Charlton 1 Blackburn 2
It's FA Cup Third Round weekend and today I headed to the Valley to watch Charlton play Blackburn. The tournament has been devalued by many in recent years but I still believe in "the romance of the cup", where minnows take on the giants of the game. Or in this case, a second tier side play another second tier side. But I find myself priced out of attending matches most of the time and it's difficult to argue with £10 tickets.
Blackburn caught Charlton cold after just four minutes when Chris Taylor rose highest to head home. The hosts took a while to build momentum and a 12 minute delay when the floodlights failed proved a blessing in disguise. Charlton regrouped and looked the more likely side to score heading towards half time, with Andre Bikey unable to capitalise on keeper Simon Eastwood spilling the ball.
Blackburn were undone from a set piece when Johann Gudmundsson curled a fine 25 yard free kick into the net in the 55th minute, though Eastwood would have been disappointed to be beaten at his near post. Parity lasted a mere four minutes, with the Charlton defence caught horribly square and providing Taylor with the freedom of Greenwich to fire home his second of the afternoon.
Yoni Buyuns will have been an unpopular figure in the Charlton dressing room having been sent off for a senseless challenge from behind resulting in a second booking. Blackburn made merry with their man advantage, frequently overrunning the Addicks in midfield but spurned a number of chances to kill the game off. Tom Cairney came closest, hitting the bar with a strike from the edge of the box in injury time. It mattered not as the Blackburn defence weren't seriously threatened and 1-2 it stayed.
All in all, a decent contest where Blackburn made their quality tell. David Dunn (the only survivor from Blackburn's calamitous last spell in the Premier League) demonstrated his class, dictating the play in the twilight of his career. Craig Conway on the wing also caused problems throughout. As for Charlton, the only true flashes of quality came from Simon Church and Johann Gudmundsson. However, they are currently 13th in the Championship and exceeding expectations for the season.
Football is often a highly tribal sport and it was refreshing to hear the Charlton fans on the way out acknowledging how well Blackburn had played. I wish them well and look forward to returning to The Valley for their Championship fixture against Huddersfield Town on 28th Feburary. All tickets are £5 and if you've never been to a match, I'd certainly recommend going along.
Blackburn caught Charlton cold after just four minutes when Chris Taylor rose highest to head home. The hosts took a while to build momentum and a 12 minute delay when the floodlights failed proved a blessing in disguise. Charlton regrouped and looked the more likely side to score heading towards half time, with Andre Bikey unable to capitalise on keeper Simon Eastwood spilling the ball.
Blackburn were undone from a set piece when Johann Gudmundsson curled a fine 25 yard free kick into the net in the 55th minute, though Eastwood would have been disappointed to be beaten at his near post. Parity lasted a mere four minutes, with the Charlton defence caught horribly square and providing Taylor with the freedom of Greenwich to fire home his second of the afternoon.
Yoni Buyuns will have been an unpopular figure in the Charlton dressing room having been sent off for a senseless challenge from behind resulting in a second booking. Blackburn made merry with their man advantage, frequently overrunning the Addicks in midfield but spurned a number of chances to kill the game off. Tom Cairney came closest, hitting the bar with a strike from the edge of the box in injury time. It mattered not as the Blackburn defence weren't seriously threatened and 1-2 it stayed.
All in all, a decent contest where Blackburn made their quality tell. David Dunn (the only survivor from Blackburn's calamitous last spell in the Premier League) demonstrated his class, dictating the play in the twilight of his career. Craig Conway on the wing also caused problems throughout. As for Charlton, the only true flashes of quality came from Simon Church and Johann Gudmundsson. However, they are currently 13th in the Championship and exceeding expectations for the season.
Football is often a highly tribal sport and it was refreshing to hear the Charlton fans on the way out acknowledging how well Blackburn had played. I wish them well and look forward to returning to The Valley for their Championship fixture against Huddersfield Town on 28th Feburary. All tickets are £5 and if you've never been to a match, I'd certainly recommend going along.
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