal had gone in this could have been a very different game, so well done Robbie.

Elliot - very important saves and seems to be very confident these days.

Richardson - can be a threatening force when supporting runs up the wing.

Jackson - impressive debut, and could be very important to the team until Kelly returns.

Llera - always gives everything, and had a good game.

Dailly - not back to the form he displayed before injury when he was Mr. Consistent, but I'd rather be with him than without.

Sam - I felt that the commentators at the Bristol game were over-the-top about his display on Monday, but today better warranted the praise. Not scared to get stuck in but he does seem to tire late in the game.

Bailey - he would be the first to admit this was not one of his best displays, but still did enough to worry Yeovil.

Racon - a welcome return to form, and could have been my man of the match.

Reid - my first live sighting of Reid and I am impressed ... so sorry Therry, on reflection Kyel Reid wins man of the match.

Mooney - impressed that he was back after a nasty knock on Monday, did excellently with the goal and worked very hard, but I still have a small concern that he is too lightweight at times when it matters.

Burton - a better performance and wins a lot in the air. Have to assume that his hernia means he is not 100% but we cannot afford to let him have the op until season end.

Subs:

Wagstaff - lively as always, but not the immediate impact he has had in the past.
Semedo - made a good impression in only a short time on the pitch.

Parky made all the right noises after the game stating that it was a good day for us, and that the intention was to get our performance levels back, forget about everyone else and concentrate on what we needed to do. He admitted that in the last few weeks, we've been giving the ball away cheaply and been constantly under pressure.

So on to Tuesday ... good to know we have another game so soon. The Brighton team has been quite an enigma since Poyet took over ... some wonderful results countered by a lot of poor games. They may still be at the bottom part of the table but as yesterday showed, do not relax around this team ... they have the capability to spring surprises.

And then Southend on Friday ... I can't go but my son will be there with the other 2k+ Charlton fans. I have good memories of Friday nights at Southend in the past so hope we can continue to pick up points. The table could look very different next weekend if all goes the way we would like.

Then with what we would hope would be a relatively comfortable 3 points against Stockport at home the following week (ok, it's never comfortable for us but you know what I mean), it's on to the game I have been looking forward to all season, Millwall at the New Den. I got my tickets as soon as they came out, and it will be my son's first visit to Millwall ... we should have a reasonable presence at the game and I hope Charlton fans remember this is our only true derby and attend in numbers.

C'mon you Reds!

Just noticed on the official site ... apparently when we play Gillingham at home next month, it will be the first time in 30 years! How times have changed ... when I was younger we played them far more frequently!

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Well, I didn't expect the score-board to again be filled up like lights on a Christmas tree this week, but that's exactly what we got. Two points from two home games in the last week is not what we wanted ... but in the circumstances I am more than happy.

I have never seen the Valley erupt so loudly to a goal that only guaranteed us a point at home, especially to such meagre opposition ... but we were all convinced that despite such a valiant rearguard action, we had finally lost our unbeaten home record.

But it was not to be ... this team does not give in and there were some heroic performances on the pitch not least by Nicky Bailey and Jose Semedo.

And arguably all of our best back four were off the pitch and they still did not collapse under the expected onslaught of the 2nd half. I was extremely concerned when it was apparent that Dailly was injured, but we would not have done any better even with him on the pitch.

This was a second half performance that will be remembered for a long time. Determination, passion, and a desire that the two players that were stupidly sent off were not going to provoke our first defeat since March at the Valley.

And both Parky ... with a decision to move to an attacking formation despite only having 9 men ... and the crowd ... who were at times louder than we have been since the Premiership ... fully played their part.

The draw last week felt like a defeat ... this week it felt like a win ... and it was good to shut up the gloating Swindon fans who seemed to believe they had a world-beating team just because they were winning against nine men.

Jose Semedo was superb after being forced to move back into defence ... as good a display, and at times better, than many of our normal defenders have given this season.

And Nicky Bailey was enormous ... determined and passionate, he was never going to give in, leading the team with a true captain's display.

Shelvey and Llera also deserve a special mention, not just for the goals, but for their overall display.

As for the sending-offs, they were both stupid and self-induced. Sodje's second red card in a few weeks was insane ... you just can't make that type of tackle and expect to stay on the pitch ... and it's a four match ban!

Deon should have known better than to argue with this referee (see below) for his first yellow, and a streak of madness must have overtaken him when he handled the ball to be sent off.

For the first 20 minutes, even when Sodje was off the pitch being patched up, we were all over Swindon, and I had the feeling that once we got going, it could be a big win.

But it was not to be due to the circumstances outlined above ... and I cannot let this posting end without mentioning the absolutely abysmal display by the referee. We have seen some poor displays by referees this season, but this has to be amongst the worse. He made so many mistakes, I lost count ... and relied continuously on the linesman by the West Stand to pick up decisions he had missed. And how Swindon only got their first booking in the last few minutes, and that only for dissent, I have no idea.

Elliot - some wonderful saves, did everything we could have asked of him.
Omozusi - a capable display, but I expected more after his display last week.
Basey - brave and committed, another good performance following on from last week.
S Sodje - stupid tackle, out now for 4 games, whatever his excuse it's not good enough.
Llera - excellent display rounded off by a very coolly taken goal.
Spring - could have scored, some great passing movements
Semedo - superb in defence, we definitely missed him in midfield, but one of the main reasons we did not lose.
Shelvey - you could see he was happy to be back and determined to show why he should be back in the team. I told my son he would score, and happily he did.
Bailey - what a game, my man of the match. He does not give in, a true captain.
A Sodje - ran out of steam in the end, and not always as effectual as I would like, but a constant thorn in the side of Swindon.
Burton - Deon, Deon, Deon why did you do that? I am not going to criticise him, he's had a great season - just don't do it again!
Wagstaff - nothing outstanding, but he didn't let us down.
McKenzie - still not fully fit in my mind, his best ... I hope .. is yet to come.
Dickson - personally I'm not happy he was on the field, but circumstances demand.

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