Doncaster 0 Charlton 1
Kevin Nolan chooses to join the chaps behind the goal to watch Charlton make it three wins in a row.
Charlton's dull but workmanlike victories over Gillingham and Burton Albion last week served their purpose. They extinguished once and for all nagging fears of relegation but also removed the guts and garters from the remains of a dismal season. Football needs a sense of urgency, some point to it. Otherwise you might as well stay home and figure out results on a tactical blackboard, a thought that alarmed some unlikely visionaries in a long forgotten past.
Back in a day when Readers Digests doubled as shinpads, these old timers realised there were far too many meaningless mid-table matches at this time of the year. Falling attendances and general apathy convinced them to make it three rather than two points for a win and to introduce a novel brainwave we now know as the playoffs. They also tinkered with the rigid notion that relegation should be limited to two teams. These might have been crusty old codgers but they had radical revolution on their mind.
Anyway, Charlton arrived at the Eco-Power Stadium safe-ish but still not entirely safe. Even a mathematical dunce like me was able to grasp that a cushion of 13 points over fourth-from-bottom Wimbledon with eight games remaining, falls a bit short of safe. Far from safe, it's safe to say! I'm no alarmist but, blimey, we could still go down. We've seen it happen.
Nah, I'm only kidding - Charlton are safe as houses. They were safe even before this trip to troubled Doncaster and their victory in South Yorkshire merely rubber stamped the fact. It's another season in League One for Johnnie Jackson's men, which may be nothing to celebrate until you consider the alternative below them. So enough waffle for now. Let's get on with reporting a very trying, but ultimately rewarding, afternoon in God's Own County.
It started badly with the news that the supporters' coaches would be leaving at 10 a.m. rather than 9.15 a.m as advertised. Clearly the work of some genius, this 45 minute grace period was spent negotiating the inevitable traffic pile-up on the M1 (the A1 was out of action due to roadworks). So we rolled up late for the kick-off and were decanted into a sun drenched away end four minutes into the action. I have it on the most reliable source that during our lost four minutes, Jayden Stockley had a shot cleared off the line by Ben Jackson after Corey Blackett-Taylor had begun a campaign of torture for the home defenders.
We were ringside less than 10 minutes before Blackett-Taylor got the better of Joseph Oluwu on the left touchline and had crossed the 18-yard line when Kyle Knoyle ruthlessly mowed him down. Conor Washington unwisely changed his penalty technique and delivered a tame pea-roller into Jonathan Mitchell's grateful hands. At least that's what I made of it from the opposite end while staring into a blindingly low sun. Frankly, for much of the time, I didn't have a clue what was occurring - no change there, I'll save you the trouble of adding.
It wasn't a frequently disgruntled Washington's day as he arrived late to convert the point blank chance created for him by Stockley. Having disastrously surrendered possession to Stockley, Mitchell redeemed himself by smothering Washington's scuffed effort on the line. The keeper then continued his good work by efficiently fielding Stockley's headed attempt to convert Scott Fraser's accurate cross. Little was seen of Donny as an attacking threat, with Jackson foiled by Sean Clare's excellent block after meeting Aidan Barlow's dangerous centre.
The Addicks attacked our goal after the break and were quickly into their stride. Stockley glanced Alex Gilbey's cross off target before Rovers enjoyed their best spell, with both Knoyle and Matt Smith shooting narrowly wide. They were promptly put in their place as the visitors grabbed an overdue lead midway through the second session. Inevitably, Blackett-Taylor played an important part by cleverly squeezing past the bewildered Knoyle on the left byline. The irrepressible winger's precise cutback picked out Stockley, who allowed the ball to proceed across his body before carefully slotting it right-footed beyond Mitchell's left hand. It was a goal brilliantly conceived and expertly executed.
Comfortably on top, the visitors sought an immediate coup-de-grace. Mitchell saved smartly from Blackett-Taylor but was a mere spectator as Fraser volleyed wide. With a quarter hour remaining, Washington held off of Oluwu, shot on the run but was foiled by Mitchell's fine save; the rebound broke to Stockley, who hit the bar from the 18-yard line. An afternoon of profligacy almost cost Charlton dearly as an unemployed Craig McGillivray was called into action to save with his feet from Tommy Rowe's point-blank effort and Jordy Hiwula turned sharply but screwed a last gasp shot narrowly wide. It was a lesson almost too late in the learning. One made of sand - much like Charlton's season.
Doncaster: Mitchell, Knoyle, Williams, Oluwu, Barlow (Younger 46), Smith (Bostock 75), Clayton, Jackson (Martin 72), Rowe, Hiwula, Dodoo. Not used: Jones, Hoston, Gardner, Griffiths. Booked: Barlow
Charlton: McGillivray, Clare, Lavelle, Purrington, Matthews, Gilbey, Dobson, Fraser (Lee 90+2), Blackett-Taylor (Famewo 90), Stockley, Washington. Not used: Harness, Pearce, Jaiyesimi, Leko, Burstow. Booked: Gilbey, Stockley, Dobson, Blackett-Taylor.
Referee: Sam Allison. Att: 6,350 (636 visiting).
The post Kevin Nolan’s Match Report: Doncaster v Charlton (26/03/2022) first appeared on Greenwich.co.uk.