No mention of the bobbin' red robin

Last updated : 26 October 2008 By Tony Scholes
Steven Thompson
Steven Thompson - first Burnley goal
I don't think you would have put a penny on Charlton getting anything at the interval after the Clarets had totally dominated a controversial first half, but we were holding our breath close to the end when I'm still not sure how Michael Duff managed to prevent them getting a winner.

The Valley's not a ground I've been to that often, but since my first visit in 1971 when were done by a centre forward called Dick Plum in the days of the massive terrace to the right of what is now the away stand it is a place I've always enjoyed visiting.

I like the ground as it is now, it's like a football ground rather than a soulless bowl and there's no doubt you get a real welcome from the home fans. They are keen to talk football with you outside the ground both before and after the game. It's just how it should be but so often isn't.

By the time the red red robin started his bobbin' (and I promised myself I wouldn't mention that) as the teams came out the news had filtered through that Chris McCann was fit and it was un unchanged Burnley side. Whether he had a change on the bench or not is difficult to determine. Despite the reference to Remco van der Schaaf on the subs list at Coventry there's no doubt it was Stephen Jordan who was doing the warming up at the Ricoh, and was very much named as one of the five subs at the Valley.

For Charlton the main omission was that of Andy Gray but it was due to a family illness so it is only right that best wishes for a speedy recovery are sent. His replacement was Izale McLeod which led to a discussion on toilet paper of years gone by.

If we ended Tuesday's game at Coventry showing some attacking intent then we certainly started this one with it as we took the game to a very nervous looking home side. Joey Gudjonsson hit a superb early shot that keeper Nicky Weaved couldn't hold and then with only eight minutes gone we thought we'd gone in front.

From the away end it was difficult to determine whether the officials got it right or wrong, but as Martin Paterson went clear down the left there is no doubt whatsoever that the assistant referee on the opposite side flagged him offside before quickly lowering his flag.

Everyone stopped, including Paterson momentarily, but realising play had not been stopped he got down the left, cut in beating two defenders and placed a shot into the bottom corner which quickly had referee Rob Shoebridge pointing to the middle.

The Charlton bench was incensed and hardly surprisingly so were the home defenders. Eventually Shoebridge went over to speak to his assistant and changed his decision, awarding Charlton a free kick some considerable distance away from any of the previous action.

Having seen it again on television I think they might just have got it right. There are two headers, the first from Steven Caldwell and then one from the Charlton defender with the unpronounceable name (see team list at bottom). I'm convinced the flag went up after the first header, before the Charlton player made contact, and that is why we had the confusion.

The officials might just have got it right, but there again Paterson was nowhere near the ball after that first header. Like most people, and that includes referees, I don't have a clue about this offside law any more.

We didn't let it bother us too much and Charlton simply had no answer to us as we continued to pile forward. Just five minutes later we were in front and I'm not sure why there has been any debate or confusion over the goal.

Wade Elliott took a right wing corner which was knocked back to him. They half cleared the second cross but only to Joey who had a left foot shot from just outside the box. It was going wide before Steven Thompson got a touch on it to steer it into the bottom corner. It wasn't even a deflection but a deliberate touch from him and it is his goal, no doubt at all, and his first for the Clarets.

Tuesday's heroes Chris Eagles and Robbie Blake came down to the away end as they warmed up. The former received the now customary Crystal Palace style chant of 'Eagles - Eagles' whereas Robbie was greeted with chants of 'Robbie, Robbie show us your arse'.

Thankfully, for the sake of yellow cards, he didn't, but the Soccer AM lads say just in front of us sadly did. Bad Beat Bob? Sorry lads, this was more like Bad Taste Boys.

It was just about the only entertainment down our end as the play was continuously down the far end of the pitch and you had to wonder just how long it would take for the second goal.

Wade was leading them a merry dance down our right but no matter what we tried that second goal just wouldn't come against a desperately poor home side. We couldn't quite get on the end of crosses, shots went narrowly wide or just too high, and if there's any criticism we just didn't test the keeper enough.

Even so, a goal up at half time and you really sensed that a second at any time would put this game to bed once and for all with all three points heading back to Turf Moor.

Charlton were booed off at half time and manager Alan Pardew reacted with a couple of changes and almost from the restart you knew this was going to be a different game in the second half.

The home sides ironically cheered an early header that went straight into Jensen's hands. It had been their first real effort on target but almost immediately we were inches from doubling the lead. Again it was Wade and his cross was heading for Thompson before defender Grant Basey just got to it to head over for a corner.

We were forced into a change when Steven Caldwell, again in top form, had to come off with a hip injury, and on the hour we reshuffled when Eagles came on for Paterson and we went 4-5-1.

I think this allowed Charlton more opportunity to attack us, but it also gave us more than a few chances to counter. You started to sense that a home goal might be on the cards but in one break Wade got clear before being brought down just outside the box. The referee got this one absolutely spot on, yellow carding Vasey for the foul, but the free kick came to nothing.

In an almost identical incident, but on the left, Gudjonsson got away before being brought down. There was no card this time, and perhaps there should have been a yellow, but Gudjonsson was very fortunate in the first place having got clear of the defenders by clearly handling the ball to bring it under control.

It was becoming a real battle. Charlton were getting a lot of players forward whilst we were always looking to catch them on the break, and twice we were halted because first Wade and then Eagles needlessly strayed offside. The latter was particularly poor, onside and one good pass would have seen us clear on goal.

But the goal Charlton had been threatening finally came. Christian Kalvenes got caught out of position and Jordan came across to cover but gave away a free kick. From that Todorov, one of the half time substitutes, was able to get his header in far too easily to bring them level.

We weren't going to let our heads drop and feel sorry for ourselves and in our next attack we came as close as we could have done to going back in front as Joey hit a superb shot that hammered against the underside of the bar.

But there were always worries at the other end and right at the end I gave up on even a point after Jordan got a back pass horribly wrong. Luke Varney got onto it and took the ball round Jensen which left him with an open net. I just waited for the ball to go in and I'm still not sure where on earth Duff came from. What I do know is that in that split second he rescued that point for us with an amazing block on the line that left the home players stunned.

That was just about it, nothing much happened in stoppage time and as referee Shoebridge finally blew for time it was a point each.

I'm not sure whether or not we deserved to win it, but I do know a defeat would have been totally unfair. Perhaps a draw was the right result after all.

Wade Elliott was my man of the match. He had the beating of them down our right for much of the game. Unfortunately this time the changes from the bench didn't work but that's always going to be the case.

Am I disappointed? Yes, I'm always disappointed when we drop points. But four points this week has been a good return, and there was so much about this performance to enthuse about.

Back home now for two tough games starting with Reading on Tuesday. And did you know our last three wins against them have all been 3-0? Another scoreline like that would be good.

The teams were;

Charlton: Nicky Weaver, Yassin Moutaouakil, Martin Cranie, Mark Hudson, Linvoy Primus (Lloyd Sam 45), Darren Ambrose, Nicky Bailey, Josh Wright (Matt Holland 81), Grant Basey, Izale McLeod (Svetoslav Todorov 45), Luke Varney. Subs not used: Robert Elliot, Hameur Bouazza.
Yellow cards: Grant Basey.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell (Stephen Jordan 51), Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steven Thompson (Robbie Blake 73), Martin Paterson (Chris Eagles 60). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Jay Rodriguez.
Yellow cards: Wade Elliott.

Referee: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire).

Attendance: 21,884.