Addicks dealt a bitter blow

Alan Pardew is a master of mind games and has worked wonders in turning around the confidence of both players and supporters but he will have his work cut out now to pick up his shattered side after this 2-1 defeat. Now is the time when the former West Ham boss has to earn his money, and prove he is as good a motivator as we have been led to believe.
"It was a fantastic effort from us; a great show of diligence and the scoreline doesn't really reflect what went on," said Pardew. "I'm proud of the players, they put in a fantastic effort and I feel disappointed for them, no more than that.
"We can look back at this performance with pride and take that into Sheffield United. I certainly feel there is a lot of mileage in what's going on at the bottom of the league. My overriding feeling is that this team still has a lot to say in what's going to go on between now and the end of the season."
A cold analysis of the Premiership table certainly paints a more optimistic picture, but it is the psychological damage that will concern Pardew most.
For weeks the players have bounded through their best spell of the season on a wave of self-belief that they were going to upset the odds and thwart relegation. This was the moment when that certainty evaporated; luck deserting the Addicks just when they most needed it.
But assuming Charlton can overcome Sheffield United at The Valley this Saturday, one further win might be enough to see them safe. Games against Blackburn Rovers away and Tottenham Hotspur at home might not be the easiest of matches but they are ones that the Addicks are capable of winning on their day. Liverpool at Anfield on the final day of the season is a different matter; Pardew's best hope there might be that Rafa Benitez's side are already assured of a top-four finish and have a Champions League final to distract them.
Sheffield United's victory over West Ham in all likelihood removed Alan Curbishley's team from the equation, while Wigan's inability to hold on to any of their three leads against Tottenham means they remain realistic targets for Pardew's men.
But the biggest wildcard of all could yet fall in Charlton's favour. Fulham have been in freefall over the past two months - picking up just three points from their last eight games - and it's difficult to see how changing the manager at this stage of the season will cause anything other than blind panic. And with Blackburn, Arsenal and Liverpool still to play the Cottagers, one London club's misfortune could be another's saviour.
None of this will matter, though, if Charlton fail to pick up all three points against Sheffield United this weekend. Pardew has already expressed his disdain for labelling games 'mustwin' fixtures but that was exactly the phrase he used to describe it.
If the players can overcome Neil Warnock's side, that shattered belief may return and the Great Escape could be back on. Anything else, and Charlton can start planning trips to Burnley and Plymouth. newsdesk@wharf.co.uk
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