Pretty Obvious Lessons As Another Game Slips By

It always feels better when the crap 45 minutes of a game comes first rather than the other way around. You end the game thinking you might have won, that if the game continued you would have won, and the fact that you could easily have lost tends to fade from the memory. Especially in this case since it wasn’t difficult to point to the reasons behind a poor first half. When the dust has settled we’re still on a poor run, now four points from five games. Didn’t get the win we craved, but at least there was something to lift the spirits as at half-time yesterday we seemed to be staring down the barrel of a trend towards a repeat of last season’s dreadful start.

The team showed four changes from Tuesday night. In defence Lavelle not surprisingly came in for the suspended Inniss, while Clayden took over again from Chin at left-back. The midfield trio saw Dobson retained and Fraser return while Payne kept his place - must admit I’d been assuming those two would be interchangeable rather than partnered - with McGrandles back on the bench. And up front Stockley was brought back to lead the line, Leaburn among the subs. The bench featured both Thomas and Egbo, with Chin missing out after his promising debut, while there were places for Morgan and Jaiyesimi but not for Forster-Caskey or Kirk.

The surprise when the game started was that we’d switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2, back to JJ’s preferred formation with Blackett-Taylor and Clayden operating as wing backs and Rak-Sakyi partnering Stockley up front. Now the day after, and as similar sentiments were expressed by Curbs and Steve Brown on CATV at the break and post-match, this is going to sound like hindsight, if not stating the obvious. All I can say is that through the first half I was moaning to other Addicks that the best way to deal with the problem of an isolated central forward is not to neuter our two main attacking threats; basically in the first half CBT managed one run and cross and his main contribution was heading the ball out of our box, while Rak-Sakyi struggled to impact the game – in both cases hardly playing to their strengths. And (for me) compounding the problem was that with two up front the space for midfielders to provide the support up top was squeezed, yet we played together the two most likely to look for such space (ie Payne and Fraser).

The result was plain to see. We spent the first half under the cosh, unable to establish any pattern of play, not sure whether we were playing through the ranks or lofting balls for Stockley to flick on for Rak-Sakyi. At the same time, while Clayden was enjoying the greater freedom to get forward, all the old familiar failings of this system last year were apparent in defence. Three centre-backs adopting a passive stance, gaps appearing around and between them. Brownie was fair tearing his hair out at the break over the defending, for good reason. It was left to others to highlight our inability to do anything going forward and the incoherence of the performance – which may be a little unfair to Fleetwood, who were determined and aggressive, stuck to a gameplan which they were familiar with.

In that first half we created one chance, albeit a very good one. Clayden seemed boxed in on the left but audaciously took the ball on along the byline and squeezed past his marker. The ball back for Rak-Sakyi came at his perhaps a little quickly, but the shot wasn’t controlled and flew over the bar. Should have scored. At the other end Fleetwood did score, when a mistake by Clayden led to the ball going out right and a dangerous low cross was missed by the first pair but not by the second, their guy getting ahead of Clare (I think) to fire home from close range.

Otherwise they didn’t exactly tear us apart, just played much better than us, creating some opportunities not taken. They will have been content at the break but perhaps, as so often this season, regretting that the game had not been put to bed. Our misery was added to by Wollacott spilling a ball again, although this time it didn’t cost us. The only question at half-time was how much longer we would persist with the formation, assuming that the absent Garner was still calling the shots.

The change came immediately, with Clayden withdrawn, Egbo coming on for his long-awaited Charlton debut, Clare switching to left-back, with Blackett-Taylor and Rak-Sakyi back in their familiar positions. And it almost paid immediate dividends at CBT received the ball, went outside and gained a yard or so, and hit a fierce shot which came back off the crossbar. Not long after that we hit the woodwork again, albeit this time more by accident than design as an Egbo cross drifted over everyone only to hit the inside of the far post. When another shot was saved by their keeper, we’d gone from one shot (and none on target) for the first half to four.

It was by no means one-way traffic. In what was now a pretty open contest Fleetwood may well have added to their lead, with shots blocked and appeals for penalties. A second for them then and the points were theirs for sure. Then, with around 20 minutes left we made another change in personnel and formation. Leaburn was brought on for Payne and we switched to a 4-4-2, arguably a 4-2-4. And before there was the time to assess how that would work we were level. Egbo down the left fed Rak-Sakyi. With both Stockley and Leaburn in the box his low cross went just behind the latter, but splendidly he improvised and sent a back-heel flick into the net.

Soon after that DJ came on for CBT, who had again shot his bolt by that stage, and Morgan replaced Fraser. Both sides had chances to score a winner, but in the final 10 minutes (plus only four of added time, despite multiple substitutions, a goal, and a lengthy injury to their guy after a nudge from Egbo along the touchline resulted in him hitting the boardings) we finished the stronger as Fleetwood seemed to tire. Jaiyesimi tumbled in the box with no penalty, then in stoppage time Rak-Sakyi found space, played it past their guy and was in for a one-on-one. He hit it to the keeper’s right, but the effort was saved. And right at the death the ball dropped to Rak-Sakyi again from a corner but he snatched at it and put it over the bar.

So a point apiece. A neutral might say probably the right result overall. At least for us there are lessons presumably learnt. If CBT has 60 minutes in the tank best not waste 45 of them using him as a wing-back. If CBT has to depart, his replacement is not going to be like-for-like (except in the sense of the position) and we have to adjust accordingly If we want to address the problem of an isolated central striker the answer is not to neutralise our most effective weapons (rather get the three to work together better, build play down the flanks, get midfielders into the box in support etc). If we want to switch to two up top Stockley and Leaburn can cause problems, while Leaburn would still be available to play on the right in a front three). The answers to how we tighten up the defence and start delivering clean sheets is altogether more problematic. Will Egbo start in place of Clare? Will Inniss automatically return when fit and not suspended? Will Wollacott and his defenders work out who is coming for what? These and other conundrums await further evidence in the next match, while in the cold light of day, taking some positives for sure, we look at a league table which is unavoidably depressing.