A Most Satisfactory Afternoon

After those two wins and a draw in a week had put us seemingly within touching distance of safety, relative ease, successive home defeats and the prospect of some (or all) below us in the league picking up points obviously raised the stakes for this one. A third consecutive loss and we’re looking nervously at the remaining fixtures; get something from the game and the gap to the bottom three would still look reassuring. It was a fixture which cried out for a performance of grit and determination on the road, a la Ipswich, Middlesbrough etc.

In terms of the game we didn’t really get that, it was a much more open game than might have been expected, with plenty of chances at either end. We didn’t manage to hold on for the victory having taken the lead, but can’t really complain, given that Mannion was clearly man of the match, making a string of excellent saves from among their 31 shots (and a fellow Addick has pointed out only on four occasions this season has a team faced over 30 shots, three times it has been us – and we’ve not lost one of the games, two wins and a draw). The point, plus three draws for the teams below us, and it all added up to a most satisfactory afternoon – not quite a glorious one but unquestionably good enough.

With a couple of games in quick succession there was always the possibility of Jones the Boss making changes from Friday. And there were two straight swaps for the starting XI, with Coady coming in for Coventry in midfield and Campbell brought in alongside Dykes, Kelman dropping back to the bench. With Kaminski not available with a shoulder injury, Brooks was the back-up keeper, while Berry was added to the subs, like Knibbs and Godden before him returning from injury, with Fullah not included.

Both sides came close in the opening couple of minutes, as first Jones the Player couldn’t quite get on top of a Campbell cross, then Mannion made the first of his saves to divert a good shot from their pacey and dangerous winger. That kind of set the tone. On 14 minutes Campbell cut inside, shot was a mess but the ball dropped quite kindly for Carey, who was unable to get in an effort on target, then Campbell fed Docherty but he couldn’t quite get his shot away, the move ending with Chambers shooting over. Up the other end and Mannion was called on again to turn one around the post as we were caught on the break, and from the resulting corner the ball was played back in to the far post and with Mannion deceived it came back off the woodwork and we managed to clear. That was all in the first 22 minutes.

On 32 minutes we had a free-kick for a foul on Campbell sent to the far post, but the header towards goal was gathered by their keeper. A bad lunge on Campbell resulted in another free-kick (and a well merited yellow, after Docherty had harshly received one). This one was pulled back for Chambers. His ball into the mix resulted in a scramble and as it sat up Docherty met it first only for his header to come back off the post with their keeper nowhere. As if to even things up, a Watford free-kick wasn’t dealt with cleanly and ended up with their guy prodding it into the far corner, only to be pulled up for being offside as the kick was taken.

The stats at half-time showed they had 57% possession with eight attempts on goal, two on target, against our nine and two. That suggested parity, but in truth aside from Docherty hitting the post they had the better chances, hitting the woodwork, pulling out saves from Mannion, and having their effort disallowed. We were the more content of the two with the game goalless, but there were too many chances being created to be confident it would stay that way.

Indeed, Watford began the second half well on top. A break from one of our long throws ended with a Mannion save, followed by another. On 59 minutes Jones the Boss decided on changes, with Rankin-Costello replacing Chambers and Godden on for Carey, who had struggled to influence the game, with Campbell filling in as left-side wing-back. And glory be a couple of minutes later we took the lead.

A Clarke long throw from our right was nodded on twice, the first deliberate the second less so, and suddenly it dropped to Godden, who for some unfathomable reason had been left all alone around the penalty spot (let’s give him credit, he’d lost his marker). He took it on his chest and hit it sweetly into the corner of the net as it dropped. He hadn’t quite managed to get us an equaliser on Friday, but now he gave us something to hold onto.

Watford reacted well to going behind, putting us under pressure for a while. But on 65 minutes we did have the chance to move further ahead. Godden made a nuisance of himself for their defender and Rankin-Costello pounced to pick up the loose ball. He was just about in on goal on the left side but when it came to getting the shot away he was stretching and scuffed it, their keeper able to turn it aside. And that proved costly as Watford drew level on 73 minutes.

Unfortunately for us their dangerous winger had not left the scene injured late in the first half, and when they won the ball in the middle of the park it was played square to their guy, who hit an immediate inch-perfect pass to the winger in full flight. Ramsay couldn’t get back to him and although the angle was fairly tight the winger hit it crisply low and across Mannion, for the one and only time in the game unable to get a hand to it.

We were now on the rack and it was them against Mannion. One from a narrow angle was turned around for another corner, and he repeated the exercise a minute later. Jones the Boss made another change on 80 minutes to try and stem the flow, with Dykes withdrawn for Fevrier, with a switch to a kind of front three. Fevrier, as on Friday, made a real impact. He won a corner and from that Godden blocked off their keeper but a defender go to it first before someone could head it into an empty net.

A Watford guy cutting inside saw his shot, predictably by now, turned around by Mannion, then on 89 minutes, just as the officials were indicating six minutes of stoppage time, Watford play around our box ended with substitute Ince hitting a fierce shot which hit Coady on the head and poleaxed him. After a long delay he was stretchered off, Gillesphey replacing him. I haven’t seen any word yet on how Coady is doing, but hopefully all will be well after some rest. Talk about taking one for the team.

Six added minutes became 15. There was still time for another Charlton break, with a three-on-three. But Rankin-Costello didn’t quite make up his mind and eventually his shot was diverted wide for a corner. And that proved to be that.

Before the game we would have been content with a point – and the other games all finishing as draws, meaning the gap to the bottom three stays at eight points with another round chalked off. Only five to go now. Of course Jones continues to talk of finishing the season on a high, but the overwhelming priority is just to be in this division next year. We now have Preston at home followed by Sheffield Wednesday away. If we can take four – ideally six of course – points from these two, we could be all but mathematically safe with three games to play. That, let’s not forget, will be no mean achievement.