Charlton 1 Wigan 0
This is my 100th post since starting the blog in May last year, and I am very glad that I am using post number 100 to report a win: in this case for Charlton as the quiz team are out of action until the middle of next month. Alan Curbishley says it is a wonderful start to the season, and compared to last year, it certainly is. A 3-1 win away at Sunderland, and then a follow-up victory at home to Wigan, a meeting I had been dreading since 23 June. Wyn Grant's excellent report is here (why bother to go?) Darren Bent scored the important goal (above), just as he had scored the opening and closing goals at Roker Park The Stadium of Light (I still find that name amusing). Of course Charlton have been knocked off the top of the league slot (which I greatly enjoyed them occupying, even if it was in part due to the proximity to the beginning of the alphabet of the first letter of the club's name) by Tottenham overtaking their goal difference, but it doesn't alter the fact that there are 6 points in the bag already.
People have pointed out that both Charlton's opponents this season were one division further down last season. But promoted teams don't always occupy the bottom slot, Charlton didn't, after all, in 00-01, and the six points gained from these two games are no lower in value than any others. And anyway I bet the awful Paul Jewell fancied his team's chances after nearly holding Chelsea to a draw. Wigan, however, were mediocre, according to the pleasant sounding girl on the BBC's Final Score programme, who announced the score as 1-0, and said firmly that she was sure it would stay that way, about 15 nail-biting (for me) minutes from the end. As you will see from the last sentence, I was still in the UK at the time, although I am now back at my own keyboard again, updating the blog. In the last couple of days, I have been staying at the home of my old friend Harry, a lifelong Everton fan. He said in all seriousness that he finds it a great relief that Everton, after yesterday's win at Bolton, are 3 points off the bottom, and indeed I know how he feels. Charlton's six points look to me as though they really mean something, even at this stage of the season.
Charlton won't be playing Liverpool tomorrow night as scheduled, however, as Liverpool are playing in the Very Wonderful Champions' League. I find this quite irritating as Charlton are clearly on some kind of roll, and at the moment, Liverpool aren't. However there is nothing for it but to hope the roll is strong enough to survive until Sunday lunchtime, when Charlton once more go to the North East, this time to the Riverside Stadium to play Middlesbrough.
And in the meantime I'll see if I can't knock together the piece I have been pondering, about team nicknames. Watch this space.