Lasting Relief?

Charlton 2 Sunderland 0



Relief floods through the writings of my fellow Charlton bloggers as Charlton record their first clean sheet since the Birmingham game on 10 September, and their first home league win since beating Wigan on 20 August. There have been away wins and a draw since then, and a Carling Cup victory, but for the last five weeks or more, it has been defeat all along the line.

Charlton normally sink into a mysterious decline in the spring; can we hope that this season the slump has come early, and that that's the end of it for the rest of the season? If so, fine. But I am a little worried, nonetheless.

Yes, a 2-0 home win; yes, Charlton's first double (and in any case, the first possible one) of the season. But it was Sunderland; stranded at the bottom of the table with just 5 points, for heaven's sake. We have become punch drunk, expecting absolutely everyone to land blows on us. Sunderland at home, or indeed away, is a fixture everyone, including most of the Championship, ought to win, so I will reserve any undue celebrations until we land our second double of the season, which could happen at Wigan next week. I'll be more convinced that things are coming good again if that happens, especially as it is in the North West, where Charlton don't usually do all that well (see my rain-sodden, gloomy posting of 6 November).

However, there were some encouraging signs; the goalscorers were the two Darrens (Bent first, above, and then Ambrose), of whom we were so proud in the first 2½ months of the season; and the other strange thing was that the (slightly less?) absurd "Lawro" predicted, not only that we would win, but that we would win 2-0. If he predicts a 1-2 scoreline at the JJB next week and it comes off, then I'll seriously consider taking the logo off the side panel!

Decent report by the excellent Gerry Cox of The Observer, says it all, really.

Quiz matters in a day or two, David.