Saturday 9 April 2022

Rotherham United 0 v Charlton Athletic 1 - EFL League 1

Saturday 9th April 2022
EFL League 1
At the New York Stadium
Rotherham United (0) 0
Charlton Athletic (0) 1
George Dobson 56
Attendance: 9,087 (inc. 442 away fans)
Rotherham United: 
Johansson, Harding, Barsaler (Osei-Tutu 68), Wood, Wiles, Ladapo, Ogbene, Ferguson (Miller 62), Rathbone (Lindsay 62), Ihiekwe, Smith
Unused subs - Chapman, Mattock, Kayode, Edmonds-Green
Charlton Athletic: 
MacGillivray; Clare, Pearce (C), Famewo; Matthews, Gilbey, Dobson, Morgan, Blackett-Taylor (Purrington 90+2), Stockley, Washington
Unused subs - Harness, John, Forster-Caskey, Jaiyesimi, Leko, Burstow
Fresh from their 4-2 extra-time Wembley triumph in the EFL Trophy (Papa John's Trophy) final against Sutton United last weekend, it was strongly anticipated that Paul Warne's third-placed Millers, who have occupied top spot in the League 1 table for much of the season, would consolidate their promotion push against an Addicks side who arrived in South Yorkshire loitering without much intent in fifteenth.
But Johnnie Jackson had prepared his visiting side well and Charlton unhatched a game plan that proved to be the undoing the strongly fancied hosts. If only they could display this kind of resilience, togetherness and focus on a more consistent basis, the south Londoners would be swimming with the big fish nearer the business end of the table right now instead of paddling in the shallow end with the also rans of this division.
A Zach Robinson goal three minutes from time had allowed AFC Wimbledon to salvage a point against a ten men Addicks side in midweek, after Jayden Stockley had given Charlton a sixty-ninth minute lead. Ryan Inniss had only been on the pitch for seven minutes as a second half substitute (in place of the injured Sam Lavelle), when he was red-carded for a reckless challenge on George Marsh. 
This afternoon, Jackson made five changes from Tuesday's starting line up, with Jason Pearce, Akin Famewo, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Alex Gilbey and Albie Morgan all returning to the side.
Obviously player availability played it's part, but as squad rotation goes, Rotherham were obviously going to be a different proposition than relegation threatened Wimbledon and Jackson got the balance exactly right with his team selection and tactics today. 
The match stats show that Rotherham had sixty percent of the possession today, but also that they only had one shot on target. Which in the main was due to a hard working shift by the visitors, who kept their shape and discipline, while effectively shutting down the Millers supply lines. 
Containment coupled with deploying a counter-attacking strategy meant that the Addicks recorded five times as many goal bound efforts on target as their hosts.
The best of those opportunities was George Dobson's peach of a strike that nestled in the bottom corner of Viktor Johansson's net from all of twenty-two yards after Albie Morgan teed the shot up following a slick passing interchange with Blackett-Taylor, deep inside Rotherham territory. It was Dobson's first ever goal for Charlton on a day when he'd excelled in the role of holding midfielder.
Ollie Rathbone had to make a last ditch effort to prevent Conor Washington opening the scoring, a few minutes before Dobson's sublime finish, while Johansson was called upon to deny Blackett-Taylor once and Washington twice as the Addicks carved out the better openings at one end, while Rotherham were snatching at half chances at the other while being forced into rushing things by the ever attendant visitors defence. Ben Wiles in particular was guilty of squandering a couple of gilt-edged chances by going for power rather than precision... I'm really glad that I wasn't sat directly behind the goal at that end.
"Can we play you every week!?" sang a group of jubilant Charlton fans as Johansson athletically got back  to claw away Washington's lob that looked destined to nestle just below the crossbar in the closing moments of the game.
For the record, the reverse fixture at the Valley this season had finished one-apiece after Washington had restored parity for the hosts with seven minutes remaining, after Mickel Miller had opened the scoring in first half stoppage time. Today, it was to be the aptly named Miller who had Rotherham's best chance to score late on, but he lashed the ball over the bar from close range.
As game managed goes, Johnnie Jackson, his staff and, of course, his players had managed things very well today indeed.
FT: Rotherham United 0 v Charlton Athletic 1
 
I'm sure that Rotherham will take this kick up the backside on board and get their stuff together for the run-in, while making good of their games in hand over second placed MK Dons, but today, there was no disputing the fact that they were second best, to a superbly organised Addicks side who left everything they had out on the field of play, sending their supporters home very happy with what they had just seen.
On the way home I caught a bit of the local football phone-in on the radio and can report that the Millers fans were full of praise for their opposition today too. 
I hear told that the Charlton owner: Thomas Sandgaard likes to take on board a cross-section of views, but I bet that he doesn't listen to BBC Radio Sheffield.