Pre-match preamble
We played Charlton Athletic, aka 'the Addicks', at the Colchester United Stadium in August this year in a friendly match. They are newly arrived in the Championship this season, having come fourth in League One in 2024/2025. We won 2-1 on this occasion, which I thought was a good marker for the upcoming league games.
I also said in my write-up then that I'd keep the story about their nickname until this outing – so here goes with a fishy tale.
Their nickname "The Addicks" is thought to have come from the South London slang term for haddock, as in the early days of the club, the players would receive haddock and chips after matches from a local fishmonger (named Arthur Bryan apparently – thanks Wikipedia).
Talked to Andy and his son Ethan on the train and we all foresaw a scoreline of 3-0 – to Ipswich. They both chose Philogene as their favourite player – I'm still a Jack Clarke groupie.
They were both very tall young men – people in general seem to attain greater heights these days, just as I'm beginning to get shorter. I tend to get trampled in a crowd these days.
First half
Town were dominant for the majority of the first half, passing and keeping the ball well to frustrate the Addicks. There were several opportunities for Town to score throughout, all of which did not quite come off, though Town's pressure continued.
Azon attempted to net a through ball but it was blocked by Kaminski.
McAteer's attempt from just outside the box sailed over the crossbar.
Akpom sent in a rocket which hit the bar.
Walton made an excellent stop with his legs as Olaofe managed a run clear through on goal. (This was a presage of things to come in the second half.)
Final minutes of stoppage time saw Núñez fire a close effort from a free kick onto the roof of the net.
A great opening 45 minutes (or strictly speaking 49 minutes) – we were all looking forward to more of the same in the second half, plus goals of course.
Half-time
Feeling so relaxed my seat neighbour Dennis and I discussed tennis over the break.
Second half
Town came out positively with an early chance taken by Clarke and with Akpom nearly netting a rebound from a corner.
The game turned on 52 minutes when Charlton scored from a ball clear through the middle to Carey with only Walton to beat.
Walton made a decent save just a minute later, by pushing Kelman's shot clear, but to no avail when Gillesphey netted a loose ball in the penalty area.
Town then scored through a header from McAteer, who ran through on a headed downward effort from Hirst, but our elation was 'shortish lived' when the flag belatedly went up for offside.
Hirst ran a clear through chance straight into a defender and the goalkeeper.
The seemingly relative chaos continued with little urgency shown by the Town team, who were playing as though they were 2-0 up.
Leaburn scored from inside the box to make it 3-0 to the Addicks. End of story.
Men of the match
I thought Azon and Núñez made a useful pairing and were linking well in the first half. Cajuste was our stalwart in centre field and Chuba Akpom made his presence felt. The Palmer injury situation is a real concern.
Tyreece Campbell was noticeably good in opposition. I thought Kaminski was good in goal, but on reflection, he was never truly tested.
Our MOTM: Far and away our best player on the pitch for me was Jack Clarke. Even in the second half he was trying to bring the ball in towards goal or crossing useful balls in for others, and he never stopped running.
Post-match pondering
I can't believe that just happened. Most fans seemed a little stunned as they walked away from the ground. Verily a 'match of two halves'.
But having said that, given Town's domination and their scoring chances in the first half, none of them were converted so that's a big red flag for us. And with Charlton's only decent attempt at goal, saved by the keeper towards the end of the first half, there were so many opportunities squandered to put points on the board. Three balls skimmed the top netting, one hit the bar, and there were quite a few 'should have beens'. I heard someone say we had the grand total of 17 corner kicks. Why are we not converting any set plays?
I fully expected Town to come out flying for the second half and produce a few goals to celebrate, only to wonder where their fire and their firepower had gone. They were now strangely the ones chasing the game. They slipped back into the frustrating habits we have witnessed too often lately – fluffing about at the back, seemingly no urgency and getting caught on the breakaway. Where were our breakaways? Teams are reading us too easily and adjusting accordingly – Town must do the same.
It might be useful to find out what Nathan Jones said to his team at half-time – as it sure as hell worked.
Why so many changes in our line-up each week? They seem like changes for changes' sake. Why was the top goalscorer sitting on the bench? Why sub a player who has played really well – notably Azon? Why continue to field a striker who is unfortunately proving to have no teeth? Why are we not converting set pieces or defending them well? Why are opposing forward players finding it so easy to make breakthrough runs (this game and the last)?
In our defence, I did wonder if losing our number one goalkeeper halfway through the first half to an injury reflected in the score? But that, of course, is pure supposition and not in the least helpful from a practical, tactical point of view. Could also just be construed as a lame excuse.
Huge queues for the trains, but the 'only as far as Colchester' train was not too squashy. Dissected the game with Town fan Rhys, and Stella Steve from Bedford, a happy Charlton fan wearing a great shirt, who had thought they would lose.
Last thoughts
Ultimately I have ended up with a heap of 'whys' and I can't be my usual optimistic self after this match. Some sort of magic needs to happen, and happen quickly in order to avoid a disastrous season.
Hey ho – on to Saturday we go.
