Team News:
David Sommeil replaced Danny Mills, who had a fractured tibia. Ben Thatcher returned for Stephen Jordan, Claudio Reyna returned after several weeks out with a knee injury, and Trevor Sinclair started for the first time since Bolton due to his ligament damage.
The obligatory deafening PA system blasted out the hits, but as this stadium hosted the loudest ever rock concert when The Who played here in 1976, perhaps that’s not surprising!
The teams emerged from the tunnel to the strains of ‘London Calling’ by The Clash - Stuart Pearce sure to approve.
The Match
City started with an impressive amount of fans who had made the long journey to south-east London behind David James. City were wearing their dark blue away kit.
City pressed from the off, and Trevor Sinclair made Kiely make the game’s first save after five minutes, breaking away from Hreidarsson to drill the ball across the area, but Kiely got down with ease.
A minute later, and City had a much better chance. Cole flicked the ball over into the path of Vassell, but his touch took the ball just away from him, and Charlton’s keeper dived at his feet to block, taking a heavy blow to the chest in the process.
On 12 minutes Sun put a delicate cross in from the left that Hreidarsson had to head behind. After the corner, Barton put the ball back across, and a powerful Dunne header went a couple of feet over the bar.
There were no chances in the next period, but the Blues were probing away while the home side were reduced to pumping long balls up from defence, to their fans’ audible disgust.
But on 25 minutes, Andrew Cole broke the deadlock!! A powerful Distin header up the middle found Vassell, who made his way towards the area. As he went left, he laid off to his partner, who slid the ball to the left of Kiley’s hand and into the corner, a typical effort to take a deserved lead.
Four minutes later, Charlton should have gone level. A Bent knock-down found Ambrose clear 10 yards out, but he blazed miles over the bar, to the home fans disbelief. Hreidarsson then went close with a header a minute later.
But on 36, Charlton equalised through Darren Bent. A ball over the top up the middle eluded the defnce, and the striker smashed it past James, who could do nothing.
However, 60 seconds later City were back in front through a sublime Trevor Sinclair goal! Cole laid off to the midfielder, who homed in from the right to drill the ball powerfully under Kiely into the far corner. Stuart Pearce barely flickered, other than to urge his side to keep things calm.
In stoppage time, it was the turn of the “man in the mask” to nearly get on the scoresheet. David Sommeil went on a mazy run from the right into the area, and only a desperate lunge from a red shirt denied him, and from the rebound Barton drove wide.
Thomas replaced the anonymous Holland for the hosts at the break.
Two minutes into the second half, and Barton teed up Cole from a free kick near the right touchline, but the striker headed just over from a good leap.
On 50 minutes it was Barton’s turn to go close, his shot from long range always shaping just to the right of goal as he saw it. And two minutes later he was nearly on the score sheet again, this time a first time volley from a Cole knock down searing a yard wide of the same post as just before.
Sun Jihai earned City’s first booking on the hour for a clumsy challenge on Thomas from behind, but the Addicks made nothing of the free kick.
But on 69 minutes City went further ahead in dramatic circumstances. Hreidarsson pulled down Vassell to give away a penalty, and Joey Barton stepped up. Kiely saved, but the rebound came back to Barton, who slotted home in front of his adoring City fans. After a week that saw his family in the news, you could see what the goal meant to him, and the support from the Blue faithful and his teammates was clearly appreciated.
The two goal advantage only lasted four minutes, as substitute Bothroyd smashed in a free kick with his left foot that cannoned in under James.
The hosts had their tails up, and a minute later Smertin shot and forced James to touch it round the post. It was mayhem now, as seconds later James made another save and Distin smashed the ball clear.
The madness continued, and City went two goals clear again on 79!! A great pass from Cole found Darius Vassell, who raced clear of the defence to slide the ball home for his fifth goal of the season.
City tied things up with six minutes left, when an underhit Perry header fell to Andrew Cole, who eased around Kiely to score while the home side and their fans scratched their heads as to what was happening to them. The goal provoked a mass exodus from the home contingent.
City fans chanted for a sixth, but the Blues could not oblige. Three minutes of stoppage time prolonged the Addicks’s agony.
Referee Dowd blew the whistle to bring the game to an end. Five goals, away from home after nothing in the last two home games, and as Stuart Pearce said to mcfc.co.uk on Friday, football never fails to amaze!
Joey Barton threw his shirt into the City crowd at the end, a clear indication of how he appreciated their backing for him.
